Posted Aug 9, 2018

We do photography of spider monkeys, however monkeys, in the Neotropical rain forests of Tikal National Park and now Parque Nacional Yaxha Nakum Naranjo. It definitely helps to have good equipment. A great place to see all the options for digital photography is to attend Photokina 2018, in picturesque Cologne, Germany.

The FLAAR review editors attend Photokina every time for almost two decades. We hope to see you at Photokina 2018 this autumn.

Two members of the FLAAR staff will be attending Photokina this September 2018.

Although we photograph jaguars, pumas and especially oropendola birds (and orioles and cacique birds of the Mayan forests), we specialize in macro photography of insects in general and pollinators in particular.

Here is a great photo by Erick Flores of a grasshopper trying to get nectar from an Ipomoea flower (in the FLAAR Mayan Ethnobotanical Research Garden, 1500 meters elevation, Guatemala City). Entomologists do not consider a grasshopper as “a pollinator” but Nicholas Hellmuth the same evening photographed drops of what we believe are nectar on the petals (that the grasshopper had knocked out of the flower structure). And the Hellmuth photos show pollen grains stuck to parts of the grasshopper.

After they suck on the nectar, the grasshoppers go to the end of the flowers and eat the soft ends of the petals. All this is in the evening since this is a Moonflower species of Ipomoea; its relatives are Morning Glories (the one we have is a Glory of the Night (my own lyrical name suggestion)).

If you are planning to attend Photokina 2018 this September 26 to 29, you can have as a free download our Photokina 2016 report with recomendations, comments and brands who were present. Also with photo studio equipment exhibited and digital camara reviews.

Posted July 09, 2018

Some “pollinators” don’t actually pollinate. They steal the nectar without getting any pollen on their bodies.

This week, in the FLAAR Mayan Ethnobotanical Garden, 1500 meters elevation, Guatemala City, I found what appear to be active and successful nectar thieves.

Instead of going down into the flower to get the nectar at the bottom, they chewed a pit into the base of the flower and were lapping up something tasty enough to attract them to the plant for hours every day.

So far we have not seen them initiate opening the thievery area (they have already done it by the time we see the flower), but when their heads are not stuck down inside sipping up something, it is clear that something has scraped or bitten an area about 3 mm in diameter and perhaps 1 to 2 mm deep (like a crater).

Once we do more research we can learn whether this habit by this insect on this native plant species has already been detected by botanists or entomologists, then we will publish the macro photos of these possible or indeed probable nectar thieves.

Posted June 26, 2018

Bird feathers were used by the Aztec, Maya, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, etc. to decorate staffs, poles, palace rooms, and of course feather headdresses. Also feathers are decorative designs on Late Classic Maya plates, bowls, and vases (especially the “Dress Shirt” design on 9th century ceramic plates that I discovered when I was 19 years old as a student intern on the Tikal project in the rain forests of Guatemala). My Harvard undergraduate thesis shows these designs, subsequently identified by scholars as tail feathers of the ocellated turkey.

So we are interested in finding and photographing every bird of Mesoamerica which was used in pre-Columbian Mayan temples, palaces, and also by the people in their villages (to decorate their hair and necklaces).

Photographed by Erick Flores, photographer at FLAAR Mesoamerica in Guatemala. Camera: Canon 1Dx Mark II, Lens: Canon EF 300mm (a prime lens, not a zoom). Settings: f/6.3, 1/1600th of a second, ISO 800. No tripod (in a boat the boat rocks too much due to waves in the lake or even the rivers). It is impressive to be able to “stop a bird in flight” digitally with 1/600th of a second. But each species flaps their wings at a different rate, and depending on whether they are traveling long distance, taking off, landing, or other movements.

Although the Roseate Spoonbill can be found in the Yucatan peninsula, such as Rio Lagartos, it is a challenge to find this bird in Guatemala. Yes it is in lists of waterbirds, but when you get to that lake or river you learn they are very rarely visible. So it is impressive that Erick Flores was able to find two of them flying over our boat. We have been doing research on flora and fauna of the lakes and swamps west of the Canal de Chiquilumilla, near Monterrico, for over 10 years. We coordinate this with CECON park rangers.

