Epilogue

Did you think that was all? I left out a large portion of my trip because in some ways, it was sacred. Mostly, I left out the relationships. From the first night before the immersion to the last night, it was an amazing experience. We keep up with each other on WhatsApp and are planning to meet every other month.

I also left out quite a bit of Biomimicry. Why? Because my whole Spring 2023 semester will be incorporating Biomimicry into an independent study and my Integrative Project. I suppose this blog is a teaser for what’s to come. I’m also applying for a partial grant for a Social Innovation Biomimicry immersion in my backyard in October! As I deal mostly with human systems rather than designing products it is the one I most need and am excited about. All the work I do in the Spring will help prepare me for the immersion. And then? Ask me to come speak at your church or lead a retreat or consult with your organization using Biomimicry. And if you want to help support my work you can make a donation here. Thanks for reading.

Day 7- Cloud Forest

We took group pictures before boarding the bus to the cloud forest. It was the first long drive we had on the trip and it felt a little somber. We were able to hop out for a few minutes before a lunch reservation. The landscape reminded me some of areas in Tennessee.

The restaurant wasn’t quite ready for our large party, there were two other large parties there and walking through the restaurant to the back patio immediately let me know why. Hummingbirds. People were set up with their tripods and cameras with arm-long lenses to capture the beautiful birds. The back patio was actually an overlook into a gorge where migrating hummingbirds live until their return north. We saw at least three species and there were a few times I thought I was going to be impaled by a zooming hummingbird. They are so fast and agile. A friend was able to capture a slow-motion video of them.

We could have sat there for hours, but we went inside and had lunch and then hiked the trail adjacent to the property. It was so lush and green. I held a beetle. We boarded the bus back to San Jose and said our goodbyes.

Day 6- Challenge Day

We had some free time after breakfast so about 6 of us went hiking on site. It was the first time I felt really smothered by the humidity. Most of the time we were in open areas, but in the rainforest you wanted to scream for someone to open a window. I stop and point a lot so eventually I ended at the back of the group and Cathy kept me company. She spotted something black in a tree. We went back and forth… is it… could it be… no… maybe… can we get closer… and finally we decided it was indeed a bat hanging from a branch. It was quite large, but wings were folded and it looked quite comfy and oblivious to our staring eyes. We had to run back to the meeting spot, but it was so worth spending some time trying to figure it out, and seeing where leaf cutter ants had been because of the torn pieces off of some leaves.

The workshop after the hike was studying Biology to Design. We were told to work with someone we hadn’t before and there was one person I had not had the privilege to work with so I asked him quickly. I didn’t know that he and another man in the group had been or were in a Biomimicry program. I was in a group of professionals and quickly felt overwhelmed with everything I still didn’t know. When I get frustrated I cry and I was very frustrated. They were so comforting, but I realized they thought I was unhappy with the organism we chose and I had to explain that I was fine with the organism, I was just frustrated that it still felt like I was not comprehending all of the Biomimicry. They were very patient and walked me through processes. They were so helpful.

After lunch we prepared our presentation. We were fortunate to have Karen L. on our team, who by that time, everyone knew was a beautiful artist. She drew everything out and I worked on adding lines and circles to delineate layers in one object.

Everyone presented their designs and I was amazed how so many of them came from a desire to help someone they knew. I hesitate to talk about them here because I can very much see someone working on the design for production.

I knew I was surrounded by special people, but this confirmed it. We were a group of people from the U.S., The Netherlands, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, UK, Canada, and Scotland and we were a cohesive group who cared for and looked after each from the moment we met.

We had a little party (and I was a party pooper planner) since it was our last night and we celebrated three birthdays and a graduation. Everyone milled around talking and then, all of a sudden something caught a few of our eyes as it zoomed through us and landed on Gui’s back. I couldn’t tell from Heine’s face what it was and before I could look Gui had shimmied so it fell off. It was a very large beetle almost as long as my fist. A little biological explanation was given, but we mostly just enjoyed checking it out.

Day 5- Genius of the Coral Reef

I woke early every morning and joined a few for bird watching. This morning was a great morning for macaws. They are very distinctive in their shape when flying and their calls are a distinct squawk. I was able to get video of them that also caught some of their vibrant colors.

