Mi Ocotea
Ocotea monteverdensis is a tree species that can only be found in Monteverde’s mountain range. Is conservation status is categorized as Critically Endangered, since its population is less than a 1000 mature individuals. This tree produces ‘‘little avocados’’ fruit that play an important role in many animal species’ ecology, including some of the most representative birds to the region as the Resplendent Quetzal, and the most mysterious as the Oil Bird. Making this tree’s ecology known to the local community is the cornerstone for future action to its conservation.
gETTING CLOSER
To start this project I visit different individuals of the species with Ecologists Dev Joslin and Daniela Quesada, who lead Mi Ocotea project. They explained the most important features about it so I could later on come up with sketches for a botanical illustration
BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION
As many for many species of trees in the Neo Tropics, there was no scientific / botanical illustration of Ocotea monteverdensis. This kind of illustration is an invitation to the viewer to pay attention to the details that makes the subject unique. Also, for such large trees botanical illustrations sometimes is the only way you can have a visual of the full body of the tree, since the dense vegetation obstacles the view.
graphic design
I design an info-graphic that includes details of the species’ ecology and conservation status. These signs were place next to some easy access Ocotea monteverdensis specimens, to invite people to contemplate the tree.
Coloring Book
I made outline drawings of every illustration, and Daniela Quesada wrote a story that narrates how birds interact with this tree. This book has been used by Mi Ocotea’s team work to share environmental education while visiting local schools and other campaings.
Water color ‘‘Monteverde’s forest’’ as Mi Ocotea Coloring Book cover.
