Islands in the Sky and Elsewhere

Abstract

The Monteverde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica is considered to be one of the Western Hemisphere’s premiere reserves of biodiversity. It sits around 10⁰ north of the equator and near the continental divide at an elevation above 1,000 m (3,300 feet), where it is often enshrouded in clouds. The cloudwater condenses on the trees, rocks, and anything else that happens to be present, supplying vast quantities of water to the forest. There one can find around 50 species of hummingbirds in addition to perhaps another 350 bird species, plus tree ferns, orchids, bromeliads, butterflies, and amphibians. Among the last category was a small, iridescently bright yellow toad. The so-called golden toad of Monteverde used to be found in the montane forest of the region. Sadly, it became extinct around 20 years ago. Gold-colored frogs do occur elsewhere on the planet, but the specific species Bufo periglenes, the Monteverde golden toad, exists nowhere else, not even on adjacent mountains in Costa Rica.