Macaws

Have I mentioned I get motion sickness? This was a day I was anxious about because of the boat ride and the actual snorkeling. We hiked down to the beach where two boats were waiting for us. We were told to get a snorkeling buddy who would also be our partner for the night’s Biomimicry work. Heine (from The Netherlands) asked if I wanted to be his partner. I thought he was joking because we often joked with each other. I was afraid he might tell me there was a shark. I told him I’d partner with him for the work afterwards and was excited because I had not worked with him yet.

The boat ride was not too bad. I took my meds and sat in the back. It was about a 40 minute boat ride to Caño Island. We saw a large group of Brown Boobies preening in the water (and yes there were jokes). They are known to be around spotted dolphins. And we saw spotted dolphins! They were not very big, but you could see the spots.

Crown of Thorns starfish

We jumped right off the boat into the warm waters above a coral reef. The first thing I saw was this. I did not know what it was at the time, but it’s called the Crown of Thorns starfish. Its size was a little bigger than a dinner plate. I’m still so amazed at the beauty, and as I did in the water, I’m doing now, I just keep coming back for a look. Spend a couple of moments just “wowing” over the starfish. I’ll pick up the story below.

I bobbed along the waves sticking my head in the water to see what was going on beneath me. We had some confident snorkelers with us and it was so beautiful watching them gracefully dive to the depths to explore more closely the life around the reef. I looked more like a clumsy chef chopping the waters trying to figure out deflating my life jacket a bit and tightening my goggles. Someone yelled that there was a sea turtle and I was able to get my goggles on and see its backside before quickly gliding away. Luckily, someone in our group got a beautiful picture that I am able to share with you.

Checking in on my partner and not feeling well myself, we headed back to the boat. There is a certain point with motion sickness where I will need to curl up in a bed (floor, corner, rock) so I did not want to hit that threshold or I would be miserable and out of commission for the rest of the day. I was monitoring myself closely. Everyone got on the boat and then I heard we were going to another snorkeling location. My eyes widened. I really wanted to go to another location to snorkel, but that would send me over the edge. Shore was not very far and I considered jumping in and swimming, but I meekly asked if there was another option and the captain happily drove me close to shore where I was surprised to be accompanied by four other friends. We laid out on the beach where I half-slept to the sound of ocean waves and friends speaking Biomimicry. I don’t know how long we were there, but the boat came back and we headed to a park where we would be having lunch.

We couldn’t even make it past the beach without having a biology lesson because there was a skull of a caiman that we were curious about. We then had burritos filled with rice, black beans, tomatoes, and plantains and a side of fresh watermelon. We sat under the trees and watched curious monkeys eyeing the watermelon.

At one point I saw two from our group walking away from us down a trail. I was curious and someone said they were going to the bathroom. I wasn’t quite sure why no one else was going, but I wanted to catch up to them. At some point I lost them when I came upon a juncture. I took the path least traveled thinking that maybe the bathrooms were behind a patch of trees and bushes. It occurred to me that I may be going the wrong direction for two reasons: there was no longer a path and I saw the couple coming up the other pathway. Oops. But then I saw two capuchin monkeys in the trees. As I continued to watch the monkeys I made my way back to the juncture. The monkeys seemed to be heading that way as well. The group was also heading this way. I put my water bottle down so I could take video of the monkeys.

They were getting very close now, as was the group. Everyone was stopped in/ at a tree and looked at each other.

We are both curious species, but we were in the capuchins’ home and we were upsetting them so we went on our way. There were so many things to see on our hike: buttress trees, strangling trees, fungi, trash, and more monkeys.

We saw spider, howlers, and capuchins at the park. We hiked a half a mile in an hour. No sloths were spotted, except for us. We hiked back to the boats for the ride back. It was such a pleasant boat ride back. I was feeling good, satisfied. I believe others were feeling the same way. (At least one was doing Biomimicry in their head I would later find out.) We had an exhausting, glorious day exploring and discovering ecosystems. I shed a few tears of gratefulness. In 2015, when I was in Biomimicry class and learned there were immersions I never thought I would be able to go on one, and yet, here I was.

