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My Amazon Exploration
  • Leovie Finis Diaz
  • Leovie Finis Diaz

My Amazon Exploration

I was given the opportunity to join the Morpho Institute-ARIE program this year, along with some educators, field experts, and researchers. The aim is to connect educators to biodiversity conservation & research & build a transformative experience. Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 11, 2026
  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz
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    Day 1-Amazon River Cruise

    July 11 in Peru ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    After the 16-hour flight from NYC, I arrived in Iquitos with a fellow educator, and the timing couldn't be anything but perfect! We were welcomed by the morning sunrise!🌞
    1st thing in the agenda was the 9-hr river cruise. It was a good way for me to have the sense of the place before we dive into the real business of field work tomorrow.
    We took the 'tuk-tuk' to the market and met up with our guide, who gave us a brief preview of the tributaries in view- Nanay river and Itaya river, both connects to the Amazon river.
    From there, we took the boat and made our 1st stop to meet up with an indigenous group. They marked our faces with the paint from the annato 'atchuete' seeds. Welcomed us with a song and dance. It was my 1st real sweat of the day!😅
    Then we headed off to visit the Monkey Island - a place that helps rescue and rehabilitate monkeys before they are brought back in the wild. I had the 1st hand experience with the monkey, literally and figuratively.😅
    The place is surrounded by gems. One just needs to pause and look. My senses were overstimulated with the different plants, insects, and fungi that I saw. The sounds of insects and birds surrounded me that i forgot the sound of silence. I was the forest' way of telling me to be quuet. It was a beautiful feeling. 💕
    The remainder of the day was a stop for lunch and a visit to another indigenous group. There,we got invited to shoot a poison dart using their traditional tool. It was fun!
    Heading back was another treat. The boat ride was a way to wrap up the day. The view of the trees with the water mark that looked like they were painted, the complex roots that tells a whole lot of story of how I The sun was calmer, the cool wind blows to dry the sweat.
    I may have ended my 1st day dirty but with a big smile and heart filled with much appreciation of this wonderful place called the Amazon.    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz
    11CamouflageI'm a walking sensor!1Above the Canopy

    Day 2-ACTS Field Station

    July 11 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today was the beginning of the real thing!
    After a brief orientation from the base, we took a 2 and a half hour (total of 101 miles) boat ride down the Amazon River. The ride made a turn and traversed the Napo river, whose water came from the Andes in Ecuador. We got off at the Explorama Napo lodge, where we transferred to a smaller motor boat. The river route was magical!🥰 A treasure hunt of biodiversity!🐒🦜🌿🕷🦋
    Finally, we arrived at the field station
    ACTS- Amazon Comservatory of Tropical Studies.
    Just the thought of being in the Amazon rainforest is one thing, and to be at the field is another level. But to be part of the greater cause of conservation and long-term research led by some scientists is a different league! I couldn't have imagined that i would have such a privilege to become a part of something like this...to contribute in my small humble way.☺️
    Part of our orientation was the canopy walk. We went high up in the canopy through 14 bridges and cable platforms - 118 feet high or something like 13 stories above ground!! The feeling was indescribable!!! Talk about phenomena!!! I've seen plant adaptations I've never seen or read in my life! A palm plant that typically grows 7 feet grows as tall as 100+ feet and changes its habit into a vein where the nodes developed roots that hugged around the tree for support! It was just unbelievable!
    We got some break before we returned to the orientation session that included the prep for the next day's work according to our research focus. We wrapped today's seasion at 8:30 pm.
    It was a long day, and other days would look like this every day, but I don't care! 😅I'm in the Amazon!!!!🥰🤩    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz

    Day 3- inquiry & Awe!!!

