Orchid Speak

Last March our friend and orchid expert Tyler Kartzinel visited La Reserva looking for one special orchid that he’d seen a photo of on the LRFF website. You may remember the blog I wrote last year entitled “Orchid Speak”. Tyler found a flowering specimen of the same genus but couldn’t find the species he was looking for. The other day we saw the orchid above flowering next to the house at La Reserva and recognized it as one of the “dancing ladies” in white this time. We took photos of the different parts of the plant and sent them to Tyler. Here’s what he had to say:

Hi Roberta,
Thanks very much again. I’ve studied these photos pretty closely and, in combination with the data I collected last year, I’m fairly certain that the species is Epidendrum odonotchilum and not Epidendrum firmum as I had expected. They are very closely related and so poorly known that even experts have a hard time telling them apart or finding anything interesting to say about them (I’m hoping to change that…). Your property is the only place that I have been able to work with this species so I think that makes it much more meaningful after all. I look forward to any cool conservation pictures that you might like to share down the road and I continue to follow your conservation work.
Best,
Tyler

Very exciting, eh?! Here are two more orchids blooming at La Reserva now.

Unknown orchid in bloom, January

Well-known miniature orchid at La Reserva, January

We finished the planting of Marvin Castro’s property in Viento Fresco on December 20^th, approximately 17,000 trees in the second phase of the Rio Sol Biological Corridor project.  Here’s a photo of the first hole dug in the second phase of planting this amazing project.

1st hole dug second phase Rio Sol project

After planting Marvin’s it was urgent to do the maintenance cleaning of the first 14,000 trees we planted in the first stage planting of the Rio Sol project. I wanted to share some photos of the progress of these trees, look. It’s amazing!

Immediately after planting Franklin Mojica’s property, June 2011

In the above photo the trees had just been planted, and were less than one meter tall.

One month later, July, at the Mojica’s during the first maintenance cleaning

Otoniel Acosta Elizondo

Above is a photo of Oto, Jimmy’s brother, January 4^th, cleaning around one of the trees planted at the Mojica farm this past June.  Oto is surrounded by the other trees that were planted in the first phase planting of the Rio Sol Biological Corridor project.

From left, Deiby’s Villalobos S., Jimmy Acosta E., Francisco (Chico) Mojica M., Allan Hernandez M., Argelio (Chavo) Garcia and Stephen Mojica M.

If you’ve been following my blogs and updates you will probably recognize all of these great guys above. Here they are on the final day cleaning Franklin Mojica’s reforested area. Look at the size of those trees, really amazing when you see the photos in sequence, eh.

We ended 2011 and began 2012 by planting trees at La Reserva in Costa Rica. Since beginning the “Plant a Tree” campaign many generous people have opted to buy a “family”, “grove” or single trees in honor or memory of a loved one.

Micaela Grantham, foreground, in the La Reserva nursery with Carol Anderson and Daniel in the background

We had an important visitor during the holidays this year, Carol Anderson. Carol is a childhood friend of Daniel, they hadn’t seen each other since high school graduation in 1964. They reconnected via the Internet. We learned that Carol is a successful businesswoman in New York City.

Carol and Dan hauling trees from the nursery

Carol asked if she could be of help as a volunteer during the holidays. What a surprise, we were thrilled that she wanted to come down and help in any way. She arrived December 20^th and we got to work, after taking one day off at the beach. What a HUGE help she turned out to be, especially brainstorming fundraising and grant opportunities.

The three New Year planters, Carol, Micaela and Dan

Carol really liked the “Plant a Tree” idea and the day before Christmas bought a grove of 15 trees. Another man bought a grove of 15 and all were to be planted in honor or memory of loved ones. These 30 trees constituted the commemorative planting on New Year’s Eve.

Carol named her grove “Carol’s Place”

Micaela and Carol planting “Carol’s Place”

The planting area is at the top of La Reserva, with a clear view looking west to the Pacific, where the African grasses are preventing the trees from regenerating naturally. You can see in the photos we had to chop the grass away to plant the trees. Remember Project Hometree and the furrows we cut, same kind of grass.

Carol planting one of her special trees in her own grove

Thank you so much Carol, Micaela and Daniel for all that hard work making a difference in our world, to end and begin 2012 positively.

Here’s “Eli’s Place”, a family plot of 4 trees purchased by Melody Hearten-Johnson

Another grove of 15 trees

In the above photo are shown the other grove of 15 trees planted on New Year’s Eve. These are “In Loving Memory of John A. Ashby” and his generous friend will watch John’s trees grow and become a forest filled with birds and wildlife.

We are starting the New Year off right here at La Reserva. Come on and join in, help us make 2012 our biggest year yet, restoring hundreds/thousands of acres of tropical forest. Happy New Year, thank you and……………..

LET’S GET PLANTING!!