Crop Planting/Harvests and Animal Sightings

Week 3 at Jatun Sacha has proved to be just as diverse and exciting as the other two weeks.  After spending some more time clearing the cacao grove, we actually got to plant something!  In the sunny spots of the cacao grove, new plátano plants are in the ground, and after one year of rain and sunshine they will be 15 feet tall and top-heavy with fruit.  It was so nice to bring some life to an area after having to cut down nearly everything in sight.  In addition to planting plátano, we got to harvest some to take back to the station and incorporate into our daily meals.  Harvesting involves delicate cutting of the main trunk so that the large bunch falls to the ground, where it can then be removed from the rest of the plant.

'Colines', or plátano shoots, taken from the bottom of mature plants.

A patch of plátano.

The bunch is ready for harvest when the plátanos are green.

One bunch is plenty for one person to carry around!

In addition to plátano, we harvested yuca, a starchy staple of the Ecuadorian diet.  The yuca roots grow underground like a potato, and it takes some finesse to pull out the whole plant without breaking off any of the roots.  The branchy top of the plant is cut to leave about a foot of stem above the ground, and to replant, you just stick the recently chopped off top of the plant back into the ground, and new roots begin to grow.  To prepare, the root is washed and peeled, and usually boiled.  We have had it served plain, and it is a great addition to soups!

Mature yuca plants in the background with cut plants ready to harvest closer to the camera.

This week we have been lucky to see lots of animals in the forest and around the station.  Here are a few of the best shots.

Tarantula found in the plátano grove, all the species in this area are docile, non-venomous, and do not bite.

Mett from Luxumbourg enjoying the company of a new friend!

Blistered hands and the frog from our Jatun Sacha t-shirts.

This little guy hopped onto a half-cut palm tree that I was in the process of chopping down.

One of two species of leaf-frogs in the world, the other lives in Costa Rica.

Our resident tarantula right outside the station office makes an appearance from the nest.

There's a toucan in that tree!  We saw them when we were walking along the road, what a treat!

This meter-long, non-venomous vine snake jumped about 40ft from a palm tree, and gave one volunteer a couple shallow puncture wounds before we grabbed it properly to take some photos.  We released her shortly after.