The following article is a canopy tribute to Andrew Field written by entomologist, Daniela Izera, who worked in Venezuela from 1978 until 1992.
I am an entomologist and I have worked in Venezuela from 1978 until 1992. During my stay I visited many of the Venezuelan universities; the UCV (Universidad Central de Venezuela) in Maracay is one of the best universities to study agriculture and has one of the best and largest insect collections in the country.
During one of my many visits I also visited Rancho Grande Biological Station in Henri Pittier National Park, near the town of Maracay. There I heard about Andrew Field, who arrived in 1981. Our path crossed, but we never met. In 1984 I heard from my friend Bohumila Bechyne (entomologist and taxonomist in Coleoptera (beetles)) that she had found him dead at the foot of his research tree.
Andrew was a Ph.D. botany student from England studying the local tree Gyranthera caribensis at Rancho Grande Biological Station. These trees are about 60 metres high. Andrew first just climbed them, later on, he decided to build at least one platform at about 38 metres, where the tree’s canopy begins. He even had a few visitors, including a lady reporter (see picture). Most of the tree’s activities happen at night, so Andrew had to be up there to see the action, including the opening of the flowers, their fertilization by moth/bats, and everything else a botanist needs to record.
Obviously on one of his stays something went wrong and he fell to his death; the circumstances were never determined. Today, a safety harness, a helmet and a mobile phone are all at hand to make this experience safe. The presence of another person is also vital.
Andrew discovered a lot of valuable information and some has been published by friends that had access to his notes. When you think about being a pioneer, remember this could sometimes be fatal, witness Marie Curie who studied radioactivity and as a result later on died of cancer, and also countless aviators who took off and disappeared for ever.
Perhaps, the most touching result from this tragic event was the creation, by local scientists, of the Andrew Field Nature Trail, marked with a commemorative plaque. I wrote this to honour his memory.
from Daniela A. (Havranek) Izera, MSc, Venezuela
