The birds here can be very elusive, remaining high in the canopy away from the attentions of curious scientists. Here are images of several island species – you can tell they are shy because their heads are turned away in each of these photographs! First, the Puerto Rican tody (Todus mexicanus) – a tiny but…

Plants come in more colors than just green. Here is a normal leaf of one of the common understorey fern species in the rainforest. And here is a different leaf of the same species – but this one is red! Why? To answer this question, you need to know one more fact: the red leaf…

Wounded plants bleed, just like animals do. This is a common defense mechanism in tropical trees – secretion of compounds that either seal a wound or deter further attack. These ‘secondary compounds’ are only necessary in a world with enemies – they are expensive investments and involve the evolution of biochemical pathways that have no…

In the tropics, forests are home to more than just trees – a large fraction of the total biomass comes from lianas and hemiepiphytes. Lianas are woody vines that originate from the ground, while hemiepiphytes are plants that begin growing on another plant but eventually grow roots that reach the ground. Both types of plants…