Trees of Puerto Rico: Part 8 (CALCAL, CYRRAC, ORMKRU, and HELCAR)

CALCAL/CALBRA, Calophyllum calaba/Calophyllum brasiliense, Antilles Calophyllum

The nomenclature of this species is still being resolved, so we know it by either of these two names. This tree has long, narrow leaves that are rounded at the tip. The secondary venation is very prominent on the underside. Even more characteristic is the bud.

The bud is always sharply pointed and usually reddish or rusty brown.  These trees have been planted by the US Forest Service to help with recovery of the soil in areas that were previously degraded by agriculture or logging. As such, it is prevalent in the northern half of the grid, which was more recently transferred over from agriculture.

When these trees get very large, their bark becomes warty and full of vertical fissures.

CYRRAC, Cyrilla racemiflora, Swamp Cyrilla

This tree is only found in the highest parts of the grid, but is relatively common up the mountain. It can be found as far north as Virginia, but only grows to tree size in the tropics. Here, it has beautiful reddish bark, which peels off when it gets large enough.

They are few and far between in the grid, but can be identified right away by this bark.

ORMKRU, Ormosia krugii, Peronia

These trees have some of the largest compound leaves I’ve seen in the grid. They are pinnately compound, with very wide leaflets with close venation. They can be confused with a DACEXC at first glance, but the leaflets are substantially larger.

HELCAR, Heliconia caribaea, Lobsterclaw

Heliconia isn’t really a tree, but we include them in the census anyway. They can get quite large, with the leaves growing to a few meters in length. For the census, in place of a diameter we record the number of culms originating from the ground. An individual Heliconia can have many culms, since the bulk of the plant is below ground.

The flowering part of the plant comes off a stem with several of these yellowish bracts. The flower is inside of these bracts, which often fill with water.

Fauna of Puerto Rico: Part 6

Puerto Rican Tody, Todus mexicanus, Todidae, Coraciiformes

The Puerto Rican Tody is a bird endemic to Puerto Rico, found nowhere else. They are small birds which feed primarily on insects. They are the smallest member of the Order Coraciiformes, only reaching about 11 cm in length and 5-6 grams in weight. They make nests by excavating small holes in muddy banks.

Thread-legged Bug, Reduviidae (Emesinae), Hemiptera

Though at first glance, these may appear to be walking sticks, these bugs are far more sinister. While walking sticks are essentially small cattle, grazing on leaves, these bugs are hunters. Like all assassin bugs, they have raptorial forelegs (like a mantis) that they use to catch other insects and spiders. They will then suck out the good parts through their straw-like mouthparts. Similar to walking sticks, they will sway in the breeze to appear to be nothing more than a stick and avoid predators.

Longhorn Beetles, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera

Longhorn beetles are a variable family of herbivores. Many are considered pests (especially the Asian Longhorn Beetle in the Eastern US) because of their larvae boring into the stems of trees. They are recognizable because of the length of their antennae relative to their body. This species that I have in the picture here is pretty big. They have large mandibles that I’d assume are used to crushing leaves or sticks to eat.

Here’s a picture to better illustrate the size of these beetles. This picture was taken before the beetle tried to run off with my pen.

 

Green Iguana, Iguana iguana, Iguanidae, Squamata

Green iguanas are not native to Puerto Rico. Originally from mainland Latin America, they have been introduced here and do very well down in the lower elevations. They are herbivores, feeding on grass and other leafy plants.

Weevils, Curculionidae, Coleoptera

Weevils are a large family of herbivorous beetles. They are often called snout beetles because of the appearance of a snout-like protuberance on the head.

Trees of Puerto Rico: Part 7 (CASARB, PSESPU, and ROYBOR)

CASARB, (Casearia arborea), Gia Verde

This tree is a close relative of the CASSYL, but has much smaller leaves. The leaves always have teeth along the edge. These can become tall trees, however the leaves never grow much larger than those pictured here. They are easy to identify even in the canopy.