Posted June 22, 2018

About a week ago I noticed a white foam encasing several stems on a plant in our FLAAR Mayan Ethnobotanical Research Garden. If you were a normal gardener you would freak out and call every pesticide company in the Yellow Pages.

But we are eco-friendly, and do not allow pesticides or insecticide in the garden. We welcome bee nests, wasp nests and colonies of whatever kind of local insect makes a home in our garden.

Although this foam is seen from time to time, this was the first time I really studied it, because it was about 10 inches outside the door! I estimated it was exuded from a growing phase of the insect and created to protect themselves.

Turns out these are spittlebugs. To learn more simply Google spittlebug, or what is the white foamy stuff on my plants.

No need to freak out, or be grossed out. This is part of nature. Our Guatemalan genus may be Aeneolamia species or a relative, Prosapia species (CATIE web site) or other comparable insects (there are a lot out there).

Spittlebug, photographed in FLAAR Mayan Ethnobotanical Research Garden, Guatemala City, June 22, 2018, after being first noticed a week ago. Canon 1Dx Mark II, EF-100mm Macro, f/11, 1/125, ISO 100, June 20 2018, FLAAR research garden, Guatemala, FLAAR Mesoamérica. Photo by Erick Flores

Posted May 21, 2018

Male mosquitos are often hard at work pollinating (while their girlfriends are working hard to get blood to help raise their next generation). Snag is that there are many flies that mimic mosquitos (and scores of insects that mimic the colors of bees).

Here in the Mayan Ethnobotanical Research Garden of FLAAR, in Guatemala City, today the mosquito or mosquito-like flies have been busy all weekend and today (Monday) I was able to get a photo of these fast-moving characters. Actually female mosquitos are also after nectar when they don’t have to think about a fresh brood of baby buggies. There are two plants in Guatemala with the common name of jaboncillo; this is Phytolacca icosandra.

Nikon D5 camera, hand held (since the flowers are blowing in the wind and I have to move quickly from flower to flower), ISO 2000, speed 1/500th of a second (because there is no realistic way to focus on the mosquitos when they are in flight, so faster speed is not that much help). F/9 to get depth of field. Lens: AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED. Would be better next time to use 100mm because if you get too close with the 60mm you scare away the pollinator. So the lack of 1:1 of the 100mm is not that much a disadvantage.

Mosquito like pollinator insect jaboncillo Phytolacca icosandra FLAAR garden. Photo by Nicholas Hellmuth, FLAAR photo archive of flora and fauna of Mesoamerica.

We are at work preparing a bibliography on mosquito pollinators and “mosquito fly” pollinators. Here is one web page I enjoyed reading today: www.thoughtco.com/insects-mistaken-for-mosquitoes-1968308

Posted May 20, 2018

Pollinators are important for all people around the world. So we at FLAAR (USA) and FLAAR Mesoamerica (Guatemala) are developing projects to assist local people to understand how many creatures are pollinators (much more than just bees).

That said, bees are still the most common and most noticed. So although lots of beetles, flies, butterflies, moths, bats and arboreal mammals such as mico leon (Potos flavus) are also pollinators, it is most realistic to start the message of Save the Bees, Butterflies and Bats.

Here are snapshots of a jaboncillo flower stack with two different bees or bee-like insects. As you will see with the next post, mosquitos (or mosquito-like flies) also visit the same flowers.

We noticed this several months ago on other flowers: many species of bees plus the mosquito-like insects were all happily seeking nectar on the same flowers at the same time of day. The plant’s botanical name is Phytolacca icosandra.

Since the flowers are blowing in the wind it’s tough to focus before the pollinator flies away, but here are the snapshots we were able to get. Nikon D5 camera, AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED lens. Photo by Nicholas Hellmuth, FLAAR.

Two species bee pollinators around FLAAR garden. Photo by Nicholas Hellmuth, FLAAR photo archive of flora and fauna of Mesoamerica.