We had a great field trip to Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Many thanks to Michele Reese, Jennifer Sawyer, Kim Loecher and Janine Nelson for making the trip possible.
The Rain Forest Encounter exhibit isn't large but it is dense with species and information. We focused on finding symbiotic, commensal and parasitic relationships among animals in the rain forest. Here is a small sample of what we discovered: Strangler Figs, Bromeliads, Epiphytes, Pacu, Leaf Cutting Ants, Sloths, Acacia Trees, Macaw Palms, Brazil Nuts, Agouti, Poison Tree Frogs, and Staghorn ferns. In addition, we had some great conversations about human cultivation.
We found cocoa trees, bananas, papayas, cassavas, all spice, panama hat palms, and sugar cane. Do these plants have a symbiotic relationship with us? At first the Elms thought we didn't -- it's hard to imagine ourselves in the same role as a black pacu who eats fruits during the Amazon floods and then distributes the seeds. But then someone pondered out loud, "Well, it's definitely good for us...and since we plant the seeds it's definitely good for them..." The tide turned. We, too, are actors in the environment.
We stopped for a lunch break and to listen to the inauguration. The Elms were very interested in the Constitutional mandates surrounding the transfer of power. One looked at his watch, a little worried, "Michelle, it's 12:04 -- who's been president for the last four minutes?" (I found out later -- Obama was even though he hadn't taken the oath.) The kids were silent during the two oaths (even standing when Senator Feinstein said, "Everybody please stand." Then, a few minutes into the speech, the sloth started to move very, very slowly to a new limb on its tree. Our historical moment had passed (unless you count sloth scratching as historic.)
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