PSESPU, (Pseudolmedia spuria), False Breadnut

These are not notable from their leaves or their bark, but from their branches. You can see in the picture that they are distinctly zig-zagged. A few other trees have this characteristic, but never to such a degree as you can see it here. The leaves are generally small and the trees can reach up to the canopy.

ROYBOR, (Roystonea borinquena), Puerto Rico Royal Palm

This is the second palm species present in the Big Grid. It is a rare occurrence, especially when compared to the omnipresent PREMON. These grow substantially greater in diameter than the PREMON and the trunk looks slightly different as well. The fronds are so large that their bases could probably be used as sleds.

The fronds don’t come off in one plane like the PREMON, but rather come off in a disorganized mess. These palms are very common down the mountain, where they have been planted as ornamentals along the roadways.

LFDP Phase II: The Tree-quel

I’ve been back in Puerto Rico for almost 3 weeks now and have neglected my blog greatly during that time. After about a month without power, the lights came back on this past Monday, allowing me to have enough time online to post new tales of daring and adventure (or pictures of trees).

We have a large and spirited group here for the second phase from all over the country. We have split into four teams of 3 to tackle the work again and after the initial week of getting everyone up to speed on protocol and species ID. The work is pretty much the same as in the first phase, though we’re still working through the logistics of a larger group.

I should be able to post more frequently now, since I finally got out and got some pictures from the grid today. The weather has been so much nicer and it feels like October may bring some welcome cooler temperatures. I wouldn’t quite call it autumn-like, but I can live with temperatures comparable to New York summer.

The End of Phase 1

It seems like summer is finally drawing to a close here (though not in terms of weather) and the first phase of the tree census is ending. We’ve spent the past couple of weeks after the hurricane getting half way through rows 7 and 8 and catching up on data entry. With all of the loose ends to tie up, we’ve all had our tasks, mine being to update the computerized maps of the subplots with the positions of new trees and removing dead ones. It’s a tedious task, but I enjoy getting a chance to work in ArcGIS nonetheless.

Two of us of the five census volunteers are staying on for phase 2, while the others are heading on to other exotic locations such as Hawaii, New Zealand, and Maryland to do something new. To celebrate the end of this phase, we went to the beach and then out for pizza on Friday with our boss and just about everyone still at the station. On Saturday, several of us at the station went to the Kioskos in Luqillo (a row of shops and restaurants next to the beach) to get dinner at El Jefe, a burger place. Both nights were a lot of fun, though we’re going to miss those folks that are heading out.

As an update on the field station in the wake of the hurricane, we still don’t have power (but I think the rest of the island does). We’ve been running the generator for two weeks, shutting it off at night to conserve fuel. The internet has been spotty at times, which is part of the reason I haven’t updated much lately. Most of the other groups have left, though we shared our rooms with a class from UPR Mayaguez this weekend.

With so few people around, we have really started working on our preparations for Phase 2. We have 8 new volunteers and a new field tech coming on to help the three of us (2 volunteers, one tech) from phase 1. Much of last week was spent readying the tools and data, as well as expanding our stuff into an outdoor lab in addition to our current office. I’m looking forward to meeting new people (and old, since an old roommate of mine is among the new eight) and getting further in the grid.

But first, with the week between the phases, I’ll be heading back to New York to get some home-cooked meals, real pizza, and maybe even spend some time with family and friends. I’m just hoping the tropical weather stays here.

Trees of Puerto Rico: Part 6 (TRIPAL, SWIMAC, CASSYL, and BUCTET)

TRIPAL, (Trichilia pallida), Gaita

These trees have pinnately compound leaves, terminating in a single leaflet. The leaves may appear similar to a few other species, but these have distinct “quilted” leaves. In this picture, look at the leaflet near the lower left corner. They are often very crinkled, appearing similar to a quilt.

SWIMAC, (Swietenia macrophylla), Honduras Mahogany

This is a tree that supposedly reaches pretty good sizes, though all of the ones I’ve seen have been small. They have compound leaves with leaflets getting larger the further out they get from the stem. They are also notable in having a really small end bud, likened to a needle in shape.

