Dan, the Orchid Man

Today was plant diversity day, so we learned all about plants. One very important family of plants is the orchid family, which has over 20,000 species worldwide. Monteverde actually has the highest orchid diversity of anywhere in the entire world! This is a pretty great place to learn about them :)

Dan, my sober tent mate during the field trip (and one of the world's premiere crocodile hunting assistants!), is as interested in orchids as I am in herpetology, so today was very exciting for him. After lunch, we headed to an orchid garden in the city and walked around for an hour. He knew so much, it was amazing! I learned so much more by walking through the orchid garden with him than I ever would have by listening to a lecture. And not only did I learn about them, but I was genuinely interested! He told me so many interesting facts abut the many different species of orchids we saw, and his enthusiasm was infectious. One of my favorite parts of this program is the diversity of interests among the group members. I enjoy learning why people love the things they love, and getting to see their passion. Thanks to Dan, I will forever appreciate the incredible diversity and complexity of orchids :)

Orchids are amazing! So diverse and beautiful,
I was astounded by these plants :)