Day Two(can)—because we literally saw a Toucan! Bright and early at 6 am at Crystal Paradise, a curved distinct yellow, curved beak and dark body appeared. It was magnificent, and just a taste of what the area contained. Spotting trogons and tons of hummingbirds, we then had a delicious breakfast of Fry Jacks, which taste a lot like this Indian dish called Bhatura, reminding me a bit of home. And then it was off to Mountain Pine Ridge and Caracol! Loading up our bags, saying goodbye to Elise’s and my third roommate (Barry the Amblypygi), it was time for a new adventure.

With Leo, our tour guide, we were off to the National Pine Ridge Forest. The Pine Ridge forest is filled with a pink-red soil due to the iron oxide interwoven with the material. This, along with the limestone base, give it a distinct ecology of pine trees, hence the name.

Crossing the Macal River a half hour later, the contrast was intense. From this barren area (albeit with tasty looking cashews – they are poisonous in fruit form though 🙁 and cool cicadas) to the lush, dense forests, it was an amazing site. In a bigger sense though, both these terrains are two sides of the same coin. Both encompass areas of Belize protected by the Friends for Conservation Development and the greater Las Cuevas Research Station (LCRS). And they both contain a lot of limestone, or skeletal remains of sea creatures, although the National Pine Ridge exists atop older metasediments from Pangaea times. Crossing into this lush forest, however, we were met with the ancient stone structures of Caracol.

Caracol is reminiscent of the Maya’s rich millennia of history. Notably encompassing Southern Mexico, El Salvador, Yucatan, and of course, Belize, it was a series of city-states and migrations. And man, were they intense. Climbing up the steps of the eleven-storied palace, each step half my size, it was a leg day for the ages. The Mayas believed that their buildings were alive, so rather than demolishing buildings when they had served their purpose, they “buried” it with steps, adding a new level atop the area. And man, those 11 floors were tough to climb. The top view was so worth it though, and we could see a canopy below. And amidst the hot, hot day, the cool, mossy tombs were definitely a relief (although a permanent one for some). But this was just the surface. In this area, the Maya also built temples to align with the equinox, and were consistent stargazers. There’s also evidence of terraces, raised patches, slash and burn practices, and a robust agriculture system of crop rotation and water reservoirs sustaining at least 200,000 people in just a 5-mile span. Although, their ball game was intense: the losers (and sometimes the winner) would be sacrificed to gods…yikes. Exploring these areas was just so interesting, and really underscored the magnitude of Maya resourcefulness. I have gained so much respect for this group, and who knows what we don’t know about them.

What we do know, is their sustained belief in the inextricable links held between nature and humans, revering the circle of life above all else. Their sacred tree, the cotton tree’s canopy represents the heavens or spiritual realm, the buttress, the material world, and the roots, the extensive underworld (and potentially even the cave system below… but more on that in a few days). And the flora and fauna attest to this. Through this time, we saw a series of Montezuma’s Orapendula, with bright yellow tails, roosting and flying across their long, pendulum-shaped nests. The ground was also filled with crickets and miniature signs of life. What else could have coexisted with the Maya civilization?

After a delicious lunch of rice and beans and plantains, we were then on our way to LCRS! On the way, we spotted three howler monkeys swinging and hanging around. Earlier on the road, we had also seen this Green Vine Snake…

LCRS is so pretty, an expansive clear-cutting surrounded by thick forest for miles and miles. Our station doesn’t have much internet, which makes it a little hard to get the blogs in (apart from my procrastination). And the insects eat up every second we’re here. But it’s okay, it feels like a fun place to explore, and I can’t wait to see what’s there. We already did a hike and saw another potential Maya Ball court. We also saw the Bull’s Horn Acacia tree, which is a classic plant-insect interaction in this area. Ants living in the hollow thorns of the plant protect it fiercely, gaining nutrition from the extrafloral nectaries and yellow-orange Beltian bodies. 

Today, I got to see a flower-like, foliose, dark green lichen with a white border. Maybe a Dirinaria, and it looked like there would be a lot more of those on the barks everywhere. I also got to see some more mint-colored Dirinaria on some leaves. Maybe for epiphyllous cyanobacterial purposes? Only the leaf can tell us. I also saw this pure white lichen, but I don’t really know what it is. I will say, it was a pretty loose substrate attachment. And my first mushroom! A pure brown, stipeless, concave pileus specimen. Its solid coloration was giving Common Tree Oyster, but we’ll also see if that’s really so common diving deeper into LCRS. But best of all, this dark, crustose lichen, alongside some feathery red algaeon the rocks of Caracol. I think the crustose lichen might have been associated with some opportunistic Trentepohlia algae, still so new to me though. . .Exciting, exciting! The dark lichen around did look like some sort of Cladonia though. I really do wonder when they started growing: were they there when the first Maya left the city? Did they start growing when the land was colonized again? Or are they of a more recent century, carried by wind and bird? So many untold secrets.

An exciting transition, and more to come!

Other pics that didn’t make the cut: