The ACTS Canopy Walkway

The canopy walkway at ACTS traverses open spaces between giant rainforest trees.

View of the canopy walkway from a platform on one of the emergent rainforest trees.

The ACTS walkway has a mesh material that keeps visitors safely on the walkways.

Visitors to ACTS traverse streams and spans between trees on the same style of walkway.

Clusters of bromeliads grow on trees immediately adjacent to the walkway.

Dusk on the Canopy Walkway

I have always loved Hercules Beetles.

Great insects, like this shield mantis (Choeradodis stalli) are in the area.

This colorful Passion Vine Bug, a reduviid in the genus Anisoscelis, cleans its proboscis.

Metalic colors made this insect a fun encounter.

Night hikes are great because you never know what your flashlight will illuminate.

The Green Tree Boa (Corallus batesi).

Corallus batesi is an arboreal snake, sometimes sitting on the same branch for days on end.

These katydid nymphs were congregated on a branch.

Ecdysis, or the molting of an external cuticle, is always fun to watch.

Katydid nymphs often sport brilliant colors or cool patterns.

An Ornate Hopper (Family Fulgoridae).

An Ornate Hopper (Family Fulgoridae) nymph.

Its great catching a snake (Philodryas {Xenoxybelis} argenteus) sleeping at night.

In the past past, we used to see dozens of these rain frogs (Pristimantis ockendeni) on night hikes. Now, one or two in an evening is a good find.

On the forest floor, toads (Rhinella castaneotica) mimic leaves.

Arboreal snails were observed on every night hike.

There was a spectacular termite emergence after a hard rain. Predators were out at night to get their fill.

Tarantulas (Avicularia ancyclochira) are not uncommon in the area at night.

Tortoise beetles (Eugenysa sp.) appear to have shells like their namesake.

This leaf mimic (Typophyllum bolivari) is a katydid.

Bark Weevil (Rhinastus latisternus) faces are never boring.

A canopy dwelling lizard, the Amazon Thorneytail (Uracentron flaviceps), lives in family groups.

Adult males have salmon heads.

Juveniles and females have green heads and darker bodies.

Chiasmocleis bassleri is a microhylid endemic to the upper Amazon basin.

Ants were drinking from this ginger (Costus).

While it is generally rare to observe things munching on palm fronds, someone forgot to tell these caterpillars that palm fronds don't taste good.

Here is another spiny caterpillar feeding on a palm frond (Family Saturniidae: Automeris sp.).

Amazon Horned Frogs (Ceratophrys cornuta) are difficult to see in the leaf litter where they live.

Matamatas (Chelus fimbriatus) can be just as difficult to distinguish in the leaf-litter strewn forest backwaters, where they can sometimes be found.

The Amazon Giant Snail (Megalobulimus popelairanus) is the heaviest terrestrial gastropod in the world.

Having enjoyed the tropical ecology class and the canopy walkway, I wanted to thank Bill Lamar and Meg Lowman for a great time. Left to Right: Danté Fenolio, Meg Lowman, Bill Lamar.