Botanical Living in Zona Protectora El Rodeo

Here’s a shot of Rauvolfia littoralis, a beautiful small tree standing at the edge of pastureland, that I’ve admired for years but never knew the name of, until botanists Barry Hammel and Isabel showed up a few days ago and identified it.  Yes, Pharmacy Friends, the Rauvolfia genus is the source for the now rarely used antihypertensive, Reserpine, though that species is Rauvolfia serpentina, native to India and other points in the Far East.   I admit to grinning and giving Isabel the thumbs up when Barry called it an Apocynaceae.  That much I knew!  Students of tropical plants: you should start your study at the family level.  I subscribe to the matrix system of keying out plants, created by Humberto Jimenez Saa.  You ask yourself a series of questions:  “Are the leaves compound or simple, opposite or alternate?”; “Are there thorns or stipules?”; “Is there sap?”; “What does it smell like?” etc.  And, pretty soon, you begin to recognize patterns and, thereby, to identify some of the more common families.  However, to identify a plant to the genus or species level requires much more study – or going for a hike with a very smart botanist.    

Barry Hammel is a walking encyclopedia of tropical plants.  Thus, having him and Isabel over for a visit is a special treat – during our hikes he identifies several species new to me, which I then add to my plant list.  He is an expert but he is also very cautious.  He doesn’t guess and he doesn’t make mistakes.  If Barry isn’t sure, he will say that he needs the flower or fruit to study under the microscope in order to nail the species.  But he always knows the Family and almost always knows the Genus.  Like everyone who treks the forest, Barry and Isabel marvel at the complexity, and experience the sheer wonder, of such biodiversity.  However, he also understands that the forest habitat not only needs the ‘poster-child’, rare plant or endangered animal, but also all the other species, common and uncommon, both high-up and low-down in the food chain; that they all play important roles in the eco-system – even at the microscopic soil level, where mysteries still await discovery and understanding.

I mention this because new travelers to the Tropics will first gasp in astonishment at the biggest, most colorful species – a massive, magnificent Ceiba pentandra tree astonished and inspired me to buy and protect this particular piece of forest.  It was only later that I learned of all of the Ceiba’s cousins - and there I was hooked.  For visiting birders, there is nothing more spectacular than spotting the elusive Quetzal or a flock of brilliantly raucous Scarlet Macaws.  To quote Alexander Skutch, “Macaws are unmistakable”.  I remember seeing my first Scarlet Macaws several years ago, at Carara National Park.   The loud, squawking flock of huge, red birds was flying just overhead, and I exclaimed, “Look!  Look!”  But my companion, a long-term resident of Costa Rica, had already seen Macaws many times.  He was much more interested in a tiny Woodcreeper, nearly invisible against the tree trunk, which he had spotted for the first time – he could now check it off his list!  In the tropical forest, the more you study and learn, the more there is to see; the complexities only reveal themselves over time. 

Each time Barry visits, he casually identifies almost everything that I ask about while we are out exploring, although he is usually focused on a specific area of particular interest to him at the time.  One visit he was focused on the Acanthaceae family and I learned a slew of new plants that day, which were then, of course, added to my El Tigre list!  This visit he was looking at tiny plants in the coffee family growing in the pastureland.  So there I was gaping at the gorgeous Rauvolfia littoralis, and there’s Barry avidly scooping up tiny little plants.  It was like that Scarlet Macaw/Woodcreeper episode all over again.  What was he was looking at?  Well, I soon learned a lot about the Spermacoce Genus that day and, now that I know what they look like, I see them popping up all over the place. 

Barry can summarize best in his own words:

“As always, we had a wonderful time at your place on Saturday; I could explore out there every weekend for a year and still find much to rejoice!  Thanks very much for inviting us.
You were right on with the Apocynaceae and it's already on your list; Rauvolfia littoralis.
I also got Clusia minor, which is probably also on your list, and Souroubea venosa, which maybe isn't.


