Costa Rica - more photos from Palo Verde National Park

The forests at Palo Verde are dry tropical forests with many trees loosing all their leaves in the dry season. When we were there it was the end of the dry season so small leaves had started to come out on many branches, but it was still easy to see birds and monkeys. Lianas are everywhere in the forest. The OTS Palo Verde research station, a great place to visit. You can stay there too, they have beds, showers, and great food. Right outside is heaven for bird watchers and there are at least 20 iguanas that leave on the lawns around the station.
Amazingly good food at Palo Verde Research Station. Every meal has rice and beans, even breakfast, and all-you-can eat of fresh fruit. This is fried fish with salsa, salad, and plaintains.
This red fruit comes from the tree Spondias purpurea, in the poison ivy and mango family Anacardiaceae. We found them on the ground in the forest and they are delicious (a local guide told us they were OK to eat).
This wasp nest was hanging on a tree trunk from the Bursera tree, which is strange because it has green, photosynthesizing bark that peels of in large orange flakes.
These little red critters (stinkbugs) where everywhere and often aggregated in groups apparently for no reason at all.
We hiked for about 2 km through the dry forest to come to this little lagoon, filled with whistling ducks, herons, and sneaky crocodiles in the water. While we were standing here a king vulture came flying by, what a sight!
Some of the giant trees have buttress roots to help them stand up. The trees are enourmous, completely at a different dimension than even the biggest oaks here in New Jersey.