By Griffin Page
Naturalist ~ Eco-guide


Butterfly photographed in Guerrero Negro
Photo courtesy of Monachí (click the link to view entire catalog)

Recently, I've had the opportunity to witness wonders of nature. A spectacular yellow butterfly, slowly beating it's wings in pleasure, as it sipped the nectar from a flower. A lizard, waiting patiently for an insect to get close enough for him to lunge out and get a bite to eat. A Great tailed Grackle, watching out for car traffic as it safely retrieved a piece of string from the road to build it's nest. A bud, springing out of a new branch, which will inevitably become the marvelous yellow flower of our beloved Primavera trees. A turtle, sunning itself on the surface in order to regulate it's body temperature while serving as a seat to a seagull. And the list goes on.


I find it's a shame that we sometimes forget to notice these marvelous events that occur every second of the day, every day of the week and every week of the year. We walk around, so busy with our daily lives, rushing here and there with our minds preoccupied with the tasks at hand, that we miss out on the most important part of it all; Life! See, life in nature is a never ending succession of little things, events and moments. Each one as important as the next and each one affecting the other and the outcome. Seeing things under that light reminds us of how important even our smallest actions are. Catching those moments of film is even more precious.


Baby Humpback whale
Photo courtesy of Monachí

Endangered Blue-footed Boobies along with Brown Boobies and a lone Brown pelican
Photo courtesy of Monachí
This brings me to the subject of wildlife photography, an art in and of itself. There are many photographers in the world. Some soooo good you wonder how it's possible to capture what they do on film. That's usually the kind of work you find in specialized photo magazines or in National Geographic. Then there's the ìokî to mediocre aunt Shelby who insists on you viewing every single shot taken in Barbados last year! And boy, she must have had to mortgage her house to cover the costs of all those rolls of film!

Then, comes along an unknown photographer, with no photography studies, hardly any experience with the use of a camera and wow! That's what you call natural talent. We have such a photographer here in Vallarta. As a matter of fact, this newborn photographer never even owned a camera until a generous, kind couple gifted her with one in the spring of 2004. Allow me to invite you to visit Monachí's web based photo catalog so you can be the judge. You can find her catalog at: www.naturaltreasuresvallarta.com/monachi/index.html

If you find something that strikes your fancy, don't be shy, encourage new talent, the art world can use one more photographer. After all, we want her to stay here so she can keep taking beautiful pictures of our spectacular Fauna and Flora. And if you are in Puerto Vallarta , you can call Natural Treasures Vallarta directly at the number below and avoid the shipping charges.

Sea Lions at Isla Coronado, Sea of Cortez
Courtesy of Monachí

There are many wonders in this world. One only needs to look around to see such beautiful displays of adaptation and survival.


ìNature could be such a wonderful teacher if only we saw it for what it really isî ~ Monachí

Natural Treasures invites you to witness the beauty and to lend a hand in the conservation
of our natural environment.

Griffin Page is a nationally certified whale watching guide as well as a very knowledgeable eco-tour guide. She helps in the research and conservation of Humpback whales and Olive Ridley marine turtles by conducting informative tours here in our Bay. Information on how you can reserve your activities, give donations and other necessary materials is available through her. Join her in this wonderful endeavor!

You can contact her through:
Natural Treasures Vallarta at:
011-52-322-297-6525 or
044-322-888-4617 (from Puerto Vallarta )
naturaltreasuresvallarta@yahoo.com