Posted June 20, 2017

Photo of Yellow-winged Cacique, in Monterrico, Guatemala.

During the last 8 months we have focused our field trips on finding and photographing all birds of Guatemala which construct long hanging woven nests.

Montezuma oropendola nests are the most impressive, but we want to find every other genus and species with similar pendant woven nests. After finding many Chestnut-headed oropendola nest colonies, we then found many Altimira oriole nests.

Then two weeks ago we found lots and lots of hanging nests of cacique birds, thanks to the local knowledge of Axel Cuellar, CECON guide, Monterrico, Guatemala (on the Pacific Ocean coast of Guatemala).

Now we will be looking for hanging nests of all other oriole species (since we already have found Altimira oriole in many different locations). Of course some orioles have basket-shaped nests: these we are not looking for.

We hope that a zoology (or industrial design) student can be inspired to do a MS thesis or PhD dissertation to create a 3D video of how these birds weave such impressive nests. We will give such a student all our information on where to find each tree in Guatemala that has this kind of tall hanging woven nest.

Birdwatching is popular worldwide, and we recommend you come to Guatemala and visit Monterrico for more than the beaches. Enjoy the amazing birds and then explore the nearby Canal de Chiquimulilla.

leafhopper, by Erick Flores, FLAAR Photo Archive

Posted March 16, 2017

The FLAAR philosophy is to document that most insects are not harmful to humans. We understand that many people don’t like insects. But spraying pesticide, insecticide, and other poisonous chemicals in your garden or home can potentially cause eventual cancer or other expensive diseases to YOU and to your CHILDREN.

The insects we show here I found on the seed pods of the yellow-flowered Cassia tree which grows next to our house. This Cassia fistula is not native to Guatemala, but is a common garden tree. Until I can get seeds of the gorgeous lavender flowered Cassia grandis plant of Peten, Belize and other areas of the Mayan forests, we keep the Cassia fistula.

Membracis mexicana, periquito de nanche, leafhopper. They are known to like avocado trees: there is an avocado tree 2 meters away, plus in the yards of houses on both sides of our yard. They are listed as a plague for nance trees; there is a nance tree 3 meters away. So these insects are happy in our tree area, 1500 meters above sea level, in the hills of Zona 15, overlooking several volcanoes on the horizon.

I love learning about how these insects go through their growth stages: how they change color; how they interact with the ants.

Of course you should get rid of mosquitos and insects which can spread diseases which are worse than pesticides. But in general, thousands of kinds of insects are part of our eco-system, and we should not simply exterminate them (especially not with pesticide and insecticide).

Photo of Membracis mexicana, periquito de nanche among some Cassia seed pods

Posted March 29, 2017

One of our many goals is to show to the world the remarkable and diverse Neotropical eco-systems of Guatemala (and adjacent parts of Mesoamerica).

One of many ways by which we can bring the fragile eco-systems to the entire world is to recreate a series of idealized renderings of the plants and animals. These scenes will eventually be in the animated films which we will produce with potential partners (with the FLAAR team providing the knowledge and inspiration for the Neotropical flora and fauna of Mesoamerica and an experienced animation company coordinating with us to bring this to a worldwide audience).

As soon as funds are available we will also do 360 degree panorama photographs of good examples of each eco-system of the Mayan and Xinca areas (the people who lived in Guatemala before the arrival of the Spaniards).

As soon as funds are available we will also do 360 degree panorama photographs of good examples of each eco-system of the Mayan and Xinca areas (the people who lived in Guatemala before the arrival of the Spaniards).

Here is a portion of our first 360 "moving" rain forest scene. You can experience this best from your iPhone, iPad, Android, or comparable tablet, via this link to the full 360 scene on Mayan Toons on Facebook.

 

We prefer to start with entertaining scenes, and we now show the first rendition of an idealized Neotropical scene of the Mayan areas. This is the work of many of the capable student intern illustrators and university-trained illustrators and graphic designers.

In the coming months we will present:

• Water-birds of the Mayan world (based on 8 years of research by Nicholas for his PhD dissertation at Karl-Franzens Universitaet, Graz, Austria, on the Surface of the Underwaterworld iconography and cosmology of the Early Classic and Late Classic Maya).
• Terrestrial and arboreal birds of the Mayan forests.
• Colorful and exotic beetles of the Mayan eco-systems.
• Reptiles and amphibians of the lakes, rivers, and swamps of Guatemala.
• Mammals of the Mayan forests (the 360-degree view here is the start of this, more animals will be added in future drawings).

Posted March 16, 2017

Several months ago, while doing research on all pollinators other than bees, I learned that there is a “Mexican honey wasp,” Brachygastra mellifica. So we went back into all recent photos of “bees and wasps” and found that we had photographed a honey wasp in Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, the first week of November 2016.

Today I asked one of our plant scouts if he knew these insects, and I was really surprised that he was fully aware of these wasps which make honey. He lives in the Ixbolai river area of Peten (that is my rough phonetic spelling of the Q’eqchi’ word for this river).

He said that there was a giant nest of this honey wasp in his milpa and he had to burn it out since the wasps were stinging him every time he went to his milpa.

The Honey Wasp, on an Amaranth flower, Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. Photo by Maria Alejandra Gutierrez Mendez, photographer at FLAAR.

Posted February 13, 2017.

Plantas Comestibles Nutritivas para Mejorar Significativamente la Dieta y Salud de los Niños en las Zonas Rurales de Guatemala

This conference is made to present the importance of nutrition among Guatemalan children, especially in rural areas, and the health benefits that this can have in the Mayan society.

You can download the formal invitation in the link above.

Posted February 1, 2017

We have made a list of all animals which the Mayan people interacted with for thousands of years. This list includes insects, seashells, sharks, centipedes: every creature of Mesoamerica which the Mayan religion, art, iconography, or hieroglyphic writing would have pictured or discussed. This information is to assist archaeologists, zooarchaeologists, ethnographers, linguists, students, and to show the world all the species that need to be protected by not bulldozing, mining, or otherwise destroying the fragile Neotropical eco-systems of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

Over the last year we have done additional videos and want to show you the links here. By the end of next week all the videos should hopefully be available.

Dr. Nicholas interacting with a giant tapir mother and its baby

Two pumas playing in a tree in front of Nicholas Hellmuth

Nicholas with a friendly Guatemalan porcupine seated on his shoulder

The other aspect of our research on plants and animals of the Mayan civilization is to prepare two series of books:

• Illustrated books for children (we have a capable team of illustrators)
• Coffee table books for adults (FLAAR has experienced photographers, in-house)

The illustrated books for children can be downloaded on our www.MayanToons.org (previews, 4 pages each, of lots of titles).

The coffee table books on jaguars, macaws, and other creatures of the Neotropical seasonal rain forests, mountains, deserts, rivers, lakes, and oceans can appear as soon as donations from foundations, corporations, and considerate individuals allow our team of 15 graphic designers to prepare the material.