And as for the little bee witsies I was so concentrated on, the Spermacoce, these are what I got (or saw):

S. alata, recently otherwise known as S. latifolia, which is now a synonym. This one I only saw along the road down to the river, didn't collect because it wasn't in flower, probably the only one I feel at all comfortable identifying without flowers and fruits.

S. exilis--the tiny one in your pasture, often has a reddish line down the midrib of the leaves.

S. remota--otherwise known as S. assurgens, I think on your list by that name, now considered a synonym.  This is the most common one, has flowers with a slight pink or lavender blush to the buds, can get quite leggy, as in the hedge above your swimming pool.  There's also a rather smaller-leaved form growing at your place, that I thought might be something different, but I guess not.

S. suaveolens--actually I neither collected nor even saw this one, but I do know it's there, from other specimens, along the road down to Río Jaris, or along the río. This has been called S. capitata, and is on your list that way. That may actually be the correct name--an older one, in fact--but it's under study, the types have to be compared, and all that.... For now, S. suaveolens it is.

Photo by Barry Hammel

S. tonalensis--This was the prize, the one I was hoping to find, and did!  Otherwise known recently in Costa Rica by only one other collection, from the very same spot where I got it, along the road down to the river. I attach photos of that one. Probably I will put all the photos I took of plants at your place (not many this time), on my Flickr site, and send you the link.”

I so love it when Barry and Isabel come to visit.  There’s always something new just around the corner.  Most hikers walk along, enjoying the forest and convivial companions, getting some exercise.  The forest exists as just a lovely background tapestry of green for most of them.  Unless we stop to observe…

So how is it that I could not recognize the Rauvolfia littoralis when I had it on my own list?  Because another botanist identified it when I was not present and I just got hold of their notes – perhaps Luis Poveda (beloved Costa Rican expert of Medicinal Plants and Dendrology), Humberto Jimenez (Creator of the Matrix), or another visiting botanist from the one of the Universities, InBio, El Museo Nacional or beyond.

Notes from the garden: 

Last year, we decided to try an experiment growing Arracache – a delicious rhizome in the celery family that normally flourishes in much higher and cooler altitudes.  But it flourished here!  It’s funny because the celery didn’t work out at all – too stringy!  Armando harvested a bunch of Arracache and we made a delicious picadillo with chicasquil, onions and herbs from the garden.  Now we have expanded, and replanted tender Arracache roots in new areas.  Our asparagus has also done well!  Many thanks to Tommy Tomas who got us started on both plants.  We also planted corn, breadfruit, assorted varieties of chilies, beans and tomatoes – we plant the small tomatoes (thank you Hugo) that turn red on the vine, which we can pick and eat before the bugs/birds get to them. 

Armando has expanded the vivero to include tender greens, and our growing collection of culinary and medicinal herbs.  Some of the fruit trees planted years ago have now begun to fruit:  Bananas, citrus, Manzana de Agua, Avocados, Mimbros, Guanabanas, Zapotes, assorted types of berries, and the ever wonderful cactus fruit, Pitahaya.   There is no greater pleasure in the kitchen than cooking with edibles from the garden.  The guys have really mastered the alchemy of composting – that’s the secret to any garden.

Solar notes:

We’re having issues with our solar energy system.  We noticed that the batteries didn’t hold their charge over the last year, as they used to, and our solar engineer, Carlos Oreamuno, discovered that the manufacturer changed the settings for their use but never contacted anybody (they just put a technical notice on their website!).  So the negotiations began and, to make a long story short, the manufacturer is replacing the batteries under warranty, minus depreciation.  Thus, we will pay only about 20% of the cost of new batteries but – this part we really love – the Costa Rican Government will then tax us a total of 39% plus a $1,000 Customs ‘handling’ charge, and we have to pick up every cent!  You would think that a ‘green-image’ Costa Rica would provide tax incentives for alternative energy systems like solar – but no!  A few years ago, the government did remove the 13% sales tax on ‘complete’ solar systems, bought all at once.  However, if you want to upgrade, or you have to replace, particular components, which is not an uncommon situation, you will get ZERO tax relief from the government.  So for our replacement batteries, we will pay a 25% import duty, and then the 13% sales tax and then a new 1% tax for something or other on top, bringing the tax bill to 39%.   But, despite the government’s abusive tax policy, we really don’t regret living off the grid.  We never lose power, and I mean we have never had any disruptions of water or power over all the years of living with solar energy.  You can’t say that anywhere else in Costa Rica living on the grid.  In Ciudad Colon, they regularly cut power – usually at least weekly – sometimes for just a few seconds (just a nuisance going around resetting clocks, etc.) but too often for hours and hours.  They also often cut water for most of the day during the dry months, so just about everybody has a tank to store water.  Power cuts and water shortages just go with the territory living here in paradise - unless you build your own system.  It is certainly more expensive in the short-term but it’s so much more reliable, and then there’s the satisfaction, and yes, the responsibility.  We have no toasters, hairdryers, irons, or any appliances that pull too much power.  You learn a lot about wattage and electricity usage when it comes to making solar work (GRAK complains that it’s so much more than he ever wanted to know…).  And you would be amazed at how easy it is to give up say, the iron.  After washing clothes, let the sun partially dry them, and then flatten and mold them into shape before finishing the drying.  No ironing needed!

Farewell Sweet Vulcan

Jose and Vulcan

Our dear, sweet horse, Vulcan, died Saturday morning, August 4, 2012.   We all mourned and grieved deeply for our beloved ‘potro’, Vulcan; he was our youngest horse and yet he was also the sweetest and gentlest.  Sweet-tempered Vulcan carried many of my friends over the years, and we could trust him to carry even a small child.  Our other three horses are not nearly so nice!  Vulcan will be much missed.  We have buried so many animals over the years!  Forest living is textured with many wonders but also with so many perils.

Vulcan and Morgane

 But I never thought we would lose Vulcan.  We bought him several years ago from our then horse trainer, who’d relocated his colt from a farm up near Arenal Volcano (thus the name, Vulcan) and was looking to place him in a good home here in El Rodeo.  Thus, we gave Vulcan a wonderful life with our other three horses here on the farm – he grazed out in the pastures with the others during the day and returned to the stables at night.  And sometimes we would go out riding.  Our other horses were born and bred locally, and so were already adapted to this environment.  But Vulcan came from a much higher altitude and, therefore, had to adapt to his new living conditions.  And oh, how he suffered. Poor Vulcan would get sores and inflammations, especially during the horrible month of July, whereas the other horses did perfectly fine.  Lucero and Solo won’t let the flies bite them, and have adapted even during the worst of ‘biting-fly season’.  Matchi gets some bites but heals quickly.  But Vulcan always suffered the most.

I tried my very best over the years to help him – using mixtures of repellants and assorted remedies to give him relief – and this year has been the absolute worst!  Of course, Jose tells me that I say that every year.

July is always a difficult month.  Don’t ride past El Tigre and down the mountain to the river Jaris until after August 15^th, when the fly season recedes.  Actually, it’s a dangerous ride in the best of cases – we recommend that you ride up the mountain not down it, when you risk a greater chance of falling or having an accident.  Do your route in reverse:  go first down the Piedras Negras road and then back up the steep mountain past our place.  But not in July! 

Jose and I decided to go for an adventurous ride down the mountain a few weeks ago, riding Solo and Matchi, to test a new fly repellant that I’d bought from Donatella.  As always, the ride down was pure adrenaline with a few scary moments, but our horses know the trail well.  The flies were everywhere but did not land on the horses – the repellant worked beautifully!

That’s the good news.

