It has been 98 years since the mariposa (or butterfly) known scientifically as Tetrisia florigera was first discovered in 1911 by entomologist, William Schaus.  However, little was ever revealed about the species, which Schaus claimed to have observed in the San Jose area.  Now an investigator with InBio (Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad) named José Montero has re-discovered the species, but in a completely different location.  He has found the species in the Veragua Rainforest and Adventure park located in the province of Limón.  Montero observed a female of the species in January of this year.  The fact that it was found in Limón some 400 meters above sea level shows that the species has a wide range of possible distribution, as Schaus’ previous sighting was at an altitude closer to 1,000 meters.  Until now the only example of the species known was the one that could be found in the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.  Montero told La Nación that the habit and habitats of this species of mariposa are virtually unknown. 

Link to Article in La Nación

Costa Rican artist, Jorge Jiménez Deredia, has taken Rome by storm with his 60 piece work placed at various ancient historical locations, such as the Forum and Coliseum.  The artist has much more in mind, however, than just a display of art.  His major motivation is to send a message of harmony and peace to the world.  Authorities assure that allowing this 54 year old Costa Rican artist to display his work in such a manner is a first for Rome.  The exhibit is part of a wider plan by Deredia that he calls La Ruta de la Paz (or, route to the peace).  The idea is for these works of art, which represent the spiritual values of the indigenous peoples, to bring a message of peace and harmony throughout the western world, starting with Rome, the focal point of western civilization.  Rodrigo Arias, minister to the president of Costa Rica, as well as his brother, viewed the exhibit in Rome and commented on the importance to understand that what Deredia is representing must be a common motivation for all human beings and that all Costa Ricans should take time to recognize and value the enormous dimensions of this Costa Rican artist’s important work.

Link to Article in La Nación

Link to Deredia Web Site on the Rome Exhibit

I was in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua recently and noticed high in the cliffs overlooking the far northern end of the bay, a large statute.  I was able to see that it was likely a statute of Christ, but at that time it had no head!  I wasn’t sure what was up with that.  Well yesterday in La Nación an article appeared that explains the mystery.  It seems that wealthy local businessman by the name of Erwin González commissioned an artist from Costa Rica to construct the statute.  Don Erwin, who is the developer of the exclusive Pacific Marlin residential area in San Juan del Sur, is a devout follower of the Cristo de la Misericoridia, whom the statute represents.  The tico artist is Max Ulloa.  He constructed the statute, which measures 15 meters in height, with fiber-glass, because he said it was a versatile material that is easy to transport.  The pieces were transported separately, which explains why I saw that statute headless….the head had not quite made it yet.  Resting on its pedastal, the statute measures a full 24 meters in height and the Cristo has a very senic view of the entire bay of San Juan del Sur, one of Nicaragua’s most visited and scenic Pacific coast beaches.  The Cristo extends his blessing to the beach-goers below from an altitude that is 110 meters above sea level.  The image of the Cristo de la Misericoridia, is that of a resurrected Christ, with his right hand extended to bless, restore and forgive repentant souls.  The left hand calls attention to the incredulity of Thomas, the so-called, “doubting Thomas” of John 20:24-28.

Article in La Nación

An enormous árbol de higuerón (or large fig) located in Cóbano, Puntarenas earned the Exceptional Tree award for 2009 as part of the celebration in Costa Rica of the Día del Árbol that took place on June 15th.  The award was given by experts at the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (InBio).  The gigantic tree measures 21.5 meters in diameter, 40 meters in height, and has a crown of 80 meters that can shelter more than 40 persons under its branches.  The tree is located on the property of Felipe Sequeira Cruz in Cabuya de Cóbano, Puntarenas.  The Árbol Excepcional award was created in 2003 to search out each year a unique specimen of tree with the purpose of highlighting the significant role that trees play in distinct communities.  This tree is of great importance to a wide variety of plant and animal life.  For example, a troop of 10 monos congos (or “howler monkeys”) are nourished from its fruit, as well as many other mammals and insects.  Tree specialist, Isabel Di Mare, told La Nación that this tree is extremely spectacular not only for its aesthetic beauty, but also for its natural contribution.  The great “mother” tree has also “given birth” to several other large, albeit smaller, higueróns located in its shadows.

