Making Chocolate at Pierella Ecological Garden in English
This is how we make chocolate at the Pierella Ecological Garden in Horquetas de Sarapiqui, Heredia, Costa Rica. We grow the cocoa plants at Pierella, harvest them, let them ferment for one week and then initially sun dried and finally roasted over the fire.
Honeycreepers of Pierella Ecological Garden
The three species of Honeycreepers found in Costa Rica are the Red-legged, Green and Shining. I have produced at least one video of each of the species and thought it would be instructive to show male and female of each one where I have good footage. I did not get any footage of the female Shining Honeycreeper.
Male Red-legged Honeycreepers in Mating Plumage
The male Red-legged Honeycreeper has a special plumage for mating season, this video was taken in January 2019 in Costa Rica at the Pierella Ecological Garden, Horquetas de Sarapiqui, Heredia State. After mating season they molt back to less flamboyant plumage. In this video you get to see the entire bird as it spins around on the banana fruit and also listen to its vocalizations. This is taken from the dining room at Pierella and it is open to the environment all year.
Kristal Barrantes explains how butterflies are raised sustainably at Pierella
This is a short video in Spanish that explains how William Camacho and Kristal Barrantes sustainably raise butterflies at the Pierella Ecological Garden, located in Horquetas de Sarapiqui, Heredia, Costa Rica
This Butterfly House is included in the tours of Pierella and on any one day there may be up to 15 different species of butterflies hatching! They then mate and the females transported to other caged inclosure where they lay their eggs on their specific food-plant. Once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars feed and go through 5 installs, prior to forming a chrysalis. If there is a demand for the chrysalis - they are sorted and sent to San Jose to the Costa Rica Entomological Supply where they are inspected and sent to many different countries. They send chrysalis to 134 different countries, worldwide.
The Butterfly House at Pierella Ecological Garden in Costa Rica
The butterflies in the chrysalis phase, if not shipped through the Costa Rican Entomological Supply, are placed in this butterfly house. When they emerge, they mate and then the females are captured and placed in enclosures with their food plant. The caterpillars hatch and grow and then pupate. The chrysalis are collected and the cycle starts anew.
We are not allowed to release more than 10 % of the butterflies that we raise or it would flood the ecosystem with butterflies which is not environmentally sustainable.
The Woodpeckers of Pierella Ecological Garden
At Pierella Ecological Garden we have resident woodpeckers and other species which visit from time to time. We are quite sure that the two larger species, the Lineated Woodpecker and the Pale-billed Woodpecker are not residents as we have not seen any evidence of their larger holes in the trees of our rain forest. However, we know that the Black-cheeked and Rufous-winged Woodpeckers are residents for we have seen their nests.
One of the pillars of Pierella is to be part of wildlife corridors exemplified by several of the woodpeckers in this video. That is why initiated a GoFundMe - Rainforest Expansion in Costa Rica where we hope to add 3 hectares of land adjacent to the existing 5 hectares. With that expansion we expect to attract additional resident woodpeckers and other bird species.
Tanagers of Pierella Ecological Garden
The Tanagers are a diverse group of birds and I expect as I continue to film at Pierella Ecological Garden, I will be adding to this list. I was not able to photograph males and females for most of these Tanagers. and that is an assignment for when I go back in February 2020. In the reference book I use mentions that the Honeycreepers are part of this group. We have three species at Pierella which is the subject of a previous post.
The Hummingbirds of Pierella Ecological Garden
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 52 species of hummingbirds. At Pierella Ecological Garden we commonly have 4 resident species nesting on the property. It is entirely possible that other hummingbird species may visit Pierella.
It is always nice to see the wildlife taking care of each other. For example, the Long-billed Hermit Hummingbird checking on the baby White-collared Manakin!
As we expand Pierella from 5 to 8 hectares, it is possible that more species will make it home in the future. We are initiating a GoFundMe to raise the funds necessary to expand Pierella. GoFundMe - Rainforest Expansion in Costa Rica.
Siproeta stelenes - Emergence from Chrysalis
Siproeta stelenes - The Malachite Butterfly - has a large natural range. I have photographed it in Iguazu Falls, Argentina and seen in Miami, Florida. This emergence occurred at Pierella Ecological Garden, Horquetas de Sarapiqui, Heredia State, Costa Rica. It is common on the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean coasts from sea level up to 1,400 meters.
Malachite Butterfly Emerging from Chrysalis
One of the amazing aspects of insects, and in this case butterflies, is the process known as metamorphosis. This is the process where the caterpillar (or larvae) sheds it skin after the 5th instar and forms a pupa or chrysalis. (see the life cycle of the Blue Morpho Butterfly on this YouTube channel and this process is explained in more detail). Essentially, the cellular material from the caterpillar is broken down once the chrysalis is formed and then the liquid matter is reformed as the adult butterfly. That is what is known as metamorphosis. The reforming process takes approximately 10 days (but varies between the different butterfly species) and then the adult butterfly emerges. The Malachite Butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) is named after the malachite gemstone for the similarity in the green colors. This species has a large range, I have seen these in Miami, FL and Iguazu Falls, Argentina (however, I have not seen them in other regions of south Florida).
This is one of the 15 species that we raise at the Pierella Ecological Garden, Horquetas de Sarapiqui, Heredia State, Costa Rica.
We have started a GoFundMe Rain Forest Expansion in Costa Rica to purchase 3 hectares of land adjacent to the 5 hectares that is presently Pierella Ecological Garden. One of the goals of this expansion is to increase the number of different butterfly species that are grown at Pierella Ecological Garden.
