After an inspiring eco-volunteer trip with the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Tortuguero, I visited Braulio Carrillo National Park on my second to last day in Costa Rica. I witnessed so many creatures that I had no idea even existed...for all of 25 minutes, and then in true rainforest fashion, it poured cats and dogs for the rest of the day. Those 25 minutes hiking on the rainforest floor yielded some of the best nature photographs I have ever captured. I had never seen a bullet ant before but I was so captivated by how large it was, just posing for me, drawing me in closer. I remember the guide telling me “not to get too close, or else I’d feel like I’d been shot!” The sting from a bullet ant is purported to be one of the most painful stings among hymenoptera insects. Thank goodness I was able to get the shot, without being “shot.” Phew!”

DORIS VESSAOKER Costa Rica