Link to Article in La Nación

A 15-year study of jaguars in the Corcovado National Park by scientists from Costa Rica and the U.S. has yielded interesting findings.  Specifically, the scientists have determined that a female jaguar in the jungles of Corcovado can give birth every 22 to 24 months. The mating period is during the months of “verano” or the Costa Rican summer that lasts from January through April.  As a result a female jaguar may give birth to 2 or 3 pups.  However, it has yet to be determined clearly the rate of survival of the pups to adulthood.  The pups will remain with the mother some 18 to 24 months before being left completely alone to survive on their own.  A jaguar will reach full maturity in three years.  To date little has been known about jaguars in the wild and most collected information has been due to observations of animals in captivity.  The information can be vital in helping with conservation efforts for the largest of all cats found on the American continents and one that is in grave danger of extinction.  Jaguars are very shy animals and it is difficult to observe them in the wild.  For example. the scientists of this study began their observations of the animals in 2003 using hidden cameras with censors that detected movement in the jungle.  The photos allowed the scientist to record the “spot pattern” that serves as a means to identify each animal, like a fingerprint.  The initiative was part of the Proyecto Jaguar that has been going on for 15 years.  Corcovado is the place in Costa Rica where most of these mammals remain, although it is estimated that the number of jaguars currently in the park is only around 50.  It is estimated that unless action is taken, the animals could disappear from Costa Rica entirely within 10 years.  Jaguars are animals who “need their space” as just one animal requires some 30,000 hectares of territory to survive.

Link to Article in La Nación

The Ford Foundation has divided $20,000 in donations to various organizations in Costa Rica who have the purpose of environmental conservation and preservation of Costa Rica’s indigenous cultural heritage.  Among those receiving grants are the following….

Biologist Frank Garita received $3,000 for a plan to create a brochure aimed at teaching children the need to protect the environment of the humpback whale.

Scientist Javier Chassot received $2,500 for his plan to create workshops to educate children and adults of the need to preserve the habitat of the Lapa Verde, or Green Macaw.

Similar to the above, $2,000 was given to a project aimed at promoting the peaceful coexistence of humans and felines on the Osa Peninsula, specifically jaguars, panthers and ocelots, which are hunted by the people in those regions.

Along the theme of preserving Costa Rica’s indigenous cultural heritage, $3000 was given to support a project by scientist Luko Hilje who plans to use a bio-insecticide to repel the ants that are making anthills that threaten to damage the Monumento Nacional Guayabo, the most important ancient indigenous site in the country.

$2,000 and $2,500 were given respectively to projects for creating a glossary of medicinal plants according to knowledge of the Ngöbe Indian tribe of the punta Burica region and to document the dietary habits of the Boruca Indians, especially their preparation of tamales.

$2,000 was give to support the creation of a book that will chronicle tico legends in words and pictures. This book will be aimed at teaching the youth of Costa Rica about their heritage and the basis for many of the traditions they enjoy today.

$2,500 was given for a project in waste management for a cooperative of women in the area of Carillo, Guanacaste.

Link to Article in La Nación

The Costa Rican Tourism Ministry (ICT) together with Procomer (an agency that promotes commercial trade with foreign enterprises) organized a “field trip” for cinematographers from major film studios in the U.S.  Areas included in the trip were cloud forests, the waterfalls of Toro Amarillo, Punta Leona, Manuel Antonio, Jaco, among other places.  The trip also included a “fly over” the Southern Pacific coast.  The group included film directors, photographic directors, and location directors.  Members of the group have participated in the selection of locations on such popular films as Benjamin Button and James Bond.  The purpose of the trip was not only to demonstrate the natural beauty of Costa Rica, but also its accessibility.  The group evaluated each location noting its virtues and disadvantages for filming.  For instance, Arenal was viewed very positively for its ease of access, as was Caños Island, although some concern was noted about the amount of beach that is covered by water at extreme high tide.  Overall, the report is that the group viewed Costa Rica as having very favorable qualities as a location for future films.