CASSYL, (Casearia sylvestris), Crackopen

This tree is relatively abundant in certain parts of the grid we’ve gotten through. It has large, shiny leaves with a deeply-channeled petiole. The way I remember it is that CASSYL (“castle”) has a moat.

BUCTET, (Buchenavia tetraphylla), Fourleaf Buchenavia

The leaves of BUCTET are probably some of the smallest in the entire Big Grid, maybe 2 inches at the longest. They arise in little whorls at the end of branches. The leaves are widest nearer the tip without much of a point. It is often difficult to see the leaves, since these trees are some of the biggest in the grid. It seems that most of the ones we find have diameters over 40 centimeters above their large buttresses.

This particular tree took two of us with ladders to measure above the buttresses.

Climbing El Toro

Last weekend we decided to head up the road to one of the higher peaks in the area, El Toro. When we arrived at the trailhead, we were greeted by a couple of stray dogs (strays are everywhere in PR), which we figured we could lose on the trail, but managed to keep pace with us all the way. The hike was about 2.5 miles from the road to the summit, so we banked on it taking a good few hours round trip, considering the rise in elevation. The first 20 feet of the trail was covered in either dense branches or vines that we had to either duck under or go around. We were a bit apprehensive at this point, considering that since a hurricane had rolled through not 6 days earlier, leaving the base of this trail in such shape (possibly, although if they were some sort of vines they may have grown that way), the rest of the trail could be just as bad.

Continuing along, we found that the path cleared right out and was in pretty good shape considering the prior storm. Lots of palm fronds were down across the trail, but otherwise there wasn’t much blocking our way most of the time. Carefully avoiding these (the midribs of palm fronds can be really slippery), we began our ascent. It was a hot, sunny day and while the trail was mostly shaded lower down,  I took it a bit slower that I would have under more pleasant conditions. The lower portion of the trail was a series of low hills going mostly up, but down here and there over a nice rock/clay path until finally reaching the halfway marker on the trail. There was a big sign commemorating this hikers’ milestone immediately after a lean-to with a bench. After resting up and drinking half of my water bottle, I was up and moving on to the second half of the trail.

After a short while after the lean-to, the trail began to level off and the canopy opened up. My guess is that the trail first climbed up to the top of a ridge, and then this carried on to the summit. As nice as level ground is on the feet after a solid mile of ascent, it brings with it a new issue: mud. Having been here for 3 months, I can safely say that it rains enough to make the ground soggy in places on a regular basis. Following the hurricane had been a few dry days, so I figure we got lucky. Nonetheless, I found myself hopping from rock to rock and trying to find the best path to avoid the mud deeper than my ankles. The nice thing about this thick mud is that you can step into and out of relatively deep spots (maybe 5-6 inches) and have only the bottom of your boots muddy if you move fast enough.

Despite my best efforts, I found myself landing in a particularly deep spot after sliding off a rock. My left foot now caked in mud half way up my socks, I decided that I’d be able to go faster if I just accepted my muddy fate and walked wherever I pleased (considering I was a bit behind the rest of the group at this point). This was a sort of freeing experience in that I could get no muddier than up to my knees after a few deep spots. After that, the mud simply rolled off (into my boots until those were full) and I no longer had to worry. I’ll call this phenomenon “Mud Saturation” (similar to “Rain Saturation”, when you get entirely soaked and stop caring about rain).

In addition to my new views on muddy feet, the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up, making my ascent much easier. I soon caught up to the rest of the group at a tree/shrub that had fallen on the trail, blocking it with branches.  We had to go off the trail a few feet and fight our way through the branches to reach the trail on the other side. After this, the going was pretty easy until about a tenth of a mile from the end of the trail. Looking ahead, all we could see was a continuous climb up rocks. We climbed and climbed, yet all we could see in front of us was more rocks above us and some vegetation across the trail. After walking, crouching, and eventually crawling, we made it to a spot with an opening on the north side of the trail. The view was breathtaking. I took my camera out as the others went on to the summit a bit ahead. Much to my chagrin, I couldn’t get my camera to turn on. After switching the batteries, the problem had not resolved itself. I decided to walk on to the summit, feeling rather silly for lugging this camera up a mountain only to have it not work for me.