We were dropped off at the beach where the boats are taken out of the water for the night. We all used the restrooms and boarded the bus for the short ride to La Cusinga. We were about a minute down the road when Karen L. asked where her buddy was. (Admittedly, I forgot to check that my buddy was on the bus.) Now, if a group ever left a person in a Spanish speaking country, we joked that this is the person you would want to leave. She’s calm, super friendly, and Spanish is her first language. The bus was able to turn around, but as we got closer to the restrooms we could not see her. Across from the restrooms was the office for the boat company we had just left and there Katarina was laughing it up with our guides with a drink in one hand and a free t-shirt draped over her arm. We all cheered as she got on the bus. Everyone yelled our thanks and waved to our guides as the bus pulled away. One of the instructors made a comment that when Karen asked where her buddy was that it probably reminded everyone to check to see if their buddy was on board. I chuckled, and then realized I had still not checked to see if my buddy was on the bus! I tried to act like it was a joke that I was checking on my buddy while secretly panicked and embarrassed that even with a prompt I had not checked to see if my buddy was on the bus. No worries; she was… ummm… just like I knew she would be.

We were given a little time to clean up before the next session. Our assignment was to think about what we had seen and learned about to solve a challenge and then create a small, rustic prototype using recycled materials. My partner Heine had been thinking about this the whole boat ride back. He was thinking about all those who were experiencing motion sickness and how we could solve it. We thought about how snakes move through water and how fins help with movement. It didn’t take us long to think about a new design for a boat that would glide on top of the waves, all the motion would be underneath. I somewhat knew what Heine did for work, but to see it in action was super fun. He builds prototypes. Heine knew what he was doing, but he always included me by asking questions and listening to my thoughts as we looked through the recycled materials. Once we gathered the materials Heine built that boat in like 15 minutes! I couldn’t even stand there and look like I was being helpful; I was mesmerized watching his hands putting pieces together while listening to his explanations. I could see why Biomimicry is such an interdisciplinary process. You need everyone at the table. Even me. I realized my brain that is full of ideas would be helpful, but I was finding my sustainability education was coming forth as well. I was spouting ideas I never would have voiced out loud because I knew that an engineer or designer could figure it out. It was so much fun! We presented after dinner.

Day 4- Genius of the Rainforest

We stayed on site to explore the rainforest at La Cusinga. First, we discussed rainforest patterns. Then we talked about interspecies relationships and Life’s Principles before finding an organism to observe.

We broke up into small groups to find organisms. I’m still unsure as to what my organism was, but I spent about 15-20 minutes observing it. (See above.) Was it a fern or moss? It was part of the understory, maybe a foot tall, that grew on a down sloping area. I wondered how water played a role in its location. Also, the closer I got to the actual organism the more I noticed the leaves were actually made of small overlapping leaves. Even the vein was covered with these overlapping leaves. I figured it was to help direct water down to the roots. I had my water bottle so I poured a tiny drop onto the surface with the expectation that it would flow along those leaves down to the ground. To my surprise the water beaded and sat on a leaf. The leaf was a bit waxy and hydrophobic. So, if the design wasn’t for water could it be to maximize the surface area for energy capture from the sun?

We came back together and everyone in the group presented their organism. It was fun to see what caught the attention of my group. No one chose the same thing even though we were in an area about the size of a basketball half court. But, like I mentioned, I was on the down slope and my organism was not found above and some of the organisms on higher ground were not located where I was. So much diversity in such a small area!

We reconvened with the whole group, had a short class, then spent some time individually perfecting our strategies for the organism before coming back into small groups to present. I’m still processing function versus strategy, but it was good to practice.

We had dinner and then a session about coral reefs to prepare us for snorkeling the next day.

There are 6 Operating Conditions for reef-building corals:

1. Temperature- limited range 23˚C-25˚C or 73˚F-74˚F

2. Depth- down to 150ft

3. Light

4. Salinity

5. Sedimentation- from mouth of rivers which can clog polyps

6. Emergence

Some fish we may see are parrotfish, angel fish, trigger fish, damselfish, and butterfly fish. Shapes are distinct, but my drawings are too embarrassing to share.

Day 3- Genius of the Mangroves

Today was kayaking in the mangroves day. As I was coming down the stairs from my lodging, I saw something unusual. Oh, Chris! What is this and is it edible? That’s usually how I started my questions. The insects are stingless bees. The plant is a Panama hat palm, and evidently, it’s somewhat rare to catch it in this state. Cool. It looks like a corn cob and spaghetti to me, but I don’t think it’s edible for humans.

Good morning, mangroves! Thank goodness there was another opportunity to pair up for a kayak because I was doubtful about my cardiovascular fitness. I’m so glad I had a good partner. And when the guides ask if you would like some coconut water or water from the guide boat, you take the coconut water and watch them use a machete on a real coconut because you… are in paradise.

