Exploring the Jungle

Working in the Costa Rica biome was quite an exciting experience for me, but before I get into the details I must recap my weekend adventures.  The heat definitely hit its high point on Saturday reaching up near 100 degrees, but it felt as if it were about 105 outside.  I spent the majority of my time relaxing in front of the air conditioner, but I did venture out for some site seeing.  I visited the Cleveland Museum of Art, located right across from CBG.  There current exhibit is entitled "Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties."  I particularly enjoyed this exhibition and some of the pieces which it featured, especially one oil painting on canvas entitled "Cocktail" by Gerald Murphy.  I was immediately drawn to it, but even more intrigued to read that the painting was inspired by characters Dick and Nicole Driver of Tender is the Night, one of my favorite F. Scott Fitzgerald books.  I also found a few other pieces the intrigued me, and I fell in love with the floral design on display at the entrance, too. 

Featured Exhibition Poster

Holiday on the Hudson, George Benjamin Luks

Beautiful Floral Design

Following my trip to the Art Museum, I visited the nearby French restaurant, L'Albatros.  My fellow intern and co-worker, Leslie, also works here so I wanted to stop in and visit her.  She gave me a tour of the restaurant, and I was highly impressed to see they had their own gardens.  They grow a lot of their own herbs and salad greens featured in their amazing dishes.  I tried the mussels and pomme frites, delicious!  The staff also convinced me to have dessert, and I am glad I fell to temptation.  I tried the honey almond cake with blackberry compote and creme fraishe whipped cream, likely one of the best desserts I have ever tasted!

L'Albatros Honey-Almond Cake

Now we can venture into the jungle as I describe my day in the Costa Rica biome working with Mark, the horticulturist in Costa Rica, at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.  Since it's Monday and the garden is closed, watering was one of the primary tasks in the glasshouse.  This morning, I watered some parts of the area with a water soluble 21-7-7 fertilizer.  Most of these were in the canopy, plants such as bromeliads which are foliar feeders.  Therefore, it was important that I got the leaves pretty well soaked so the plants could take in the necessary nutrients.

Besides watering, Mark also took me on an IPM walk.  Basically, we walked through the facility checking various plants for pests such as spider mites, aphids, scale, etc.  Mark knows which plants tend to be affected by which pest and he pays close attention to keep them under control.  Most plants were looking pretty healthy, but a few required an application of horticultural oil.  The oil coats the leaves and suffocates the insects.  Mark even let me help out with the spraying, I was excited to get some practical experience with IPM.  I learned about all of this last semester in my entomology course, but it is so much more interesting to actually see the insects and how they are controlled rather than just reading about them.  Besides spraying, I also used rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to remove some adult hard shell scales from one plant in particular that doesn't generally respond well to being sprayed. 

Bromeliads

Removal of Scale

The biomes do not use any chemicals as part of their Integrated Pest Management due to the birds and butterflies active throughout the glasshouse.  I was excited to learn about their different control methods such as the ones I assisted with and also the use of beneficial insects, like lady bugs being used to control aphids.  Speaking of the birds and butterflies, I also enjoyed working in their presence.  I spent my day being mesmerized by the wings of the Blue Morpho butterfly and trying to capture a photo.  It reminded me of my childhood days playing the ancient Amazon Trail computer game and trying to snap a photo of the same butterfly for the Inca King!  It was just as difficult in real life as the game to catch a glimpse on camera.  Patience paid off though, and I was able to get the perfect shot! 

Blue Morpho Butterfly

Pruning is another important task in Costa Rica, since the plants are so lush and sprout up quickly.  I did some pruning to take some plants back and clear them from the vent as well as taming them down for viewer pleasure.  Mark mentioned that pruning was a continuous task, but he'd rather prune less and more often than taking off more after a longer period of time.  I agree with him, when pruning is done over a shorter span of time, less needs to be taken off so as not to distract from a viewer's experience.  Mark also offered me the chance to get on the lift and do some canopy maintenance, but I opted to keep me feet on the ground this time!

All in all, it was an excellent day!  I enjoyed getting to expand my horizons and learn more about tropical plants, especially the native Costa Rican varieties.  I also enjoyed working with Mark, he taught me a lot and allowed me to get some more practical experiences with IPM.  Plus, working in Costa Rica on a Monday, with no people around and the birds singing and butterflies fluttering around was quite peaceful and enjoyable.  I look forward to my next visit to the jungle!