Dear
visitors of our Homepage,
The last months we worked
very hard and an update of this section is overdue.
Thanks to our guests we could improve the installations
of Casa Maria and also made some new acquisitions.
For our future visitors the stay will be even more
pleasant.
The
latest news are:
A
new small house for Xiomara. This project has been
integrated harmoniously in our extended garden.
Associated to this construction lovingly decorated
paths were added to our area.
Her
former room is renovated now and soon will be available
as an additional room for our guests..
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The shell construction (Sept.
2005).
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Finally finished ! (December
2006).
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A
new fully-automatic low-noise electrical power-plant
makes any blackout almost imperceptible.
The
way to the terrace is now adorned with a new
stair and a small cascade.
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New stairs with a tiny cascade.
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From
the Swiss consul, who was transposed to the
Iran, we acquired a Landrover Defender 110.
Meanwhile the car has been proven on 3 tours.
The Mercedes GD300 we handed over instead.
(In our photo gallery are the first pictures
of the Defender in action.)
The
market garden became larger and must be extended
already again, because I need still more plants
for the work with the butterflies.
A
great success is our 2000 l sea water aquarium
in the dining area, a real eye pasture.
The complex sensitive ecosystem of the coral
riffs is often a stimulus to talk with young
people about the hard to understand concatenation
between the riffs survival and the erosion generated
by the destruction of woods near the coast..
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The new sea water aquarium.
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Entomological
news
We
can report a great breeding success of Copaxa
simson, Copiopteryx semiramis, and
another not yet defined species of Paradaemonia.
Very exiting were the successful hybrids in
4 generations of Morpho achilles tepuina
and Morpho peleides corydon. They seem
to belong to the same species, even as they
look very different. In the future their name
will be Morpho helenor tepuina and
Morpho helenor corydon.
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Male Copaxa simson
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Male Copiopteryx semiramis
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Paradaemonia spec.
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Above left Morpho helenor
tepuina, on the right Morpho helenor
corydon below hybrids (all male).
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Special
events
This
year we boosted our commitment with the conservation
of nature and rainforest. In our region we arranged
a petition with a message to the Department
of the Environment requesting more support.
The
cooperation with some schools of the area with
my lectures about ecological themes are very
well received.
Particularly
intensive is the cooperation with the International
School (CIC) of Valencia. With them we realized
two intensive environmental excursions with
students between 12 and 16 years of age.
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Alfred Olivas (leader) 2.
from the right, students and companions.
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Prof. Zach (leader) on the
left, students and companions.
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With
National Geographic we produced another documental
for the series Animalplanet. One of the leading
actors was my large millipedes (Scolopendera
giganthea). For the second time the well-known
actor and entomologist Ruth Kleinpaste from
New Zealand (also known as Bugman), visited
Casa Maria.
This
is already the third documentary, where Casa
Maria was involved substantially.
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Scolopendera giganthea
and Bugman on the right,
I am on the left.
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The film team from New Zealand.
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Excursions
This
year we realized quite a lot of nice tours,
but I only want to mention the large ones.
With
car and boat we went to the almost unknown southern
Orinoco Delta, which is still an untouched area.
Only few isolated people live there. The remotest
place was Ibaruma, where the people already
know me and we were received as friends.
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Farewell from Ibaruma.
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plants and the world of birds an insects are unforgotten
as well the shows of the sweet water dolphins.
One tour
brought us into the Andes, and then thru the Llanos
to Amazonia. A varied trip to different habitats
and unforgettable landscapes, orchids, bromelias,
colourful fishes seen usually only in aquariums,
capybaras, anacondas, caimans and countless birds.
On
another tour we elected a wild remote route to the
Andes. We passed through fantastic cloud forests,
where we could observe cock-of-the-rocks to mention
some highlights.
The new Landrover performed great. We returned passing
the Lake Maracaibo and visited the dry areas of
Paraguaná and Coro.
On
a further trip to Amazonia and Gran Sabana I was
confronted for the first time with a puma.
Really, the year 2006 was not boring ...
In
our picture gallery are some new photos of these
tours.
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How sad a fate !
My good friend Robi passed away tragically.
Lately he could not resist to annoy the growing
old Max.
In one moment Max lost his temper and snapped.
This jolt provoked a heart attack to Robi and
he died immediately.
A few weeks later
also Max died with 14 years of age, which was
expected.
Roby had the same
age as Max, but he was expected to live for
many more years.
We miss them both.
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Robi
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Max |
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Miscellaneous
Some
time ago Google Earth improved it's resolution
around Casa Maria, and now you can observe amazing
details. Unfortunately also the progress of
deforestation is visible.
Everybody
is fine here, including our animal friends.
Come to visit us to convince yourself ...
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| August 14, 2005
Dear friends
and visitors of our WEBsite CASA MARIA - BUGPARADISE.
Finally our
WEB-presentation is almost ready.
It was much more work then initially expected.
Our WEB-designer
Rainer did a great
job and realized with patience my wishes.
If you have ideas or missing something, please let me know.
So we can improve our site with your help.
We are glad
to add nice photos, you made at CASA MARIA, to this WEBsite.
Please click
also the
links
to get additional informations.
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Really interesting
is a virtual trip to CASA MARIA using the software GOOGLE
EARTH.
With GOOGLE EARTH
con can look on our location from the space perspective.
If you don't have installed GE already, we recommend to
do so.
This (free) software permits to view our planet from space,
even three-dimensional.
In the future
you will find here actual news, events and informations
from the BUGPARADISE, For instance the ineloquent occurrence
3 weeks ago, when a big tree tumbled on one of our roofs
during a storm.
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often visit our site, and recommend our URL to friends and
acquaintances.
Hopefully we
see you again, or even for the first time. Let you inveigle
by us for an unforgettable tour into the Caribbean paradise
CASA MARIA.
This is our
team:
From left to right
:
Norbert (the head of Casa Maria), Luis (realizes
our construction-ideas), Hilberto (keeping free
the lanes and feeds the animals), Fermín (looks
after the scientific nursery garden and
the butterfly-houses) Gaby (is responsible for
the bureaucracy and welfare of our guests and
collaborators), Leo (takes care that everything
performs well, and steps in, where help is needed).
Sitting :
Xiomara (takes care of the kitchen, cleanness,
temper and everything for the wellness of our
guests)
The dogs Biggi, Pingo, Max and Mara enjoy
to be fondled and in change they take care of
us ! |
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