Things that go wrong

This post is going to be a multi-part, ongoing list of things that go wrong as I attempt to do fieldwork in Panama. I haven't left the US yet, and am only going to be in Panama for 10 days. Because I know that obstacles always come up, I am mentally prepared to not freak out when these things happen and just take them in stride. So far:

Problem 1: I left my passport in another city. Luckily I realized this yesterday and am leaving tomorrow.
Solution: FedEx has a same-day courier service, and though it is expensive, at least I'm getting updates whenever the package changes hands (from the pick-up to the airport, etc). It should be arriving to me soon.

Problem 2: The boat at the research has motor problems. Not surprising; what is more surprising is that they actually have a boat for once. It is unlikely that the boat will be fixed in a week when I wish to use it.
Solution: Possibly go out with local boat owner. I have done this before and though it isn't ideal, it does allow me to get to populations of my plants that are inaccessible from a road.

Problem 3: I made arrangements to have 150 mangrove seeds collected for me from a location in Panama that is difficult and expensive for me to travel to. The seeds will be sent to a research station and waiting for me when I arrive. However, only 54 seeds were collected. Apparently they were not so easy to find.
Solution: Not sure yet. If there were a boat at the station (see problem 2), I could spend some time searching the forest for seeds. Now, however, my experimental setup is in jeopardy.

Sacrifice for science

I have the solemn task of honoring the various animals and plants who gave their lives during the duration of my experiment. The plants were always intended to be sacrificed at the end; the animals were accidental victims of the circumstances. A few poor bodies drowned in the water-filled tubs that the plants were in; at least one lizard and some ladybugs met their ends this way. I suspect that a few ladybugs were attacked by ants and carried off, though I believe most flew away of their own accord. And sadly, a few unsuspecting frogs may have died from osmotic shock. A couple of times there were live frogs in the freshwater tubs, but twice I found dead frogs in the super salty water. They likely hopped in for a refreshing bath and didn't realize that they were losing their own water through their permeable skin. I don't know much about frog skin, so perhaps this wasn't the case. However, I apologize to the frog gods for the accidental death of two frogs.

Results!

I would like to share some results from my Florida experiment. Without going into all the nitty gritty details, I can show you some clear differences between my treatments. Check it out:
On the left, plants are growing tall and happy. On the right, plants are not as tall and not as happy. Plants on the left are in freshwater; on the right, very very salty water. These are only 2 of my 27 tubs, so there is a spectrum of heights and leafiness but this is a pretty nice visual!