    July 12 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    1 word to describe my day today was LOADED! It's totally filled with investigations.
    I am with the Tree Fall research team. As part of the long teem research, our team conducted a follow-up investigation of the 2 sites where a tree fell. With the Amazon Rainforest being the largest terrestrial carbon sink, one may wonder how a change in the tree density cause a change in the surrounding areas? To measure this, we measured a 15-meter transect line at 5 meter intervals. At each point interval, the temperature, Humidity, & and light were measured. I programmed the Micro:Bit to collect these data. At the same time, I set up the PocketLab to collect the same variables. The ground cover & density cover were also .measured from all points.
    I've never sweated that much in life!!! My clothes felt like liquid could be squeezed out of them!😅
    We hiked to survey the next site. It was almost 1 p.m., so we decided to continue tomorrow.
    After lunch, i spent my entire afternoon setting up the revamped epiphytes library. It's almost like a rescue center for epiphytes from the fallen tree sites, in addition to being a reference for IDing the epiphytes!
    I was exhausted, and i realized I hadn't drank enough. A mistake I'll never commit again.
    We did the round table after where we learned about the amazing works of one of our research scientists on Dolphins! Who would've thought that dolphins can make those sounds??? Her programmed hydrophone plus slowing the recordings down made the greatest discovery about dolphins! And yes! Evolution is cool!!!
    Finally, we ended our day with the night hike! The Amazon at night is a different world!!! 🤩
    I saw 'real creatures with unbelievable features i have never seen before. And that Avatar movie? We saw the real version of it as we witnessed the amazon constellation!!! ✨️The fungi that grows on the fallen leaves of a specific tree makes them glow after successive days of rain.
    It was beyond magical!!!💕
    We're only on our 2nd day and just getting started!🥰
    Join me tomorrow for more adventures!😊🥳    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz

    Day 4- All about the CANOPY

    July 13 in Peru ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    We started our day with birding on the canopy and ended it with a walk and stargazing on the canopy.
    So what's a canopy?
    Imagine a cluster of trees with its dense upper layer - that's the 'canopy'- Jungle ready, we started our hike towards the canopy trail at 6 am. Binoculars ready, Merlin and eBird app ready! We started the climb and walked from one platform to another through the connecting bridges. We stopped at points for birds and other interesting things, with the sloth as the most amazing one🦥 Bucket list ✔️
    It was a really nice start in the morning.🥰☀️
    The majority of the day was invested in our research. Data for transects 2 and 3 were collected -- DBH, canopy cover, ground cover microclimate conditions.
    We were quicker today for sure! The round table was always a nice added touch to learn what the researcher's works are. Today was about the epiphytes. 😊
    Finally, another jungle ready walk to the canopy once more. It was something i was excited about. As we traversed the platforms, one can't miss the beauty of the stars! We saw the Southern Cross as was pointed by our guide. We had a quiet moment...it was simple yet powerful for me. I felt like i was enveloped by everything that's in the forest with the stars as the witness.🌴🐒🦜🌿🦥🐸🍄🌟⭐️
    I wonder what surprise will there be tomorrow? 💕
    I can't wait.🦋    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz
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    Day 5- Field trip by Boat

    July 15 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Amazon River is the largest river by water volume on earth, and despite several thousands of miles long, there are no bridges spanning the river! People travel by boat.🛶
    Because of the moisture and high humidity, things are always wet! We never get a break from our sweat.😅 Most especially when we're out in the field collecting data. In the past few days, I've been sweaty and dirty , and i forgot how it feels to be clean and to smell good! Well, at least I'm not alone. 😄
    Because we're surrounded by water, it's no surprise to take the boat ride for our exciting field trip outside of the field station. We went to visit a shaman!
    It was nothing new to me personally. I grew up exposed to similar practices of curing sickness. Yet, it always amazes me to know what the plants can cure. We got the pleasure to be treated with some rituals, massage, and tattoos!! He gave me something like a compass direction tattoo. It's something given to women so they won't get lost when going out in the forest.
    As usual, we did our round table. This time on 'frogs'.🐸
    Finally, the day wrapped up with another boat trip to simply explore nature at night. In the stillness and quietness of the night, we saw a few animals who looked exhausted from a long day's work.
    With that, we navigated back to the station. Just like those animals, i was ready to retire and recharge!
    It was a great day in the Amazon!    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz
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    Day 6- Tree Fall Research

