Ecuador DAY NINE July 29, 2013

We reached our final day and return trip to Quito with some climate change questions answered but many more remaining or newly generated.

Our work in Ecuador plays just a small role in the understanding of climate change. We studied just one community and just a small part of that community. Plus, our work is just eight days in decades of study that includes data collection, observations, and both scientific and political debate. Still, we all learned a lot about diversity interaction and the recorded results and projections of climate change. Now we must take back what we learned and the appreciation of plants and animals (including insects and bugs) that we gained during our expedition. It would be fair to say that we Earthwatchers all have a greater appreciation for moths, and we will all probably look under leaves that appear to have been lunch for caterpillars. Perhaps we'll discover some of our new little friends who we now know by name (scientific name, that is)!

Random thoughts and recollections from two weeks in Ecuador

Throughout this trip, I have been impressed, intrigued, perplexed, and pleased by an array of people, places, and events. This is my assembled random thoughts and reflections on one of the most enriching trips I have been blessed to partake of as a professional educator...

** Nescafe -- In a country covered in coffee beans, why is it so hard to get a good cup of joe?

** Bioluminescent Bugs -- the nights were aglow with "fireflies" who played hide and seek among the grasses.

** Hummingbirds -- My baby boy and I love hummingbirds. He would have been just as amazed as I was to see up to twelve different species at our feeders each day. I was most impressed by the Collared Inca and the Long-tailed Sylph.

** Not Showering -- I did not shower for the first four days at the station. No one cared. I loved it.

** Yanayacu Staff and Meals -- We were treated so well by the staff at Yanayacu. Each meal was amazing and truly Ecuadorian. Delicious! And no two soups were the same. Gracias por todos!

** Our Accommodations -- For being up in a cloud forest, fairly remote, I was rather impressed with our lodging and facilities... warm blankets, power, running water, hot showers, and flush toilets, all surrounded by an amazing vista. Heavenly!

** Lucho and Wilmer, the gusaneros -- These two brothers who expertly find and rear caterpillars are amazing. They have such keen eyesight and care. I appreciate their expertise.

** Team Personalities -- Any time you put a group of new faces in a remote situation for a week and a half, you never know what mixed bag of personalities you might find... We had a good group, but we also had some wildly divergent personalities... and some new friendships formed.

** Jim -- Former Sasquatch hunter and current U.S. ex-pat who is retiring to a future treehouse in the Andes... OK.

** Grad and Undergrad Students -- They take their work and research so seriously. I hope they find fulfillment and that their research creates a positive impact on science.

** Dr. Walla's son Aiden and his Yanayacu friends -- 8-year-old Aiden is attending a language immersion school in Colorado, and it was so great to see him using his Spanish skills as he played and interacted with his buddies.

** Blessings of Sunny Days -- The rain forest is lush and beautiful with a wealth of green hues and diverse plants and animals, but it sure is nice when we get to dry out and enjoy some sunshine through the canopy!

** Bumpy Roads -- Heading to and from Quito and the station was an adventure as our buses lumbered over some rough terrain. It was scary at times on the two-lane Pan-American highway. With mudslides, road work, sheer drops, and limited visibility, the rough road only added to the drama.

** Stream Trail -- Convenient to the station and beautiful to behold.

** Elevation Gradients -- It is quite remarkable how the vegetation and animal life changes from one elevation to the next in the Andes, particularly on the eastern slope, down into the Amazonian basin.

** Western Andes -- The rain forest on the eastern slope of the Andes is pretty healthy, but the western slope has been decimated by man... 96% is gone.

** Year-round Pleasant Climate -- Quito and the Andes, being on the equator, experiences mild tropical temperatures year-round. There's no need for heating or AC. Quite nice!

** Knee-deep Mud -- It's OK to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live in it... people in the Andes always wear rain boots.

** Moth diversity -- I never appreciated moths before, but after seeing their diversity and beauty, I'm a convert. Sorry butterflies, moths are beautiful, too!

** Diversity Interaction -- This is an indicator of climate change. Clues to change are not found in just one species, but in how they interact with other creatures and habitat.

** Llamas Crossing the Road Atop the Andes.

** Stray Dogs (and Monkeys) -- There are stray dogs all over Ecuador, with a significant concentration in towns and cities. Most of the dogs are actually pretty decent looking and some are pure breeds. I wish I could take a few home! (The monkeys can stay though.)

** US Dollar -- I understand that Ecuador was looking to stabilize their economy by converting to a dependable currency, but I can't get over how the Ecuadorians are walking around with pictures of our dead presidents in their pockets.

** Spanish Dialects and Phrases -- It never ceases to amaze me the variance in Spanish being spoken in the US and abroad. In Ecuador, they have different words and phrases than we might use in the US, but then again, our Spanish has been morphed from Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America, and US slang.

** Funky Pants, Funky Buses, Funky Hats -- I love the colorful fabric of Andean pants sold at tourist stops. I also love the eccentrically-decorated local buses with their stickers of Jesus and the Playboy bunny. I also also love the funky hats that can be found at any marketplace -- they keep your ears warm and have a little flair.

 ** Empanadas de queso -- Yummy.

** Scary Clown Trash Cans -- Creep me out.

** Bird-watching in the morning/evening/dark of night -- Ecuador has an amazing bird population, and I was fortunate enough to see some beautiful common birds and some unreal rare species.

** Amazonian Boat Trip -- So glad I didn't fall into the Rio Napo.

** Ecuadorian 3rd Lane of Traffic -- Most highways are two-lane, windy, wet roads, but there is an unseen third lane which straddles the dividing line. Cars straddle the dividing line as they look to pass slower vehicles. This is a hair-raising experience in busy Quito, and even more so on the blind-cornered routes of the Andes.

** Mary Jo and Guy -- We were joined by a retired couple in their late 70s who have gone on 15+ such expeditions in their retirement. They are good-humored, fit, friendly, and adventurous -- and they also want to serve a greater purpose than most vacationers. God bless them. They are role models for all of us. I love 'em!

QUESTION: How many invertebrates can you find on your school's campus? Get off your computer and go searching...