Creatures In My Yard- Jungle Edition

Ecuador's biodiversity is exceptional. I found out that scientists had chosen a 6 square kilometer plot of land in Yasuni National Park in the jungle and catalogued the life they found. Among them were 500 bird species, 200 mammal species, and 47 amphibian and reptile species. There are more tree species in one hectare within Yasuni than in all of North America. This one park has more frogs and toad species than the US and Canada combined. More insects were found living in ONE tree than in all of the United States! 

When we arrived at the house that would be our home for five months, I was excited to see the prime habitat in and around our compound. I was able to identify 96 species of birds, loads of butterflies, moths, and insects of all kinds, even a couple tarantulas! This one was huge!

Our white house drew lots of creatures at night, so I'd always check our patio before going to bed. One night I was surprised to find a venomous South American Coral Snake on the patio! 

One day while birding at home, I was drawn to a certain area of vegetation by some butterflies. As I got closer and allowed my attention to focus on the smallest movements, I saw the area come alive. Multiple species of grasshoppers, butterflies, bees, beetles and other insects were all over a 3 ft area. It was amazing to see such diversity and life that almost always goes unnoticed. This was a turning point for me. From then, I gave my attention to all creatures when I was outside, not just birds.

I found myself really interested in caterpillars. There are so many different ones with incredible colors and patterns. I saw some type of caterpillar almost every time I went out looking, and I hardly ever saw the same kind twice. Many of the caterpillars in Ecuador have venomous spines or hairs on them so I never touched one.

 One Ecuadorian woman told me that if you do accidentally touch one of the caterpillars with stinging spines, the antidote is found within. She explained with her hands to break the caterpillar open and rub it on your skin. I was both shocked and impressed but left with additional questions, like, how do you grasp a venomous caterpillar to break it open without winding up with many more stings?

 Something is quite different about one of the caterpillars above. It appears to have tiny cocoons all over it. Those are actually parasitoid wasp cocoons. The wasp lays eggs in or on the host (caterpillar in this case), the larva hatches, feeds on the caterpillar then pupates in the tiny cocoons, until it later emerges an adult wasp. 

 One day I discovered this bizarre creature on a small tree outside my window, another caterpillar! This is a monkey slug caterpillar that will someday become a hag moth. They come in different colors and shapes. I found a second one that was orange in Mindo. I was shocked to learn monkey slug caterpillars can be found in the eastern US as well.  

So many varieties of butterfly and moth are found here, some as big as my face. We found the large moth below inside our house. The kids took it outside to release it and just then a Bat Falcon swooped thru the air and snatched it. I somehow managed to catch a photo just before the grab! The falcon carried the moth to a nearby light pole and my daughter watched in horror while our little friend was eaten. She cried for some time. The circle of life is sometimes difficult to witness, but it's just a part of the food chain.

Saddleback Tamarinds regularly jump thru the trees behind the house. These are tiny monkeys that easily hide when they hold still, but they are so fun to watch as they jump tree to tree.

Stick bugs were especially intriguing to us. It turns out that the yellow and red ones are both the same species. We found that out when Journey was holding one and I brought the other one near her. In a flash, mine jumped to hers and immediately began mating. Well, that was educational!

Choosing photos for this post has been quite difficult as I have no less than 1500 photos of insects, spiders and caterpillars just from our own backyard!

This is a composite photo showing two sides of the same insect. The white spots on its side make it look like a dead leaf with spots eaten out of it. The mirror image hearts on its neck are a neat touch.

A Black-Billed Thrush built her nest on our patio. We enjoyed watching the babies grow and fledge.

I won't share all 96 species of birds I found in our yard, but I will show you a few favorites. Tanagers are typically brightly colored birds.

Blue-Necked Tanager, Blue-Gray Tanager, Bay-Headed Tanager above. 

Below are the Magpie Tanager (google his song) and a Palm Tanager.

The Crimson-Crested Woodpecker above and Lineated Woodpecker below and peeking from the nest are all about 13 inches tall. Very large birds.

