The Stick Insect That Joined the Ride

Corina Leonor set out on horseback to explore the sanctuary's hills alongside a companion, the sky heavy with clouds above the dense vegetation, the landscape opening up in every direction from the heights. It was the kind of afternoon one keeps in memory without quite knowing why. It was during that ride that it appeared, unannounced — a stick insect (Phasmatodea) of golden-yellowish hue that chose to settle, quite unhurried, upon the dark clothing of one of the riders. With its impossibly slender, elongated body mimicking a dry twig, the creature seemed so confident in its camouflage that it didn't mind the contrast against the black fabric at all. Corina documented it before it vanished back into the foliage. Stick insects are masters of concealment, creatures the forest keeps hidden in plain sight. That this young specimen allowed itself to be seen — and photographed — in the middle of an equestrian outing is the kind of small wonder the sanctuary bestows upon those who move through it with open eyes.