While the team of photographers took pictures of a yellow flower on the shore of Chocón Machacas River, I noticed that something yellow was moving on a plant next to us. It was a yellow mantis moving from one leaf to another. Photographers were interested in this insect because we have rarely seen it. Here…
Aquatic birds in Livingston: Janaca (Jacana spinosa)
In El Golfete, Livingston you can find an aquatic garden, also known as a botanic garden, a magical place where you can find many water lilies, Nymphoides indica and Nymphea ampla. It is a very photogenic place! While we were taking pictures of the water lilies we saw a Jacana (Jacana spinose) that in the…
Gray lined Hawk (Buteo nitidus) a raptor bird seen at Lampara River
In a tall Cahue tree that was in Lampara River in El Golfete, Livingston, Izabal, during the September expedition we saw a gray lined hawk. It is the first time we have photographed it during the Livingston Biodiversity Project. It was calm and allowed itself to be photographed very well. Buteo nitidus is an extremely…
Datos interesantes sobre algunos de los símbolos patrios de Guatemala
El 15 de septiembre conmemoramos el día de la independencia en Guatemala, por lo que es un buen momento para recordar sus símbolos representativos. A pesar de que reconocemos lo emblemáticos que son el quetzal, la monja blanca, la ceiba, la marimba y demás símbolos patrios, ¿qué tanto sabemos sobre ellos y su historia? El…
Los pueblos indígenas de Guatemala
Guatemala es un país diverso, integrado por los 4 pueblos que coexisten en él: el pueblo maya, ladino/mestizo, xinca y garífuna. Por ende, es un país pluricultural, compuesto por 24 comunidades lingüísticas sin contar al castellano. Estas comunidades lingüísticas están integradas por el idioma xinca, garífuna y 22 de origen maya: Achi’ Akateko, Awakateko, Chalchiteko,…
Cicadas: The singers of the forest
It is very likely that during a walk through the forest you have heard the sound of thousands of cycads singing. Although they are rarely observed because they are mainly found in the treetops (or because some manage to camouflage themselves very well with the color of the barks from the trees) we can hear…
Guatemala is a megadiverse country
Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is defined as the diversity of species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms that live in a given space. This also includes their genetic variability, the ecosystems of which these species are part, the landscapes or regions where they occur or locate, the ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that…
Breve Historia del Planeta Tierra
El 22 de abril conmemoramos el Día de la Tierra con la finalidad de reflexionar sobre el cuidado de nuestro planeta y cómo podemos aprovecharlo responsablemente. Es un día importante para recordar las acciones que necesitamos implementar en nuestras vidas o las que necesitamos cambiar para ayudar a disminuir la contaminación y la destrucción de…
Sacred Flowers Of The Maya
For many years, flowers have been used to represent different meanings. One of the most common traditions that you still observe today is giving flowers as a symbol of affection and romance, especially now that Valentine’s Day is coming… but culturally, flowers have tended a much broader symbolism. In the Mayan culture, for example, the…
“Manzanote” a special cacti from the dry forest
Cacti are perennial plants, very attractive for their strange shapes and spines. Its stems are green, fleshy, simple or branched, with cylindrical, globose, or flattened shapes. They are, generally, terrestrial plants adapted to extreme climates where they can survive long periods without water. They can be herbs, shrubby or arborescent, fleshy or even hard and…