Sorting through my ever-growing image files, I happened upon a collection that I recorded (can we really say “took a photo” anymore now that most everyone has gone to digital cameras?) on my visit to Panama last October. Regular readers may remember that this was the trip on which I went ill-prepared, photographically speaking, and thus crippled my ability to capture respectable images of most any of the birds I saw there. However out of the jaws of defeat it is sometimes possible to snatch a bit of victory – which in this particular instance took the form of some superb invertebrate images with which I was able to return.
Whenever one approaches the tropics, the level of visible invertebrate life increases exponentially. The plethora of butterflies, primarily because of their vivid colors and often larger than expected sizes, are most commonly the first creatures noted. However there are a host of other “creepy crawlies” to be seen whose beauty must be considered in every way equal to the lovely Lepidopterans.
Case in point: this superbly verdant Orthopteran I noted at Cerro Gaital. Almost completely hidden beneath a leaf in pursuit of both shelter from the rainstorm the area was at that time experiencing and privacy from the unwanted attention of my prying eyes, its emerald green coloration was a near perfect match to the tops of the nearby leaves. Every time I lowered myself in position to capture a photo with my larger camera, the creature moved to the opposite side of the plant stem; thus I finally used my pocket camera to capture a few un-aimed images while using my presence as a distraction from another angle.
While I was in the field for the purpose of bird watching the day this and a number of other invertebrate images were captured, the rain preventing the local birdlife from being particularly active. I am fortunate to have long since cultivated a number of parallel wildlife observation interests that allow me to shift my attention from one subject area to another as necessitated by either opportunity or circumstance. Had I been solely dedicated to building up my bird life list on this day, the trip to Cerro Gaital would have been accounted a disappointment. However as I try always to keep my mind open to the opportunities as they present themselves, it was, just as was every day I spent in Panama, a never-ending series of sights and wonders to be perpetually enjoyed.
