Palo Verde

This is my first time in a dry tropical forest, well it is my first time in Costa Rica, and I was unsure what to expect.  When I first came here I had envisioned a swampy, lush, towering mess of a flora and fauna.  This was my silly romantic view of what the tropical jungle was like.  Here at Palo Verde we are experiencing the dry season, which I am thankful for because the mosquitos are bad enough.  I have fallen in love with this place in such a short time.  At first glance it looks like a habitat you may encounter in the states, but a little bit hotter.

When I opened my eyes I couldn't mentally grasp the diversity around me.  I have seen the COOLEST insects I have ever seen, the most incredible mammals, such as coati, the wrinkle face bat, howler monkeys and so much more!

Last night we went to a watering hole and although the volume of group  probably scared away most of our mammal friends, we saw snakes of various species, eels, amphibians, owls, etc.  For how loud we were being the forest was still full of movement from animals that weren't threatened by our ungainly journey through the brush. Next time I will visit this place with a quieter foot.