We have finally arrived at Las Cuevas! Before getting here, I was obviously aware that I was going to be in the rainforest, but it just hit me that I am IN THE RAINFOREST. The drive through the forest seemed to go on forever as we got deeper and deeper. We saw a toucan and howler monkeys along the way, which I have only ever seen in zoos, so it was so beautiful to see them in their natural habitat. The research station is something out of Tarzan! I feel so off the grid because we only have about 6 hours of internet access a day, no AC, and limited electricity! Time to test how strong my Instagram addiction is.

It’s day 2 and I have yet to see a butterfly up close— but I am holding out hope! Serenity has seen quite a few, and she showed me a picture of one that she found. I identified it as an Erato heliconian. I am glad that I was able to ID my first Lepidoptera. Today, I also gave my Lepidoptera Taxon briefing, which I think went well. I was able to answer all the questions, and everyone was so nice. Tomorrow is our first day really in the field, so I am excited to find a few on our explorations!

Last year, I took a class that covered the natural history of Maya forests, and I loved it! So i have been looking forward to seeing the Maya ruins and forests, which we saw today. The stairs at the ruins were BRUTAL; I definitely got in my leg workout today. But, it was so worth it! The views were incredible and it felt like truly a once in a lifetime experience. Our local guide, Leo seemed to know so much about the ruins and the history. After reading about these civilizations for so long, it was incredible to see them in real life!