Monteverde and the Continental Divide

Last post, I mentioned that we were at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve for a few days this past weekend. The day after our visit to the Aero Energia plant, we had an early, 6 am, breakfast, and then headed out to Monteverde by bus. Upon arriving, we sat down on logs or the ground beside the trail for a field lecture with our Tropical Ecology professor, Edgardo. After the lecture, we split into three groups and began the hike to the Continental Divide where we were all to meet up to eat our 'emergency' sandwiches (packed for all field trips) before heading back down the trail.

Along the way, we talked about the Cloud Forest, a unique environment existing in damp areas over 3,000 ft. Here, the trade winds sweep across the Central American isthmus, gathering moisture as they cross the warm Caribbean Sea. As the air crosses onto the land of the Central American, Caribbean slope and begins to climb in elevation towards the Continental Divide, the water is released in the form of rain creating the ideal conditions for a lowland tropical rainforest to form. On the other side of the divide, a rain shadow is created and the climate is much drier (this is where I live).

However, as the air is pushed up over the mountains, the clouds pass through and settle in the forests at the top, creating what is known as a Cloud Forest: extremely moist, extremely verdant, and extremely biodiverse. On our hike we saw a variety of hummingbirds and tolomuco (tyra in English), a member of the weasel family, playing amongst the trees. We also saw an amazing variety of plant life including tens of thousands of epiphytes, plants which live on other plants, completely disconnected from the forest floor and obtaining their nutrients from particals suspended in the water caught in the trees.

To hike in this forest was incredible, unlike any other place I've ever been. As we neared the top, the canopy opened up since the high winds don't allow for tall tree to grow here and the undergrowth became even more dense. At the very top, the trees looked as if they were combed over the scalp of the ridge. The wind was strong and the view was breathtaking.

The next day, we all broke up into pairs and completed a field research exercise. My friend Ethan and I measured the percentage of moss cover on leaves and compared it to the amount of canopy cover. Our research allowed us a great opportunity to explore the Monteverde forest on our own.

Pictures soon to follow!