Blog #8

 Day #9

Today we had a nice sleep-in and started work at 9:00 am instead of our usual 8:00 am start. Duffy cooked some great bacon this morning that we enjoyed with our breakfast before we headed out for the day. At the start of the day, we listened to a talk about the Ocuteious Monteverdencie tree, which is a tree we had been working with very closely over the last week. We learned that although there is very little known about them, it is estimated that it takes them at  least 50 years to first begin producing fruit though it is estimated it is most likely around 100 years before they are able to reproduce! They have extremely strict growing conditions and so far have only been found in Monteverde, Costa Rica. They are a type of avocado tree and have extremely high-calorie fruits. The are a huge source of food for many organisms. One more interesting discovery about the tree is they flower on a 3-year cycle and will only do so when conditions are perfect. The institute is finding sometimes gaps of over twenty years between Monteverdencies in the forest. Also, certain birds that have never been found in Monteverde appear during the fruiting of these trees, This not only suggests the significant role these trees play in the ecosystem but also raises the question of how the birds would know the tree is fruiting because the trees carry out this process so inconsistently. There are many questions to be answered about these trees and I am glad I have gotten the opportunity to learn a little bit about them at the institute. 

For the second half of the day, we packed bags. Unfortunately, it was Randy's last day working with us but we had a great celebration with the whole Monteverde Institute team at the end of work today. I am sad our time is coming to an end but am so glad I have gotten to be a part of this program. 

Daily hours: 7 hours

Total time: 55 hours


 

 

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