Meeting the others there, I tried again with my camera and finally got it to start up (it’s apparently just temperamental).

This is the sign at the summit. It says that the peak is 3,533 ft (1,074 m) above sea level.

The trail opened up to views to the north, east, and south. In every direction, we could see the ocean (and all Puerto Rico east of us).

I want to note at this point that I wasn’t looking up when I took these pictures. The bottom of the clouds is actually below where I was standing. At one point, a cloud rolled right up from the valley in front of us and over us to continue on to the west.

After taking in the view, rehydrating, and watching a few far off Red-Tailed Hawks, we headed back down the trail. Going down was much easier than coming up and we made it back to the car in a relatively short time. We shooed the dogs that had followed us and got in the car to head back to the station, stopping at a swimming spot along the road to clean off a bit. I just walked right in with my boots on. Taking off my socks, I tried my best to get the dirt off, however even after putting them through the laundry they are still a wonderful earthy brown. I left my boots in the dry room for a few days and they’re in as good condition as they were before. Now to go get them muddy again!

Hurricane Irene

Last week was typical as far as the weather went. On and off rain, some clouds, and even a peek of sun periodically. We got caught up on our data entry and began the next two rows of the grid on Friday. Then, just as the weekend was coming, we heard that a storm might be brewing to our east. We got our shopping done on Saturday, so we were well prepared for food.

Our original plans for Sunday had been to take a hike to one of the peaks nearby, but we decided against that upon seeing the radar image Sunday morning. The outer bands of now Tropical Storm Irene were seemingly upon us. Instead, we stayed inside the buildings at the field station (all made of concrete, like most buildings on the island). The rain arrived by the afternoon, but we were all dry inside, although to reach the kitchen or the dorms we would need to take a quick jog through the deluge across the parking lot. To increase our protection from the storm, my coworkers decided to construct a blanket fort in the conference room.

We spent the afternoon and evening hanging out in the fort, eating snacks and watching TV on my computer. As it began to get late and the internet finally went out, we turned in for the night (leaving our blanket fort up, since the university had been closed for Monday and nobody would be up here to be bothered by it). We knew that the fact that we still had electricity was sheer luck, and that we would likely lose power overnight with the brunt of the storm.  We closed the shutters, hit the lights, and then all went to bed.

I woke up Monday morning to find the fans in our room off and the windows open (it gets stifling in there without the fans on). Apparently the power had gone out overnight, as expected. We fired up the generator and went about a typical third weekend day of sitting inside avoiding the rain and hanging about. A few of my coworkers ventured out into the aftermath of the storm (it still rained most of Monday) to get a look at the surrounding area. They reported that there were a lot of downed limbs/trees as well as a few landslides blocking the road. The small rivers nearby were running very high, brushing the bottom of the bridges. A few people at the station went about clearing the driveway with chainsaws to make it easier to get up and down. We shut the generator off at 9 to preserve the fuel, since nobody knows how long the power will be out (it was out for 10 months here after one of the big hurricanes in the past few decades), since we’re at the end of the lines.

We got up today, ready to work (despite UPR being closed again) and our boss actually made it all the way up the hill from Luquillo to join us for the morning. We decided against going out to the field (it was still raining) and took care of a bunch of data-related things. The internet came back around mid-morning, so despite not having power, we can communicate with the outside world better than with terrible cell service.

Essentially, things here aren’t too bad. The power will probably be back up sometime this week (or month) and then we won’t have to worry about the fridge and freezer going off at night. It’s really more of an inconvenience than anything and since we’re so far up the mountain, there wasn’t much flooding. We were fortunate with this one up here, and I’m hoping that will be the last storm of the year. But then again, it would be nice to have another excuse to build an even bigger blanket fort.

Trees of Puerto Rico: Part 5 (TABHET, QUATUR, and UREBAC)

TABHET, (Tabebuia heterophylla), White Cedar

Let me first say that the common name listed for this species does not mean it has any relation to what I learned as the Eastern White Cedar in New York. That tree (Thuja occidentalis) is a conifer with scaly leaves also known as arborvitae. I won’t talk about it any more here.

