Antlab in Panama

Last summer was my first on BCI, and in many ways it will never be the same here as in that first field season. As a newbie, I wasn’t privy to every inside joke of the island, and much of the social craziness that seems to accompany this place slipped by me unnoticed. This year, I’ve felt more in touch with the people, as I more and more think of this place as a small town where everyone knows your name…and your business. My business this summer has been about ants. I think this is the summer that I’ll look back and say “I knew I wanted to study ants one summer on BCI when…”

Has everything been perfect with my research? Not exactly, but I’ve learned a lot, and I feel like I’m one step closer to being ready for a great graduate school experience. We recently finished a harvest of half of Mike’s great field project this season on gigante. I also spent a day in town getting a boat license to operate a boat on the Panama Canal. Risa and I both have sample plots and transects to be tended, and an outdoor laboratory of fungi experiments. I’m also collecting pilot data for a project involving Azteca ants. In my experience, life in the last two weeks on BCI can be really hectic, but I’m trying to remember to stop a smell the roses, figuratively. A recent heavy rain brought out the toads and frogs in masse, so I grabbed a headlamp and headed up to Kodak house. In back, there is a small frog pond, where I finally spotted some red-eyed tree frogs. It felt good to first identify them by their call, and then to finally spot them. It was also good to pause and reflect on how much I enjoy just stopping to look at the forest.

I think I’ve made a new observation on the army ants here (Eciton burchellii) that hasn’t been seen before. If so, it’s a good reminder that I’m doing what I’m supposed to here in the forest: keeping my eyes open and making observations. I’ll keep the observation secret for now until I talk it over with Mike and consult the literature. You never know, it could be the next big thing.