Page 17 - Demo

17Blue morpho eggs are laid on the underside of leaves so the larvae have something to eat after they have hatched and first consumed the rest of the egg. At first the eggs are translucent and shaped like small dewdrops. But they are able to change their colour to match the leaves. This sort of adaptive camouflage is very rare in nature. Dawn lights up the emerald canopy, and an early daytime chorus of birds, and butterflies fill the air. The sun%u2019s light drizzles through the trees and floats through the under story. Warmth spreads over the myriad surfaces, transforming condensation into low-slung clouds.The forest%u2019s gentle glow caresses a young boy who is sleeping in a navel of large tree root. A low hum creeps into his dozing mind and a soft draft of cool air blows across his face, coaxing him awake. 12-year-old Kan%u00e1 gently flutters his eyes open to find himself face to face with the long bill of a tiny,iridescent green hummingbird. As it shimmers in the new light, it%u2019s hard to tell if this magical being is a dream or real life. Kan%u00e1%u2019s solitary vigil in the forest has lasted for 2 days and nights. Feeling light-headed, he has fasted throughout this time in a quest to purify his mind and body. Kan%u00e1 is preparing for an upcoming and seminal rite of passage. This is because Kan%u00e1 is the %u2018chosen one%u2019. He has been selected from all his community%u2019s adolescents to begin the approximately 10 years of training it will take for him to become one of the most important leaders of his generation. After months of assisting the Chief Shaman, Kan%u00e1 is soon to be initiate as the new formal shaman%u2019s apprentice.Quick wings dart the hummingbird bird out of sight as it continues its tireless search for nectar. Locally, the bird%u2019s ceaseless determination is considered a reflection of the human spirit%u2019s unending pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment. With this in mind, Kan%u00e1 feels both exultation and resolve. Kan%u00e1 remembers as a child, learning that one of these birds once flew so high that it touched the very hem of the heavens. In that moment, the tiny bird gathered the essence of the stars and the breath of the moon. Forever and always, its wings now carry the light of the universe and its song is a hymn to the celestial harmony that binds all things.Kan%u00e1%u2019s people consider the Chiribiquete Emerald Hummingbird a slice of magic and a symbol of transformation and transcendence. It is not the only unique treasure found in this distant and secret world...The Chiribiquete Emerald is a stunningly vibrant hummingbird species which is only found in the remote cloud forests of Chiribiquete National Park on Colombia.KAN%u00c1 & THE EMERALD