See Article In La Nación

Costa Rica will go to the polls to decide who will lead the country for the next four years in February of 2010.  The field has now narrowed as the two main political parties, the PLN (Partido Liberación Nacional) and the PAC (Partido Accion Ciudadana) have both held their primaries and chosen their candidates.  For the PLN, the party of current president Oscar Arias, it will be Laura Chinchilla.  For the PAC, Ottón Solís will again seek the county’s highest political office.  Chinchilla has served as one of Arias’ vice-presidents and also as the Administration’s Minister of Justice.  She will have the full support of a popular president, and that alone makes her a favorite in the race.  However, who can forget how close Solís came to defeating Arias in the election of 2006, when it was necessary to hold a recount (ala Bush versus Gore) to break a virtual tie.  However, Solís had the momentum of opposition to the TLC, or Central American Free Trade Agreement, which was a hotly debated issue in that election.  That is now history, as the trade agreement ultimately passed, with Arias’ support, via nationwide referendum.  However, much remains to be implemented and you can bet that will be a major issue with the Solís’ campaign.  Solís is the architect of TLC opposition and stands in direct contrast to Chinchilla who is an Arias’ champion of the trade accord.  To liken these candidates to U.S. politics, I guess you would have to call Chinchilla a “progressive conservative” (ala Colon Powell) and Solís a pretty far-left liberal, especially where economic matters are concerned.  There is another wild-card, however, and that is Harvard educated Otto Guevara, the libertarian candidate and head of Partido Movimiento Libertario.  In the 2006 election, Guevara captured almost 10% of the popular vote, a record for a libertarian.  Since I am not a resident of the country, I am not even legally allowed to express my own opinion on these candidates.  I only present this information for consideration of the potential impact of the election on whatever plans readers might have for Costa Rica.  Costa Rica holds its presidential elections once every four years.  The elected president is now allowed to run for two terms as a result of a constitutional change in 2003.

Costa Rica’s dream team, La Selección (or Sele, for short), delivered a punishing defeat to an entirely outmatched U.S. soccer team during last night’s World Cup Qualifying match.  The victory gave Costa Rica high hopes of a ticket to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.  I am normally not a big soccer fan, although since moving to Costa Rica I have begun to follow Costa Rica soccer a bit.  My team is Saprissa, which is the San Jose team. The game last night was played at Saprissa Stadium, which proved to be a very hostile place for the U.S. team.  Well, that is true at least in terms of the game itself.  I did see excellent sportsmanship displayed on both sides, however.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from this game, but when just 79 seconds into the first period Alvaro Saborio rocketed the ball into the goal for a Costa Rican score, it quickly appeared that the U.S. was in for a long night.  The U.S. team did manage a goal during the final moments of the game to make the score a little more respectable.  However, truth is Costa Rica came deadly close to scoring at least two other times, so the final tally could easily have been much worse for the U.S.  Who was I pulling for?  Well since Costa Rica is my home and I only started to get interested in soccer after moving here and beginning to take part in the cultural ritual that is Costa Rican soccer, I have to say that I felt some tico pride at the performance Sele displayed last night……oe oe oe oe ticos ticos!

Game Highlights

Scientists from UCR (University of Costa Rica) have found that a poisonous fish normally only seen in Pacific Ocean waters is now swimming in the Caribbean in increasing numbers.  Examples have been documented off the Limón coast in Cahuita, Punta Uva and Gandoca.  So far the scientists are not sure if the type of fish is the Red Lionfish or the Devil Firefish.  Both are of the same family, Scorpaenidae, and are very similar in appearance.  While normally not deadly, the fish have the capacity to inflict great pain on humans if the skin s pierced by the fish’s large spines.  Also, these fish are ravenous and capable of eating other fish of their own size, or larger, every minute. The fish measure some 35 to 38 centimeters and have 11 venomous spines.  The question is why are they here?  The answer is uncertain, but scientist are speculating that the fish could have escaped from aquariums in Florida during hurricane Andrew and made their way into the Gulf of Mexico.  The fish like warm waters of more than 27 degrees Celsius.  Scientist are alarmed by the damage that potentially could be caused by the proliferation of these fish and asking the government to take measures to manage their populations.  Biologist Cecilia Diaz of the Instituto Clodomiro Picado is seeking to decipher the venom of the fish in order to develop an antidote. However, experts say that the presence of the fish is not a reason to avoid swimming in the waters of the Caribbean and if populations are well managed it actually could benefit tourism because of the spectacular coloration of the fish, which make them very popular with divers and snorkelers.

Link to Artcle in La Nación