    July 16 in Peru ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    We've hit halfway with our research. 🌴🥳
    Today, we started to set up a 3rd and new test site that will pro ide new data points in the coming years. Each data point contributes to long-term biodiversity monitoring and climate change. It will also help understand the importance of rainforest ecosystems. 👊
    Here's how our team methodology works:
    ●Choose a site (without bias).
    ● Measure the span of the tree fall.
    ●Random number generator for the transect points
    ●Measure the 3 interval points for each transect.
    ●For each point, we measured the canopy density, ground cover, tree's DBH, microclimate (temperature, heat index, light, humidity)
    ●●● Butterfly traps for tagging and cataloging.
    Tomorrow may be the last that I'll measure the microclimate using the MicroBit and Pocketlab, and also the butterfly traps. Then, we will focus more on finishing the epiphytes garden - it's like an epiphyte rescue center, which also serves as a cataloging center display for visitors and researchers. I am just a happy kid to be part of this conservation research.
    Then, in the afternoon, we went for a very long hike to the Ant Garden. 😅 I didn't think i could sweat more than the previous days until today! I could wring my clothes for sure!! 😂 We had the best tour guide who fed us so much information as we traversed the path. Cool stuff that we saw included:
    ■ jaguars fresh footprint🐆
    ■ sloths remain (hair and bones)🦥
    ■unfurling of a young palm shoot.🌴
    I passed the safety hazards from the research site up and the 2.5-hour hike until i tripped, and I fell face down at around 8 meters from the field station !!😅😂🤦‍♀️ When my boot hir that log, i felt it lifted. Crazy as it was, i saw in slow motion what was about to happenned! I fell face down!😅😭 Thankful for no injuries.
    Finally, i ended my day with a boat tour. And as clear as a bright sky, we saw a mom and baby sloth right above us!!!🦥🤗 I also saw the smallest bird ever in my life....as small as a thumb! Just mind blowing!!🤠
    I love the Amazon!🥰💕    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz

    Day 7- Bye Field work! Hello Research report!

    July 17 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I started my day with a kinda odd event. I woke up from the sound sleep of my roommate calling my name. I thought i was dreaming when I saw her on my bed inside my net!!!🤣 But there she was!🤣🤣 Until i heard the sounds of the crawlers (geckos, maybe) on the roof. She was bothered by the thoughts of animals getting into or space, especially after we had had a jaguar's fresh print encounter. There's nothing much I could've done but to reassure her that she's fine.
    So, some of my team went out in our field site for one last time! We collected the butterflies 🦋 for id-ing, & I got samples of leaves for the Brix sugar test.
    First agenda back at the station: get the leaf extract for testing. That's what's the garlic presser is for, gotta to innovate to get the juice!😎😂 And, I was really happy to see consistent results from the replicated data. The rest of the afternoon for me was to organize the microclimate data. One of my teammates put together drafts of the presentation while another started to write the journal report. Our team was hustling! I'm proud to have an awesome team!🥰
    Of course, we never miss the chance to learn from the researchers. Today was on climate change, and El Niño while the round table was a preview of what we will do the nextday- the visit to the Maijuna tribe.
    Why? Part of this research is to develop the understanding of the culture of the people that protects the Amazon and to help put a stop or slow down the plan to continue the construction of the road known as the 'highway to nowhere.' This highway will cut through 3 conservation sites, including the area of the Maijuna's. Something i learned today was that everything in Iquitos was brought in through the river route. With part of the highway built, it started to permit cars, trucks, humans to cause more disturbances to the place known to be the main driver of global weather cycle, largest Carbon sink, and multitudes of other ecosystem services with its rich biodiversity. With the rate that is going on, it is predicted to cause a major change in the forest by 2050.
    Our group hopes to contribute to a worthy cause of saving this place called the Amazon rainforest before it's too late.    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz

    Day 8- Community Immersion

    July 18 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    It is not Biodiversity without the community!
    Today's schedule is fully dedicated to the Maijuna's. The 'bridge to nowhere' has already completed its Phase 1. The current plan will cut through the Amazon forest, affecting 3 conservation sites, including the Maijuna's. There are many indigenous groups in the Amazon. They are the protectors of the forest. With this highway plan in place, it will be devastating not just for the people of the Maijuna's but for everyone who depends on the richness of the Amazon and all its ecological services.
    It was beyond a visit. We learned a little bit about their ways from raising stingless bees to weaving and dyeing products from palm fronds. What will become of them when their home and the land that they protect is destroyed? What will become of the people that depends on the services of the forest when it's gone? It will be an absolute ecocide!
    I am just glad to have been a part of this journey. I will never teach biodiversity the way i used to before.
    Talking about biodiversity... we saw so much today! Beginning with the monkeys who joined us during breakfast!
    It was a very long day away from the field station. But that didn't stop us from extending the play. We joined the Frog team and went flogging! That thing was not easy, but i guess one can get the hang of it. I must say, i did find 2 fog species that's not yet on the team's list. 😊    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz
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    Day 9: This is it!!

    July 19 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The day that everyone has prepared for-the team's research presentation.
    But before that, let's do some fun field trip out to the canopy and out in the Dark Waters!
    Glad to have joined the morning birding! It was fun!🥰 I saw so many birds with different color combinations I've never seen in my life! Bright green, yellow, blue, purple, brown!🎨 Just beautiful!!!🦜❤️
    Staying at the field station meant no minute wasted exploring and learning. A brief breakfast pauses, and then off we head out to explore the Dark Waters. What amazes me is how quick the locals and guides are at spotting the birds even if they're camouflaged! Or finding 🦎 behind those thick bushes! And they did this without binoculars! Meanwhile, I was using mine , and I still need their guidance in locating them! Im in awe!!! 🤩 I think they have the Amazon superpowers!😄😆🤩
    Everyone celebrated everyone. We all worked hard, and the short amount of time we stayed together didn't measure the bonds that people made. Thank you, Morpho! I am forever grateful!❤️    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz

    Day 10- One last climb!

    July 20 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    The final morning, the final climb!
    This was a perfect way to wrap up this amazing experience!
    A great view of the canopy, surrounded by the sounds & scents of the forest with some great people who care to protect this wonderful place.
    I hope that whatever effort we did, however small it may be, helps to conserve this place that we call the Amazon!    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz

    Reflection: I loved those dirty boots!

    July 23 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    I loved it whenever I heard the words "be JUNGLE READY!"
    Jungle ready for me meant going out in the forest anytime of the day!!!
    It meant going up in the canopy, or going out to the research site, or going boating to explore what's out there, or frogging, or birding!
    It meant play, learning, and exploration!
    It meant being curious and in awe!!!
    Jungle ready meant all pores opens, sweating like I can wring my clothes of my sweat- literally!!!
    It meant being one with nature.
    This experience taught me so much! I will never see and teach Biodiversity the same way again.
    I learned new skills and contributed to the data building, research, and conservation efforts of the Amazon.
    I felt more connected, especially after meeting the people who takes care of the forest- the guardians of the Amazon!
    I continue to find myself reflecting on the experience. I still cannot wrap my head around everything. Thank you, ARIE and The Morpho Institute!    Read more

  • Leovie Finis DiazMy Amazon ExplorationLeovie Finis Diaz

    Amazon rainforest Rockstars

    August 3 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Here's the 1st inspiration that came to life from our ARIE program - A calendar featuring the remarkable adaptations of some plants and animals I encountered in the Amazon Rainforest. I attached some of the images for viewing. Feel free to send me a message if you hope to see the calendar file.Read more

    Trip end
    July 26, 2026