7/7/2023 - Waterfalls and Experiments!

Written by team Preston and the S's (Preston, Sophie, Sarah, and Samantha)

As Mr. Koch would say: how’s it going, yahoos?

First of all: all your children are alive and well. Hot and sweaty but alive nonetheless!

We started the day with a waterfall hike which was amazing! the water was so clear and it felt really good to be able to cool off in the water after hiking all the way up to it in the hot and humid Costa Rica climate. On our way back from the hike we met Miriam and Dieter who gave us plantain chips as an after hike snack. They were really good and tasted a bit like thick potato chips.

The hike down to the waterfall was muddy and a bit slippery, but worth the view!

We're kind of small, but you can see team South Dakota posing in the waterfall's pool!

The donkeys were a fan favorite on the hike back to the bus

Kittens and plantain chips!

When we got back, we ate lunch and we all took naps or went to the convenience store in the community. Then we headed back up our the lab to start our own science projects! Our group is focusing on types of plants the leaf cutter ants prefer to feed their fungus garden.

After dinner we went back to the lab to continue our projects and get them set up for tomorrow.

A tropical bird-eating snake, Phrynonax poecilonotus, that Alan, one of the research advisors caught today during research! Don't worry, they are not venomous!