Ecopsychology Photo Journal: Exploring in the Rainforest...

Our first day at Kapawi we had some free time before lunch. I hesitantly decided to explore the self-guided trail--on my own--not knowing what to expect, and having been warned that some of the guiding signs were missing from the trail. I started off down the trail and across the bridge. I moved slowly as I looked at the life all around me, above me, and below me; trees, vines, butterflies, insects, fungi, ferns, flowers, and seeds--all of varieties I did not recognize. I saw butterflies with translucent and iridescent wings, red tree roots, yellow bugs, fungi with veils, and flowers without roots, stems, or leaves. There was life EVERYWHERE, and in grand variety, many living things growing on other things.

The broccoli-like appearance of the rainforest from above was deceiving in it's uniform appearance. Being under the canopy was like looking into a microscope--revealing all that was going on below the surface and the grand variety of life that call the rainforest home.

While walking along the trail, I followed a butterfly, hoping to take it's picture. I found it interesting that it followed the trail, flying close to the ground, floating very peacefully along. It never stopped for me to take it's picture, but I took many other photos along the way.

After a while, I felt as though I may be lost. I had not seen a sign guiding me back to the lodge and soon I started seeing things that looked familiar. I felt slightly scared that I did not know how to get back. I was right away thankful that I had taken so many photos during my walk along the trail. They served as "breadcrumbs" to help me find my way back to the entrance. I made it back, only slightly late for lunch.

Now I am starting to understand how people who live in the forest can know where they're at in a vast, dense forest. It is a very different experience to walk slowly along a path and observe the individual life forms around you in the forest, each with it's own personality, than to drive a car through a forest and simply see tree after tree, without slowing to see each individual being. Each place along the path had it's own character, and I recognized when I had returned to a place I had previously seen only one time.

Bridge to trail

Red tree roots

Silhouettes of Cecropia tree against bright blue sky and white clouds

Large leaves

The trail

Looking up

Looking into forest

Large, fan-like, Cecropia leaves

Close-up of Cecropia leaves

Moss-covered roots and orange (Monkey's Cup?) mushrooms

Patches of sunlight from the canopy, lighting up the forest floor

Sunlight illuminating leaves

Termites walking in a single file line into their tunnel on the rainforest floor

Closeup of the nubs on the roots of a walking palm

Roots of a walking palm

Butterfly with translucent wings (Glasswinged butterfly) standing on leaf

Small leaves on roots of walking palm

Closeup of mushroom

Butterfly with translucent wings (Glasswinged butterfly)

Raflessia, a parasitic flowering plant without roots, stems, or leaves

Walking palm roots

Closeup of tiny ferns or mosses on log

Light coming through canopy to plant on forest floor

Vine and mosses covering roots--life sprouting from life

Closeup of mosses

Closeup of vine

Observing the rainforest life and sounds (might want to tilt your head to watch this one)
The presence of life everywhere.
Many, many sounds from all different beings form a gentle rhythm, an atmosphere of life.