Ancient Forest Subquest
Side Quests

The Ancient Forest is just east of Cosmo Canyon. You can't reach it until you have defeated the Ultimate WEAPON or breed a black chocobo. Do the chocobo and the awards are worthwhile. Cloud can get his Apocalypse sword here, but when you've killed Ultimate WEAPON, its pointless unless you want to grow some materia (it has triple growth). This place is a huge maze which you'll need to navigate through using frogs, insects, and other items you'll find on the floor. Here is a little chart telling what each thing can do.

Name
Info About it
Insects
When placed in a pitcher flower, the flower shuts and creates a step or bridge. The flower reopens after digesting the insect; the insect will be gone. Insect can also be sacrificed to lure a frog out of a hollow tree. When a flower or grog eats an insect, it won't reapper at intil you leave and reappear the area (or restarting).
Frogs
Frogs are like a deluxe version of Insects. You can put them into a pitcher flower but the flowers can't digest frogs. After a few seconds in side a flower, the frog will be released. If you are standing on a flower with a frog in it, you will be shot to areas you may have troubles getting to.
Beehives
Throwing a beehive into a mutant flytrap is the only way to get around it but walking. Unlike frogs and insects, beehives remain inside fly traps until you leave the area.
Pitcher Flower
Pitcher flowers can capture insects and frogs inside their petals. While holding a victim, the flower's lid grates a step of bridge that you can use to reach far-off areas. Insects are eventually digested or gone, but frogs stay.
Mutant Flytrap
These snapping flowers can hurt you so watch out! These things can really take you out like next time you do battle, your whole party is left with 1 HP. Most of the time, you can work your way around the fram but sometimes you'll need to shut it up with a beehive.
Stamen
The springy, pink stamen can be used to fling yourself into different sections of the forest. This is usually the best way to get around an obstacle
Hollow Trees
By placing an insect in front of a hollow tree, you can lure out a frog. Each tree only contains one frog.


Area 1: Pick up the insects near the start and move them all to the area near the pitcher flowers. After you gather them, place each one in a pitcher flower to make a bridge to the other side. You must place ne insect in the picker flower and stand on the closed pitcher flower you place the next insect, in other words, make all the flowers close up by using the insects and make a path to get across the ditch. To get the items in this area, approach the flytrap very slowly, carefully, walk on it and you can take the Supershot ST for (A weapon for Vincent) with out alarming the flytrap. You can easily pick up the Spring Gun Clip (A weapon for Red XIII ) as you leave this area.

Area 2: Pick up an insect and then jump to the high ledge. Lay the insect down on the left so that it jumps into the pitcher flower. If a flower eats the insect, place the frog into the pitcher flower and use the flower bridge and the stamen to reach to opposite side. Use the frog on the other side on the flower pitcher on the left side. Stand on it and you will be launched up and will have a lovely beehive at your feet. Pick it up and throw it at the flytrap. This will close its mouth and will let you get the Slash-All Materia. Equip it! Once that's done, pick up the nearby frog and put it in the right pitcher flower. Then stand on top of the flower until the frog pops out. The resulting force throws you over the flytrap guarding the exit to this area, and lets you go to the next area.

Area 3: Pick up the two insects and put them in the pitcher flowers so you can reach the stamen. This puts you in the canopy, head down to reach a Minevra Band (you'll be in Area 2 again) for the girls or go up and to the right. There is a fork in the road here Part of a branch goes up. Walk on in and Cloud should jump on to some stamens and you can get a Typhoon Summon Materia. Go back and climb down the tree and you'll find Cloud doing a "High Wire" act. Place the insect in the pitcher that reached the beehive. Get the beehive and use it to shut the flytrap. Take the other insect on the other side and use it in the pitcher flower to get back to the start of Area 3. Take both insects to where the pitcher flower you just crossed was. Use one insect in the hollow tree next to you and the other in the pitcher flower again. Take the frog with you and head over to where the pitcher flower is (the one where you used to get the beehive). Stand on top of it and you shall be catapulted to the other side, where Area 4 awaits.

Area 4: No puzzles in this area. Just some easy-to-get-to items: Apocalypse (A weapon for Cloud) & Elixir. You can exit by going through the door at the back