Mangrove forests are pretty cool. One, they protect the land by slowing down the waves which is really important, especially when a storm is coming through. Remember the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami? Most of the affected places were where mangrove forests had been removed and the waves had nothing to slow them down. Also, mangroves live in salt water and that salt water fluctuates by six feet every day. Think about what lives in the mangroves, too. They have to contend with the fluctuation and salt water. So, mangrove forests are actually fairly quiet. We spent about ten minutes just floating so we could listen. I heard a couple of gurgles as crabs dug into the mud. A few birds called. It was peaceful.

We were given a sermon by the guides. Not a traditional sermon, but it preached and I could only bow and say “amen” when they were finished. They are witnessing the effects of climate change firsthand. They know the water because they grew up in and on the water. This is their home and they want us to know they are experiencing the effects of climate change and they need our help.

We returned to the lodge for lunch and a session about Life’s Principles (strategies seen in all living things). After dinner, we assembled into small groups and played a rousing game of Biomimicry GoFish which matches a challenge to a biological strategy. Ex: A boxfish has a hydrodynamic shape (biology) that the automobile industry could mimic (challenge). (This is an oversimplification, but you get the idea.)

And, here again, is the Panama hat palm from the morning compared to what it looked like after we returned from kayaking.

And a toad that was under the stairs going to my lodging. Every creature gets returned where it is found.

Day 2- Genius of the Intertidal

We had been warned that the howler monkeys might wake us up around 4:30am. I wore earplugs. I awoke around 5:30 and though I did hear the monkeys I was ready to get up. I went to our meeting area where others were already bird watching. Thank goodness one of the participants was fairly familiar with Costa Rican birds and he was able to identify some. We helped each other spot them; I had no idea if we were seeing something fairly common or rare because they were all new to me! (In the far right background where a tree transitions to the ocean you can see three birds perched.)

We had an introductory class then hiked down to the intertidal zone. We stopped and looked at many things, but you can only see an intertidal zone at low tide so we were encouraged to speed up.

I admit, I am more of a “stop and look” hiker so I usually end up in the back. By the time I carefully climbed over the rocks most of the group was seated and instruction had begun. There were so many things to see and the waves made hearing a bit difficult. I watched crabs skitter across rocks. I saw shells creep. There is a lot to consider in the intertidal zone. How do organisms protect themselves from the waves and rocks? How do they handle salt water? How do they adapt to the changing tides? Are they camouflaged and why? We spent some personal time observing an organism. I’m still not sure what mine was.

We had a bit of free time to enjoy the warm ocean. I joined a few women and we talked while jumping the waves. We hiked back and took some time to observe the diverse life.

Capuchin monkey!

Meals were always delicious and fresh. There was a large round table with some long tables facing the ocean. Meals were excellent times to get to know others better and we all did a good job of mingling with those we hadn’t spent as much time with.

We all moved to our next session which was at the yoga studio to begin learning and practicing pieces of biomimicry. Since my room was above the meeting area I had yet to see much of the property. The trail to the yoga studio was nice and the view of the ocean was distracting.

After dinner it was time for the night hike! This was my favorite. We were given instructions to use our flashlights sparingly and when using them to put the flashlight on one side of our face next to our eye so what we were seeing would be illuminated. And try to have the light around the organism and not in its eyes. It was amazing doing a night hike with naturalist Chris who grew up in Costa Rica who knew how to handle what we saw and teach us about the organism. We saw a sleeping toucan, red-eyed tree frog, cacao pod, ceiba tree (sacred), fungi, and a whip scorpion of Harry Potter fame. For those of us who kept hiking after the required hike, we were out for about 4 hours. We probably only covered 1.5 miles. We were hiking for observation and not for speed!

Day 1

Our third roommate (there were 2 doubles and one single in most of the hotel rooms) got in after Jane and I went to bed so we silently dressed and slipped out of the room for breakfast. We sat with some friends we met the night before and introduced ourselves to the new people coming in. By that time, we knew that most everyone staying at the hotel was with the Biomimicry group. Breakfast was delicious and I was glad Katarina was there to help identify some fruits. Granadilla is delicious, though it does look like a glob of fish eggs.

Everyone met outside the hotel at 9am for the two shuttles for our group of 22. Well, 23, but one of the gentlemen met us at the domestic terminal.

We all made it through security and we all worked our way through the group meeting and talking with new people. We were a large group for such a small terminal. It was about the size of a gym floor. We were split into two groups for two planes.