An introduction to the billcooperscience YouTube Channel
This video is an introduction to the billcooperscience YouTube Channel. Initially it will focus on nature videos that I have taken in a secondary growth rainforest (a constructed rain forest) where I have started viewing the natural history of Pierella Ecological Garden, Horquetas de Sarapiqui, Heredia, Costa Rica. Initially started as a Butterfly Garden it has grown into a biodiverse rain forest island. The long term goal here it to expand Pierella from 5 hectares to 8 hectares and we have started a GoFundMe entitled Rainforest Expansion in Costa Rica to raise $90,000 it will cost to purchase 3 adjacent hectares of land.
The Orchids of Pierella Ecological Garden
In the 5 hectares (12.5 acres) of Pierella Ecological Garden, we have found 10 different species of orchids. It is possible that there might be more, as we only sampled over the period of several days in February 2019. Nevertheless, it seems amazing that 10 species have found their way to this secondary rainforest island.
Typical Forest Scene at Pierella Ecological Garden
This video is an example of why using a video camera has some advantages. In this case, I set the camera up and went to have lunch and came back an hour later having no idea what I had captured until I look through the footage after dark. From memory these are the birds that visited the White-collared Manakins (juveniles) court (Manacus candei), Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), Clay-colored Robin (Turdus grayi), an unidentified Dove, and an Orange-billed Sparrow (Arremon aurantiirostris).
Another trick I played because it was video, and if you go back and look at it you'll see it, was footage of the Orange-billed Sparrow. The Sparrow did not stick around very long and I was able to cut and paste short video clips to allow you to see this beautiful bird.
This leads me to the idea of expanding Pierella Ecological Garden from the present 5 hectares to 8 hectares. One of four guiding principals is to strengthen and expand biodiversity. This video shows biodiversity with 5 different species of birds visiting this little Manakin court in an hour.
My GoFundMe is raising funds to expand Pierella can be accessed on Google as, GoFundMe Rain Forest Expansion in Costa Rica. One of the purposes of this YouTube Channel is to heighten awareness of Pierella's secondary rain forest and its role to increase biodiversity and strengthen ecosystem services, which contribute to sustainability, and, integrates it as a wildlife corridor.
Land as it was in 1995 and today in Pierella Ecological Garden
This video compares the present day pasture land (in the fore-ground) adjacent to Pierella Ecological Garden(in the back-ground) a secondary growth rain forest. The rain forest was all pasture land in 1995 and since William Camacho planted the food plants of the the butterflies, trees and shrubs, and now raises 15 species of butterflies. Through the sale of the butterfly chrysalis to the Costa Rica Entomological Supply, San Jose, Costa Rica, William has grown this farm from a 20 meter by 20 meter cage, for raising Blue Morpho butterflies, to 5 hectares and 15 different species. The GoFundMe, Rainforest Expansion in Costa Rica hopes to raise sufficient funds to purchase 3 adjacent hectares for an expansion.
Male Hoffmann's Woodpecker
This woodpecker visits Pierella Ecological Garden, and like the Great Green Macaw, is an example of Pierella serving as a wildlife corridor for the surrounding area in Horquetas de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica. This woodpecker is distinguished by the yellow-orange spot on the nape (top) of his neck.
Camouflage - The Common Pauraque
The Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis) is one of the Costa Rican birds that is a master in camouflage! I am always amazed that William and Kristal can spot these birds as they walk through Pierella Ecological Garden. I all the hours I have walked in Pierella, I've never spotted one unless they spot it first. There is magic in a naturalists eyes!
These birds are in a group referred to as Nightjars. These birds fly at night and rest during the day. The Common Pauraque is found throughout Costa Rica in lowlands and middle elevations to 1700 meters. They are an integral part of the natural insect control at Pierella!
Emergence of Caligo atreus
Caligo atreus ranges from Mexico to Peru and is one of several species commonly referred to as owl butterflies. It occurs on both coasts in rain forests up to 1,300 meters; however, it is more common in the Caribbean coastal rain forests. It is intolerant of the Guanacaste dry season and does not inhabit this region of northwest Costa Rica.
It ranks among the largest of the butterfly species raised at Pierella Ecological Garden.
Canopy Lizard
As you look at this beautiful Canopy Lizard (Polychrus gutturosus) it is hard not to be amazed at the diversity of the flora and fauna that have found Pierella Ecological Garden to be home. The Canopy Lizard moves mostly at night and has the ability to rapidly change colors from bright green to brown, except for the tail which remains brown all of the time.
You have to look at the various videos that I have posted on the Channel, and will continue to post, and think with amazement how this 5 hectare rain forest island has acted (since 1995) to attract the biodiversity that it has.
What if we can make it bigger? That is the subject of the GoFundMe Rain Forest Expansion in Costa Rica where we hope to raise $90,000 to purchase 3 adjacent hectares. This will enlarge Pierella and also likely add to biodiversity and ecosystem services that it provides, which will positively impact sustainability and expand it as a part of a growing wildlife corridor!
Possible Baltimore Oriole - Female or Juvenile
Baltimore Orioles overwinter in this region of Costa Rica at the Pierella Ecological Garden. As close as I can tell this is either a female or a juvenile Baltimore Oriole; however, I'm not 100 % sure on this identification? There are several other North American bird species that overwinter in this region of Costa Rica which I will upload as I get to them in my videos.
Hooded (Praying) Mantis
Here is another example of camouflage, the Hooded Mantis (Choeradodis rhomboidea), in Pierella Ecological Garden. This is also part of the natural insect control and other small invertebrate prey in Pierella. The leafy-green wings show leaf venation thus providing protective cover.
The Hooded Mantis is found on both coasts of Costa Rica and from tropical Central America to central South America.