Lafresnaye's Piculet above, female Orange-bellied Euphonia below

 Lined Antshrike above, Smooth-billed Ani below

 Squirrel Cuckoo above, Masked Tityra below

A black-eared opossum met his demise in our front yard, and soon a wake of black vultures arrived, nature's clean-up crew.

Below is a collection of various plants I discovered in our yard.

Food and drinks of Ecuador

From eating monkey in the jungle to drinking the traditional purple-colored Colada Morada, we embrace trying a wide variety of food and drinks wherever we are. In the area between Banos and Shell, there is a dirt road that follows the river along which you'll find signs that say "pesca deportiva" (sport fishing). Here you can catch fish in pools and the nearby restaurant will cook them for you.

They were very proud of catching dinner for the whole family. 

We spent four days living deep in the Amazon jungle with the Waodani. They eat whatever they can hunt or grow, so while we were there, we ate pihranna, wild boar, paca, and monkey. They also eat chontacuro (large palm grubs) which Asher tried at school one day. (Top photo)

One of the most popular restaurants in Shell is Tablitas, which serves salchipapas (hot dogs and fries), burgers, rotisserie chicken, yucca fries and a combination meat plate that Daddy enjoyed.

Tablitas' location on the town square across from the airplane park offers a nice view at night. Food vendors set up tents along the road. Our favorites were the queso empanadas made in front of us, and pizza made street side by our Colombian friend.

Typically grocery shopping in Shell requires a visit to three or four different places like the bakery for bread, the butcher for chicken (and fresh ground peanut butter), another shop for milk and dry goods, and don't forget the fruit and veggie stand. Siza, this one-story market on the square, has more variety and is about four times larger than the other shops.

Many groceries are sold in bags- yogurt, milk, sauces, condiments and jams. It really cuts down on the size of the trash and they are easy to use. We discovered a special tea called guayusa that we really enjoy. It's grown in the Ecuadorian jungle and has beneficial qualities. The leaves come dried, folded and pierced onto a wire circle.

If you see an "almuerzo" sign in a window, that means the restaurant makes one meal for lunch. They usually give you two options for meat, often chicken or beef. It's served with soup, rice and vegetables or salad, and sometimes popcorn. A fresh made juice is included, usually a colada- juice mixed with oats and then strained, giving it a slightly gritty texture. This typical Ecuadorian lunch costs just $2.25 USD in Shell.

In Puyo, there is a restaurant that is known for el volquetero, a concoction of chochos (white high-protein bean), maiz tostado (roasted corn- think corn nuts, but softer), tomatoes and onions on a bed of chifles (green plantain chips) and topped with a can of tuna. Volquetero means dump truck. This dish was named after the dump truck drivers who would come into the restaurant on their short break needing some protein to fill them up. It sounds super weird, but we really developed a craving for this interesting dish.

A similar dish, the cevichocho, is a ceviche with chifles, popcorn, chochos, avocado, tomato, onion and your choice of chicken or fish, then topped with fresh squeezed limon, sauce and salt. Street vendors would often bring this by the ITEC Ecuador office.

Asher, Journey and Nanki spend time together just about everyday. Here they found guaba fruit in the yard. They cracked it open to reveal black seeds with a fuzzy white covering. It has a slightly sweet flavor and a similarity to cotton candy, but you have to scrape it off the seed with your teeth.

Another restaurant we visited a number of times is La Hacienda. The kids LOVE their kabobs!

Our friend, Andrea, invited us to her home and taught Asher, Journey and I how to make queso empanadas. It was super fun and they are delicious! Another day Daddy helped a local Quichua church with a minga (collective service for the benefit of a group) and afterwards we enjoyed a meal of chicken, rice and potatoes together. Journey was given the foot, a prized part of the meal.

Along the streets of Banos, there are hooks in many of the shops where vendors are stretching and pulling taffy. Many will break off a piece of this tasty treat for you as you walk by.

You can also find whole roasted pigs and even roasted guinea pigs!