This tree has compound, palmate leaves (making it look a bit like a hand). The leaflets are usually shiny. Each leaf usually has five leaflets that all branch out from a central point. These trees can get to be big, competing with other trees for space in the canopy.

QUATUR, (Quararibea turbinata), Swizzlestick Tree

These are extremely rare in the big grid, with fewer than 5 having tags in the last census. Fortunately, there is one right next to the trail. The defining characteristic of this tree is not its leaves or bark, but its branching.

Along the trunk, branches only come off at a few points. At each of these points, several branches (usually 4-5) come out perfectly horizontal from the stem. This gives the branches the appearance similar to a turbine, thus the species name turbinata.

UREBAC, (Urera baccifera), Scratchbush

This is a small shrub found in some areas of the grid, especially where it is too rocky for other plants to take root. The stems often break and sprout, making a veritable grove of small stems. This in itself is not too bad, until you factor in this plant’s characteristic leaves.

Each leaf, stem, and bud is covered in pointy projections. These small hairs are not fuzzy and friendly like in HIRRUG, but can scratch your skin and make it itch. This plant is comparable to stinging nettles back in the US (both in Urticaceae). Fortunately, these plants are usually easy to see from a distance and avoid. Unfortunately, their rock-dwelling nature can result in them just sort of popping up under your feet when you’re walking across rocky terrain. Also, those groves I mentioned earlier that form on top of rocks often have a few stems that are big enough to be measured in the census, so we get to go right up among them and carefully get their diameters.

Fauna of Puerto Rico: Part 5

Here are a bunch of animals I got the chance to see on our trip to Ponce. A lot of these are relatively abundant, but not up in the mountains.

Greater Antillean Grackle, Quiscalus niger, Icteridae, Passeriformes

These grackles are extremely common throughout the lower elevations of Puerto Rico. Similar to grackles in the United States, they are iridescent and dark-colored with a big tail. They are found all over build-up areas and along roads, beaches, and boardwalks.

This one was displaying to the other, perhaps a male trying to impress a female or simply intimidate another male. I’d assume these birds are omnivorous, eating worms, insects, seeds, and anything that gets dropped on the boardwalk.

Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanidae, Pelecaniformes

These pelicans are large, piscivorous birds that gulp fish into their large throat pouch before swallowing them. They will dive into the water to grab swimming fish. The ones along the boardwalk are likely fed by people, judging by the fact that I was able to get very close to them.

Young pelicans are a drab brown color all over, while the adults have a white head and neck.

Sandwich Tern, Sterna sandvicensis, Sternidae, Charadriiformes

Note: These terns (along with the royal terns) may now be in the genus Thalasseus.

This tern has a distinctive yellow-tipped black bill and black crest. It dives for fish from the air, or feasts on the offerings from people. These were abundant along the boardwalk in Ponce.

Royal Tern, Sterna maxima, Sternidae, Charadriiformes

These are large terns, second largest to only the Caspian tern. They have solid orange-yellow bills and a black crest. Like the Sandwich terns, they feed on fish and boardwalk fare. I noticed after I began taking pictures of this one that it was banded.

Many birds are banded by researchers worldwide to get a handle on their movements and life histories.

 

Tarpon, Megalops atlanticus, Megalopidae, Elopiformes

Tarpon are a large predatory fish that are often found in coastal waters. They feed primarily on smaller schooling fishes, though these seemed to enjoy the feeding of beach-goers. They have greenish iridescent scales and are relatively elongate.

They are a popular game fish due to their size and fighting ability, though their meat is supposedly bony and undesirable.  Like all members of Elopiformes, they start off as tiny leptocephalus (or leaf-shaped) larvae.

 

Barracuda, Sphyraena spp., Sphyraenidae, Perciformes

Barracudas are notorious predators of the ocean. This was a small one hanging out under the boardwalk, waiting for some small fish to swim within range. Like similarly-built pike in freshwater, barracudas are built for rapid bursts of speed to catch and eat and fish smaller than themselves.