This was one of the activities I was nervous about. It was a short flight and we stayed pretty low which afforded us some intimate views of the land and water beneath us.

The bus was next. I get motion sickness and am sensitive to exhaust fumes so I immediately approached an instructor who told me to go ahead and claim a seat on the bus. I was taking all the meds I had brought for this weakness. We were on the bus for one minute (this is not an exaggeration) before we stopped at a park. Costa Rica has Diquís Spheres which date back to 700CE. Unfortunately, I did not hear the whole lesson because there were so many interesting organisms to look at! We saw fungi, a seed pod, a rainbow eucalyptus tree, iguana, and one of my favorites, leaf cutter ants!

We got back on the bus for a short ride to the eco-lodge, La Cusinga. Their driveway was through the rainforest. We were greeted with a traditional fruit drink as we came up the stairs surrounded by lush tropical trees and out to the most amazing view.

We enjoyed our drinks and view and were given our room assignments. My room looked out at this view so I was directly above our meeting area. There were four of us and four men on the other side. We had a few minutes to drop our things then head back down to gather for lunch and our first session. It did not take long to realize this would not be a typical class. We were there to see and learn from nature, so when we saw it, we observed while the instructors explained what we were seeing. In the following clip, you can see howler monkeys in the trees and instructor Karen dropping some knowledge.

We were interrupted many more times as the agenda was given out and our week explained, but it seemed perfectly normal. In this context I suppose it was. We were there to study nature, so when organisms appeared we took the time to learn and appreciate their beauty and their functions.

Day 0.5

Dec. 4- Travel to San Jose, Costa Rica

The morning began at 3:35am. I was packed and ready so I got up, dressed, and told my dad good morning. He and my mom had come to the house the day before so my dad, who doesn’t mind getting up at the crack of smack, could take me to the airport and both could take my son to church at “normal” o’clock since my spouse would be preparing for service.

My dad prayed for me before I hopped out of the car, I grabbed my luggage, gave him a hug, and proceeded to search through my backpack and carry-on luggage for my mask while waving like I had everything under control as he pulled away. Mask found, I headed through a massive crowd for that early to security with my ticket and TSA pre-check on my phone. Well, that was quicker than expected. I then did laps through the concourse because I’d rather be walking than sitting, especially knowing I’d be sitting for a while on the plane. People looked at me funny by the third or fourth lap, but I tried to look unsuspicious.

The view of the sun rising over Nashville was a nice incentive to getting up so early. I have had some anxiety flying because of a particularly turbulent flight from Denver a few years ago so my goal was to stay calm. I found my favorite Christmas movie, The Holiday, and was able to skip to my favorite parts. Both flights were easy. The views were spectacular and I spent as much time gazing out of the window as watching scenes in The Holiday.

When I arrived in San Jose I knew there were two others landing around the same time. I decided to wait for them to catch the shuttle to the hotel. It took me calling the hotel twice to finally figure out where the shuttle was and by that time I had communicated with Cathy via WhatsApp who was waiting on luggage. The other, Jane, was waiting for us. She had seen the shuttle driver holding a sign with her name when she came out of the airport. I didn’t see mine until heading back in that direction. (I feel certain he was not holding my sign as I exited, but whatever.) We waited for Cathy and then headed to the hotel. I ended up being roommates with Jane and we decided to have an early-ish dinner and invited those I had added to the Biomimicry WhatsApp group based on their arrivals to join us. The waiter sat us at a table for five; we were hopeful others would join us. They began to trickle in and then our table was full, but we continued to meet other participants and two instructors. We laughed so much and finally, after a few hours, decided it was time to go to bed. Our immersion would officially start with a shuttle to the domestic airport at normal o’clock in the morning. Costa Rica and Tennessee are on the same time zone, baby.

Prologue

With financial support from Blessed Earth Tennessee and supporters and the MTSO Student Enrichment Program grant I attended “Discovering Nature’s Genius” Biomimicry immersion in Costa Rica in December 2022. I was introduced to Biomimicry in 2014 by Margo Farnsworth who was my professor while obtaining an M.S. in Sustainability. At that time, the definition of biomimicry was “the imitation of life’s genius.” As a Christian who believes God is the creator of life I immediately changed the definition to “the imitation of God’s genius.” That class opened my eyes to see a more awesome Creator than I had been presented in church. Today, “Biomimicry is learning from and then emulating nature’s forms, processes, and ecosystems to create more sustainable designs.” I still see it through the lens of God’s creation.