Trees flowering much earlier this year than last and this will be a banner year for seeds. Everything that did not seed last year, now flowering.
Where to begin? That cascade of yellow, blooming trees brightening up the entire Rodeo canopy is mostly Gallinazo (Schizolobium parahyba f.frijol); also Vainillo (Tecoma stans f.Bignoniac), Stemmadenia obovata (also fruiting), and Senna emarginata (2prs parapinnate leaves and gorgeous yellow flowers). The stunning, orange blossoms you see in El Rodeo belong to the rare, Bernoullia flammea (f. Bombacac.) - the Yuco Tree - which grows here at El Tigre, and which we have committed to protect. Also blooming/fruiting: a slew of Fabaceaes, especially Bauhinea species; Luehea speciosa; Eugenias; Lysilomas; and also a slew of vines and herbaceous plants too numerous to list - including Passifloras, Philodendrons, Tradescantias, Sweet Peas, Tithonias, Cleomes, Daisies, Morning Glories, Begonias, Solanums and, of course, the bright Heliconias, Musas, Costus, Calatheas, Gingers… The show is just getting started.
Photographed just a few curiosities that birds et al brought into the garden.
Aechmea sp. (mariae-reginae???), f. Bromeliac. Rescued from fallen tree and brought back to the garden.
Aristolochia sp. F.Aristolochiac. Look what a bird dropped into the garden! Armando found this in the driveway underneath the agaves.
Jose shows one of Marcia’s blooming Oncidiums.
The forest is a place of childlike wonder, joy and awe. I hike every morning with 7 or 8 dogs in tow and, usually, end up carrying Lula, the tiny Chihuahua, because the other dogs roughhouse too much out in the pastures - Sol has already broken one of Lula’s legs twice… In the forest, we move quietly but, if Eddie the Beagle loses sight of his girl, Chispa, he will raise a huge racket baying and howling. Hikers! If you hear that beagle baying, he’s not hunting prey in the forest - he’s hot on Chispa’s scent. Chispa is this small Chihuahua mix, who loves to dart and chase butterflies and can easily outrun Eddie. But in the end, Eddie always catches up to his girl. Sometimes, he gets to howling so loud that our neighbor’s Rotweilers join in, and then Eddie responds to them by howling even louder. At that point, you’ve got a bunch of dogs howling back and forth at each other all over the mountain. All because Eddie still hasn’t caught up to his girl, Chispa. Once he catches up to her, they settle down quietly and forest life once again takes over the senses.
This morning, we all settled down and watched White-nosed Coatis and White-throated Capuchin monkeys feeding together in the big Higueron tree. I’ve never seen these two species interact together before and they provided quite a spectacle. A young monkey scrambled around the branches of the huge tree with a young Coati following behind him like a pet dog. A male and a female monkey spent time grooming their baby right next to a large Coati on the same branch. The monkey family let the Coati ramble right past them, but then the male money reached out and pulled the Coati’s tail - kind of like teasing him - making the Coati squeal, mostly in indignation. Then they all fed on the figs companionably together for a while, before a monkey teased a Coati some more.
But they weren’t the only critters having breakfast on the higueron. The most colorful to my eye today: Fiery-billed Aricari, Montezuma’s Oropendulas, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Blue-gray Tanager, Red Tanager (not sure which one), Blue-crowned Motmot, Lineated Woodpecker, and the usual fluttering of Flycatchers, Wrens, Vireos, Warblers, and…
Yes, Polly, we saw a slew of butterflies.
Polly reminded me never to forget the butterflies. So, I think of her whenever I see a strange new butterfly - a common occurrence at El Tigre. This morning on the Lantana plants, I spotted something like a large white Swallowtail - kind of like Eurytides protesilaus, but more white than black stripes, with lime-green body and no red spot seen.
Two great ladies deserve a toast at our next Obituary Cocktail:
Polly Ivenz of Easton, PA, sadly passed on recently. Her obituary was published in the Express Times, Easton, PA in November this year.
Polly inspired me many years ago to go into the woods, open up my eyes, and SEE. It was a pivotal moment for me that day in the Mariton Preserve in Pennsylvania: awakening, life-changing, even though my friends knew it was a time of some internal suffering in my life. Polly brought me back to life using nature as a conduit. How many more lives did she inspire?
