stop-19-feedback-donate
STOP #19 STOP #19 STOP #19 Dispersión de Semillas dentro del Bosque Listen to the Audio Donation and Survey Support the Pterocarpus Forest and tell us about your experience today. Consider making a donation to help us preserve the Pterocarpus Forest for passive recreation and environmental education. Your support ensures that others like you and […]
stop-18-ortegon-coccoloba-rugosa
PARADA #18 PARADA #18 PARADA #18 Dispersión de Semillas dentro del Bosque Listen to the Audio El Ortegón The Pterocarpus Forest is one of the few sites in Puerto Rico where you can find the beautiful Ortegón (Coccoloba rugosa), an endemic species. The Forest and Palmas del Mar are also among the few areas in […]
stop-17-invasive-species-the-iguana
STOP #17 STOP #17 STOP #17 Dispersión de Semillas dentro del Bosque Listen to the Audio Invasive Species – The Green Iguana. Please don’t feed the iguanas! The green iguana (Iguana iguana), also known as the American iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana. Usually, this animal is […]
stop-16-royal-palm
STOP #16 STOP #16 STOP #16 Dispersión de Semillas dentro del Bosque Listen to the Audio The Royal Palm Known scientifically as Roystonea borinquena, the Palma Real is a species of palm native to the islands of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. For the Forest, the abundant presence of this tree (near the Forest […]
stop-15-forest-outdoor-classroom
STOP #15 STOP #15 STOP #15 Dispersión de Semillas dentro del Bosque Listen to the Audio The Forest as an Outdoor Classroom As you’ve made your way through the Forest, you may have noticed trees tagged with pink ribbons, or other markers (“chapitas”). You may even have seen vegetation plots, pitfall, traps, insect traps and […]
stop-14-bromelia-and-coqui
STOP #14 STOP #14 STOP #14 Dispersión de Semillas dentro del Bosque Listen to the Audio Bromelia / Bromeliad and Eleutherodactylus Coquí The Bromeliad is a naturalized plant. It grows wild and abundantly in humid environments such as the Pterocarpus Forest. During daylight hours Coquis are known to use the interiors of bromeliad plants for […]
stop-13-the-sounds-and-sights-of-the-forest
STOP #13 STOP #13 STOP #13 Dispersión de Semillas dentro del Bosque Listen to the Audio The Sounds and Sights of the Forest Be as quiet as possible. The inhabitants of the Forest are afraid of people and will hide or run away if they hear you approach. Watch for movement and listen patiently. Pay […]
stop-12-invasive-species-fish-tail-palm
STOP #12 STOP #12 STOP #12 Dispersión de Semillas dentro del Bosque Listen to the Audio Invasive Species – The Fish Tail Palm The Fish Tail Palm is native to India, Indonesia and the Philippine Islands. This ornamental plant is a good example of invasive species that were imported commerically to the island, where it […]
stop-11-seed-dispersal
STOP #11 STOP #11 STOP #11 Seed Dispersal Listen to the Audio Seed Dispersal Plants make seeds that can grow into new plants, but if the seeds just fall to the ground under the parent plant, they might not get enough sun, water or nutrients from the soil. Because plants cannot walk around and take […]
stop-10-aftermath-hurricane-maria-september-20-2017
STOP #10 STOP #10 STOP #10 El Bosque de Pterocarpus Listen to the Audio The Aftermath of Hurricane María (September 20, 2017) Hurricanes a part of life in the tropics, and in Puerto Rico. Traditionally, in fact, most hurricanes in Puerto Rico have made landfall in or near Humacao, here on Puerto Rico’s eastern shore, […]
stop-9-invasive-species-typha
STOP #9 STOP #9 STOP #9 El Bosque de Pterocarpus Listen to the Audio Invasive Species – The Typha The abundance of interspersed canopy gaps has contributed to the increased abundance of grass and other plant species. The Typha is one of these species. As trees grow and canopy closes, and with a little human […]
stop-8-invasive-species-suckermouth-catfish
STOP #8 STOP #8 STOP #8 El Bosque de Pterocarpus Listen to the Audio Invasive Species – Suckermouth Catfish The Suckermouth Catfish (Hypostomus plecostomus, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus), is a nonindigenous aquatic species that occurs in quiet, slow-moving waters and swamps like the Pterocarpus Forest. In Puerto Rico, its presence is explained by release or escape from […]
stop-7-woody-vine
STOP #7 STOP #7 STOP #7 El Bosque de Pterocarpus Listen to the Audio Woody Vine Approximately 300 species of vines occur in Puerto Rico. The vine is a climbing plant with long flexible stems that intertwine the branches of trees and use other plants as a support. Vines extend their branches over and through […]
stop-5-natural-recycling-forest
STOP #5 STOP #5 STOP #5 Listen to the Audio Natural Recycling in the Forest – Fungi When this photo was taken, in the place where you are standing, there was a log, a fallen tree covered with fungi. You can hardly see any remains of the tree anymore. The fungi decomposed it. You will […]
stop-4-pterocarpus-forest-functions
STOP #4 STOP #4 STOP #4 Listen to the Audio Pterocarpus Forest Functions Pterocarpus forests are swamp ecosystems that are seasonally inundated with freshwater. The Pterocarpus officinalis, a native tree that is the predominant species in this type of wetland in Puerto Rico, has large buttress roots that allow it to grow in flooded soils. […]
stop-3-giant-swamp-fern
STOP #3 STOP #3 STOP #3 Listen to the Audio Giant Swamp Fern The Giant Swamp Fern (Acrostichum danaeifolium), in front of you, is native to the Caribbean and one of the most notable non-arboreal plants in the Pterocarpus Forest, non-arboreal meaning it’s not a tree. It abounds in those sectors of the forest, such […]
stop-2-pterocarpus-tree
STOP #2 STOP #2 STOP #2 Listen to the Audio Pterocarpus Tree The Pterocarpus Living beings depend on their adaptations for their survival in our very competitive environment. Pterocarpus officinalis, the tree that predominates in the Forest, is a unique example of extreme adaptations. Pterocarpus officinalis is known as ‘Palo de pollo’ in Puerto Rico, […]
stop-1-welcome-pterocarpus-forest
STOP #1 STOP #1 STOP #1 Welcome to the Pterocarpus Forest Listen to the Audio Welcome to the Pterocarpus Forest at Palmas del Mar! You are about to enter a unique, 51-acre, Pterocarpus swamp forest nature preserve. This is one of the largest known remaining swamp forests in Puerto Rico, among the estimated 15 that […]