Orchids, Orchids, and More Orchids

I waited until the last day to see the orchid show, Brazilian Modern, at The New York Botanical Garden. The blossoms had been on display since February 28, but they were still breathtaking. I snuck in before the Conservatory officially opened to the public and had the whole place to myself. I can't imagine evolution ever producing a floral structure more sublime than that exhibited by this group of plants. [NOTE: Music by Bebel Gilberto].

Uxpanapa

The Uxpanapa region of southwestern Veracruz originally contained one of the largest expanses of tropical forest in Mexico. Between the years of 1974 and 1976, over 85,000 hectares of forest were cleared as part of a plan to resettle Chinanteco communities that had been displaced by the construction of the Cerro de Oro dam in Oaxaca.  Unfortunately, the deforested areas proved unsuitable for mechanized agriculture and the land was subsequently abandoned. A lot of lessons here. [NOTE: I was visiting a student's research site in Uxpanapa when I happened on these guys. They had just stopped cutting to have their lunch].

The Importance of Looking Down

I am a firm believer in the idea that if you want to understand the future of a tropical forest - look in the understory (see Regeneration Surveys). Repeated observations of marked seedlings are the crystal ball (maybe Ouija Board is a better analogy) of forest dynamics.  A species may be represented by a large number of canopy trees at the moment, but if it doesn't have any seedlings or saplings established in the understory, it's days are numbered. Want to assess the sustainability of forest use?  Count seedlings.  Want to make imperceptible, lasting changes to forest composition?  Selectively weed the understory (see Tembawang). 

When you walk through a tropical forest, the natural tendency is to look up.  To scan the crowns for flowers and fruits (if collecting herbarium specimens) or to marvel at the size of the canopy trees (see Size Matters). Nothing wrong with this, but there may be more to be learned by looking down. [NOTE: The sapling with the orange flagging is Grias peruviana (see Grias Predated, Umberto Pacaya, and Varzea Still Life); I still have that machete].

Andrew's Binoculars

We stopped for a coffee break in a small town on our way back to Hanoi, and the local kids (dozens of them) had great fun passing around Andrew's Nikon binoculars.  [NOTE: Andrew was remarkably relaxed about the whole thing].

Global Positioning System

Here's one from the archive.  I am standing in front of a Dayak longhouse in the Kapuas Hulu regency of West Kalimantan in the early 1990's trying to spatially locate myself with a clunky GPS receiver. These were the days of "Selective Availability (SA)", and even though I might get a reading, it could be off by as much as 100 m.  I'm glad they eventually did away with this foolishness. [NOTE:  The GPS receivers in those days were big and heavy - and white, apparently. Don't know for sure, but it looks like I'm wearing a Batman t-shirt].

Karst

We passed through some beautiful karst landscapes in Quang Binh province during our drive back to Hanoi.  The border with Laos is just on the other side of the peaks. [NOTE: In total, we drove over a thousand kilometers on the Ho Chi Minh highway to visit protected areas in the Central Truong Son Mountains (thx, Mr. Quang); guitar by Michael Hedges].

Phong Nha-Ke Bang

Misty morning in the town of Phong Nha-Ke Bang in Quang Binh province of Vietnam.  The nearby Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a World Heritage site known for its magical karst landforms and extensive network of underground caves.  Undoubtedly a lot or new palms to be found on these limestone substrates.

Leeches

Leeches are one of my least favorite aspects of doing fieldwork in tropical forests. After snakes.  A new record for leech encounters was recently set while looking for a place to run an inventory transect in the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve in Vietnam. The ground was boiling with them. [NOTE: I pulled off about 30-40 leeches, and two especially tenacious ones made it back to the guest house in my boot].   

Pressing Plectocomiopsis

Andrew and Biu Van Thanh made over 120 collections of 40 different palm species during the fieldwork in Vietnam.  Some of the collections look a lot like new species, e.g. the species of Plectocomiopsis being pressed in this video. [NOTE: The specimen was collected in the Son Thanh Nature Reserve]. 

Forest Collectors

Yesterday we ran some rattan inventory transects in the Son Thanh Nature Reserve in Quang Nam Province of Vietnam. About thirty minutes down the trail from Tabhing commune we passed several local collectors coming out of the forest. [NOTE: I tried to pick up a bundle of rattan like the man was carrying - and failed. Don't even want to think about carrying that huge plank].