159 replies to this topic

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

This was the first Biennial I have attended and it more than surpassed my expectations. I made lots of new friends and met many PalmTalk friends for the first time. It was a wonderful week viewing some amazing palms in habitat. How can anyone forget those huge Welfia regia's with their new red leaves opening up all over the forest at Baurillio Carillo National Park? Before this trip I thought that W regia was a small understory palm, I had no idea they got so massive!

My photos are all too large to download directly onto PalmTalk and I have not figured out how to resize them yet. I took advantage of the faster internet in San Jose and downloaded many pics onto photobucket while I was there so I will have to post them the old way for now.

Sunday May 4, 2008
This was the first full day of the Biennial and our first stop was the Herrero brothers farm. These farms are owned by two brothers who received much of their original seed stock from Wilson Botanical Gardens. We were allowed to wander all around the farms and collect as many seeds as we wanted. Many of the palms were full of ripe seeds! Seeing people bent over picking up seed was a common sight that day. Seed collecting was prohibited from all of the Costa Rican National Parks but it was encouraged at Herrero's. ¡Muchas gracias Señor Herrero!

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Geonoma?


Areca vestiaria (clumping form)


A vestiaria seed and crownshaft


Aiphanes

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Julie (not on PalmTalk) next to Marojejya darianii




I couldn't get a pic of the entire palm, there were too many other palms around it.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

A curved Caryota


Two of our buses waiting for us at the Farm. I believe this road separated the two farms.


Crotons

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Not sure what this is


Verschaffeltia splendida


Al in Kona trying to hug a V splendida!


Al's wife Silvia under Phoenicophorium borsigianum

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

A larger Phoenicophorium borsigianum




A boa constictor at one of the farms

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

I think these were Veitchias

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

One more Veitchia pic

[Mike4284m]

Great pics! I'm glad everyone had a great time.

That one you have labelled "Geonoma?" is incredible! Anybody got an ID?

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Dictyosperma album

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Bren (Junglegal) next to a large Bromeliad

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Coccothrinax crinita

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Myself and Bren posing in front of a Corypha


Spider along the path


Licuala

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Archontophoenix purpurea

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Bren and Julie in front of a large stand of bamboo


Succulent area


A couple more pics of the Corypha

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Bren and I agreed that this was one of the most spectacular sights we have ever seen. Tall single Areca vestiarias all with fruit

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

A couple more A vestiaria pics




Johannesteijsmannia altifrons




That's all for tonight, I will try and post more tomorrow. Up next is Arenal Volcano and the palms growing around the hanging bridges.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Great pics! I'm glad everyone had a great time.

That one you have labelled "Geonoma?" is incredible! Anybody got an ID?

Thanks Mike! I'll see if I can find out the id of that palm. In the meantime, if anyone knows, please chime in.

[bgl]

Jeff,
Excellent shots! Doesn't seem like it was just a week ago since we were there! And it was great to finally meet you
Bo-Göran
PS. Talked with Andrew Henderson the last day, and he promised to provide names (genus and species) of all the palms we saw at the different locations. Not sure when he'll be able to do that, but I'll send him an e-mail.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Thanks Bo! It was great to finally meet you too, and to see you become our new IPS President!

I eagerly await Dr Henderson's list

[Utopia Palms]

Great photos Jeff
No wonder you moved to Costa Rica!! Looks like palm heaven.
The photo of the palm labelled as a Geonoma in post 2 looks likes a laccospadix?
Clayton

[iwan]

Wonderful pictuers Jeff. Thank you for posting full size pictures!

[deezpalms]

Great photo's Jeff! Pura vida for sure!!!

[Mark_NoVA]

Wow, amazing photos, thanks! I bet mass plantings of Areca vestiaria will be on the rise after seeing that spectacular planting!

[PALM MOD]

The photo of the palm labelled as a Geonoma in post 2 looks likes a laccospadix?
Clayton

I'm glad Clayton said that because that is what I came up with as well after seeing it in person.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Clayton and Dean, thanks for the id. I welcome any corrections as I am sure I will get some more wrong!

[BobbyinNY]

Excellent Pics, Jeff.......

The Biennial was incredible and Cari & I met so many really great people...... Cari took so many pics that we will be posting as soon as she gets them uploaded....... Can't wait for 2010!!!!....

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Monday May 5, 2008
After the first day at the Herrero Brothers Farms, the group was split into two. Our group went to the Arenal Hanging Bridges. As soon as we arrived, everyone was taking pictures in front of Arenal Volcano. Many people come to Costa Rica and visit Arenal and never see the volcano because it is shrouded in clouds most of the time. We had a great view of the volcano that day and I believe the other group was just as lucky.

BobbyinNY and his wife Cari


The Tampa guys (at least I used to be a Tampa guy). Me and Ray in Tampa


The guys from Hawaii - Mike in Kurtisstown, Al in Kona, Norm, Donald, Mike, and Voltaire in front


Bren (junglegal) and Julie

[Ray Tampa]

Great photos Jeff. It was great to attach faces with names.

I loved something Bo said during the first dinner speech. He said that something along the lines of we meet today in person but meet everyday on Palmtalk.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Not sure, maybe Prestoea?


When they are this tall it's hard for me to tell the difference between Iriartea and Socratea
I think this was Iriartea


Zamia along the trail


again, maybe Prestoea?

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Hanging bridge


New red leaf


Iriartea frond. These were massive!


More Iriarteas

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

A waterfall


Heliconia


Not sure

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Flowering tree


I think this was an Iriartea inflorescence


Bren was a little afraid of heights, but she was brave and crossed every bridge!


Beautiful canopy tree

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Great photos Jeff. It was great to attach faces with names.

I loved something Bo said during the first dinner speech. He said that something along the lines of we meet today in person but meet everyday on Palmtalk.

Thanks Ray! Glad you made it home safe!
I remember Bo saying that too. Even though I had never met most of the PalmTalk people before, I already felt like I knew them and we were already friends. Hopefully Bo's speech encouraged more to sign up and participate.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

I think our guide Jimmy called this a Monkey Ladder vine


Heliconia


Ray taking a picture of me while I was taking a picture of him.


A view of Arenal from one of the hanging bridges

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Having lunch after the tour


Our bus waiting to leave


A couple more shots of the volcano after all the clouds cleared from the top

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Shot taken from inside the bus. Just as we were leaving the volcano started smoking


Brama cows


Inside the bus, they were very comfortable buses. CRT did an excellent job!


Some driveby shots as we were leaving Arenal

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

More drive-by shots. Dypsis lutescens is probably the most commonly seen landscape palm

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Some large Roystoneas

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Tuesday May 6, 2008 - Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfalls

My new friend Dottie from Tampa in front of the Poas sign


The crator


Some of the gang from Bus #1
Cari and Bobby, Bren, me, Ray and Miriam, Julie


Broms catching the sunlight up in the trees