Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama
Camila's first experience as an illustrator was an internship she did at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, in Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. During eleven months, she illustrated over 80 plant species for the Panama Web Tree Atlas (http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/maintreeatlas.php). The island has 1500 ha of tropical lowland forest, and hosts hundreds of students and researchers every year. Above, an illustration of the island map made with seeds from some of the common plant species of the forest. All the illustrations of this collection were done with pen and ink using very fine tips. All plant samples were collected directly from the forest and immediately drawn in the lab.
100 years of BCI
In 2023, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) celebrated 100 years of Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. In addition to multiple scientific events in Panama, the Smithsonian Institution published the book "The First 100 Years of Research on Barro Colorado: Plants and Ecosystem" edited by Helene C. Muller-Landau and S. Joseph Wright. Camila did plant illustrations for three chapters of this book.
