Epaphrodita
The lichen tricksters of the Caribbean Late in December in the Dominican Republic, I spent an afternoon doing a strange thing: staring at bark. Not …
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic, a Caribbean nation sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, is known for its capital Santo Domingo, colonial-era history, rainforests and the Cordillera Central mountains.
Cane Toad (Rhinella marina)
A toad with a bad reputation On a December evening in the Dominican Republic, a flashlight beam caught a shape squatting in the middle of …
Hispaniolan Common Tree Frog (Osteopilus dominicensis)
A chorus in the rain barrel The same December night in the Dominican Republic gave up a second tree frog, this one perched on the …
Common Stout Anole (Anolis hispaniolae)
A lizard that argues with its throat On a December afternoon in the Dominican Republic, a stocky little lizard was holding court on a low …
Hispaniolan Tiger Mimic-Queen (Lycorea halia cleobaea)
A butterfly that borrows another’s warning In late December in the Dominican Republic, a large butterfly came gliding across the garden with the slow, confident …
Yellow Split-Toed Frog (Eleutherodactylus flavescens)
A frog that skips the pond After an evening rain in the Dominican Republic, the leaf litter at the base of a hedge was full …
Musonia remota
A mantis most people would walk straight past On Christmas Eve 2024 I was out in the Dominican Republic when a praying mantis caught my …
Sinea confusa
A patient hunter with spiny legs On Christmas Eve in the Dominican Republic, a small, angular insect was sitting on a plant stem near the …
Musonia remota
A stick-thin mantis of the Caribbean On December 24 in the Dominican Republic, a mantis was stretched along a twig, so long and thin that …
Broad-tipped Conehead (Neoconocephalus triops)
A conehead with a night job Christmas Eve in the Dominican Republic, and the daylight insects had all found their hiding places. On a leafy …
Antillean Mantis (Isomantis domingensis)
A green mantis from the land of Santo Domingo Christmas Eve in the Dominican Republic delivered a second mantis before lunch. This one was green, …
Acanthocerus cruciger
A thorn-armored bug on a warm Caribbean evening It was late December in the Dominican Republic, and the dry-season warmth had brought the true bugs …