Plants
Animals

Let's take a nature walk

Just a short distance from the Nosara resort where we stayed, were gentle paths for long walks. Beginning our walk at the beach, we saw plants growing in large sand beds.


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 Along the beaches, vines grow in the sand. It is amazing that the plants can flourish in the harsh sandy soils.

The beach will take you back to paths lined with hibiscus trees in varied colors...
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... and the ground lined with diverse population of flowers and butterflies ...  
 

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 Because of the numerous and diverse flower species, we also saw a lot of butterflies, moths, bees, and other pollinating insects which depend on flowers for nectar. In turn, the flowers depend on the pollinators for survival.


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and seeds and leaves from the trees.


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These seed pods are from the Guanacaste tree. Locals call them ear pods because of their shape.

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As we get deeper into the woodsy area, the groves of Mangroves come into view.

Mangrove trees are truly unique and look like they are walking on their roots. Mangroves live in flood prone areas and because the roots are above the ground, the tree does not drown during floods. They also have "nodules" sticking up from the ground to absorb oxygen from the air; generally the soils of mangrove swamps are oxygen poor.

 

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Watch around your feet!

There is deep green foliage with dew still on the leaves even during the middle of the day ...

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The moisture aids in the decomposition of logs and mushrooms take advantage of the nutrient - rich compost.

... and hundreds of species of colorful vegetation.


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... and more exotic vegetation like yellow bamboo and the Sabo Tree.

Sabo trees have a unique way of protecting themselves. When the tree is young, spikes protruding from the bark protect the tree from woodpeckers. As the tree grows, the spikes get smaller and eventually disappear.


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In the Bioreserve, a stand of yellow bamboo was unlike any bamboo we have seen before.


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What's cactus doing here? Isn't this odd?

It seemed strange to find cacti in such a humid and rainy area as Costa Rica. This tall cactus was among the few varieties we found.

Next, let's look at the animals.

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