Paying attention to the little things

   Sometimes during a hike in the Monteverde Reserve a theme seems to evolve. Today it was looking at small things. (We were not distracted by watching any Resplendent Quetzals, although we heard some that we never saw.)  One of my sightings was a small lizard that was only about 2 inches/5cm long. Its camoflage was so cunning that the only reason I spotted it was that it jumped to a different leaf as I walked past.

Once there it tolerated cameras being almost stuck into its face without budging, apparently having a lot of faith in its coloring. I think the shape of its rear feet is really interesting.
   Then I saw these adorable little flowers scattered all over the path in one area. They probably drifted down from high in the forest canopy.

I'm always interested in fungus, especially if it's colorful like these small neon yellow ones growing on a dead tree.

This little metallic gold and black beetle (about 1/2" or 1.25cm) is just as colorful in its own way as one of those big Resplendent Quetzals.  It's interesting to think about all the small creatures that are part of the cloud forest's life.