Another gifted naturalist and humanist also recently left us - Margot Frisius - whose life’s mission was to help repopulate the forests of Costa Rica with green and scarlet macaws. Thanks to the work of Margot and her husband Richard, rescuing, hatching and releasing Macaws back into the wild, the population has noticeably increased. Armando has seen scarlet macaws visiting El Tigre to feed, although they always return before dusk to their home at Parque Carara. Armando pointed out that we already have a corridor connecting Hacienda El Rodeo to Parque Carara - via the waterways! Over the past 10 years, the national electrical company, CNFL, has planted thousands of trees to protect the watersheds, and you can now see the ribbon of trees growing up the canyons from El Rodeo all the way to the pacific coast, via the rivers! I have not personally seen macaws at El Tigre but the forest continues to grow, connecting with remnants along the river and forming the corridor. Someday, we shall see them more regularly and, yes, I will definitely think of Margot and Richard Frisius. You can support their Foundation by writing: Hatched to Fly Free c/o Richard Frisius, Apdo. 2306-4050, Costa Rica
Well, we’ve been back in Costa Rica now for a few weeks, but we weren’t back 24 hours before Gerry wanted to turn right around and return to the (in)sanity of New Orleans. We hadn’t even unpacked yet - take a look into the suitcase of the world’s best packer, once world traveler, now retired, and general schlepper, schlepping stuff from New Orleans to Costa Rica and vice versa: stuff like vet supplies (much cheaper bought in bulk online and shipped within the US). But it wasn’t a few fleas on Zinky that troubled Gerald. The cause of his foul mood lay elsewhere: the unfinished house, the country’s bureaucracy, the economic madness, just for a few examples…
And soon after returning, I took a bad fall. I slipped on a wet floor, my feet went up, and I slammed hard onto the Nicaraguan terra cotta tiles, flat on my back. Luckily, Gerald was with me when I fell. At first, I felt only shock waves rolling all through me, but I was still conscious and, from far away somewhere, I could sort of hear Gerry, who was leaning over me on the floor anxiously saying, “Are you seriously hurt? Have you broken anything?” I couldn’t speak, but managed to mouth the word, “No”.
“Oh!” he said, “You are only in shock then. Just rest there for a while and then we’ll move you over to the sofa.” Ever the British understatement but, at least, I knew even then, that I hadn’t broken anything and that meant NO HOSPITAL.
Why don’t I like going to the hospital? CIMA is not that far, and several visitors have had to pop in there for x-rays and other emergency care on the way home, after hiking at Reserva El Tigre.
I don’t like going to the hospital because they don’t always let you leave… One time, after my favorite cross-country horse, Matchi, threw a shoe, which sent us both sailing through the air (of course, we were at the time galloping at high speed) I went to CIMA to x-ray my scapula to see if it was broken. When the ER doc walked in with the x-ray in his hand, I asked, “Is it broken?” He said, “No”, and I was ready then to just jump off the table, go pay, and leave. But he wouldn’t let me! He wanted to talk about anti-inflammatories, shoulder slings, and so forth and I just had to sit there politely and listen to him. It cost me more money when I went out to pay, and I just ended up chucking the sling and pills in the first-aid kit back at home!
My back is flexible again now and I can resume riding, but not on Matchi, unfortunately. Several weeks ago, Matchi developed a persistent case of bursitis and was also diagnosed with a large bone spur. So, our vet urged us, for safety reasons - his and ours - not to ride him anymore for a long while. Apparently, he could fall suddenly and take his rider with him - my favorite sprinter Matchi! Years ago, I regularly raced my highly competitive Matchi with other horses, especially Francie’s also highly competitive mare, Xicha. We would fly like the wind for miles on end. Oh, how I loved to see the gleam in Matchi’s eye, when he would let an approaching horse come just within his sight and then we would surge off, leaving everybody in the dust. Al Romeo used to call us ‘the blonde streak’ and, one time, our horse trainer, Alan, saw us racing past him and tried to catch up on his Arabian mount, but he had no hope. We were long gone, leaving him in the dust.
Yes, I probably ruined Matchi racing, but he loved every minute of it too, and he is still very young - only 10 years old - with many years of happy pasture-living in front of him with his other horse pals. We took his shoes off him and now he pastures barefoot, like his stable-mate Lucero.
Lucero is a better horse now in many ways since we removed his shoes - more relaxed, more trusting, less jumpy. Perhaps the same will also hold true for Matchi - just give all his bony joints a nice long rest. We can already see that he delights in going barefoot. I visit the horses every day out in pasture, and already can see the change in Matchi. Just like Lucero, he moves even better - more balanced and more settled on his feet - than when he wore irons. Now, only Volcan and Solo have shoes - and, yes, on these horses we can still fly.