This past Thursday, I went down to the pasture with an herbal repellant, just in case the horses needed a bit of extra help, and all of them were fine except Vulcan.  His head was drooping and he was bleeding profusely all over from various insect bites.  Usually after a bite, the horse shows a spot or two of blood and then it coagulates.  But, this time, the blood was just flowing all over poor Vulcan.  And he is not a hemophiliac!  It was as if he had ingested something that caused acute bleeding.  However, as I looked more closely, I could see that he was bleeding profusely from numerous tiny points – definitely fly bites, not snake bites or bat bites – and that the blood was not clotting like normal, as if he had eaten some type of anti-coagulant (a Coumadin-type compound for example).  Shocked and distressed, I rushed and grabbed some nearby Tuete leaves – known to have coagulant properties – and crushed them into as many of the bleeding spots as I could, and then I called for help.  Jose arrived soon afterwards and we took Vulcan back to the stables.

The vet came over three times during the next few days to help us try to stabilize and treat Vulcan, but nobody had any idea what was causing the problem.  The vet thought it was snake bite because Vulcan had an inflamed back ankle so we treated presumptively using Snake Antivenom Sera (we assumed Terciopelo).   We also treated him supportively with Vitamin K, dexamethasone, antibiotics, and fortified IV fluids for rehydration, while trying to staunch the blood flow. We spent most of the day with him, providing what relief and comfort we could, while getting covered in blood.  However, by the end of it, Vulcan looked more stabilized.  The bleeding appeared to be slowing and some of the bites had coagulated.  We were very hopeful when we went to bed Thursday night that the worst was over. 

Then, Thursday night, Vulcan fell down in his stall and gashed his forehead open.  I discovered him at dawn the next morning bleeding profusely from the gash, and he was very weak.  Everybody shot into action to help in some way.  I spent the entire time with him, applying cool compresses to his forehead, trying to stem the flow of blood and reduce the swelling that had already started.  I used soft absorbent cotton cloths that had been soaking in ice-water (Gerry had no ice for his gin & tonics for a few days!).  As soon as I applied a clean, cold cloth to his head, Vulcan would groan with relief, but the cloth would quickly soak in blood and warm up and I had to swap it out for another.  And on it went for hours, until the vet returned and stitched up the gash.  However, the wound kept bleeding right through the stitches, due to the original problem. 

All Friday we continued trying to help Vulcan and not just with injectable meds.  Armando brought Tuete (Vernonia patens) leaves crushed in a bucket, which we applied to the bleeding points.  Hugo helped keep a steady supply of clean, soft cloths available, and Jose was always nearby, helping in a thousand ways.  He also continued caring for the other animals and doing normal finca tasks, but returned often to see Vulcan.  By Friday night, the bleeding from the bite points had stopped and begun clotting and we went to bed hopeful.  If not for the gash on his forehead, he would have been on the mend.  But it was such bad luck for poor Vulcan to fall and gash his forehead just when he least needed another bleeding episode. 

Saturday morning, I arrived at the stables at dawn and found Vulcan still bleeding from the forehead and now swelling around his eyes; he was also very weak.  He could drink water but no longer could swallow his food though is airways were open.  So, I spent the morning hours with him, applying cold compresses to his head, soothing his wounds, and giving him what comfort I could.  He seemed exhausted and very droopy, and he had lost a lot of blood.  Still, he had survived the night, and I really felt that the worst was past us!  I returned to the house for a quick coffee, thinking – and telling everyone – that Vulcan will survive this!
I told Danny as I left the stable, “Vulcan will be okay!  We’re in the clear”!  I told Jose, “The worst is behind us; he just needs rest and time”.  I told our neighbors, Ursula and Fredy, who had seen me with bloody clothes and hands over recent days, sometimes shuddering with distress and worry, “Vulcan survived last night and we are very hopeful now”.  And the last thing I said about Vulcan was to Gerry, “Vulcan will survive this”.     

So, after my quick cup of coffee, I was leaving the house with kitchen scraps for the chickens, heading back to Vulcan, when Yaneth suddenly stops me, gives me a huge hug and whispers, “You must be brave”.
Well I wasn’t brave.  I cried like a baby.  I think we all did.   

The guys later told me that, soon after I had left, they saw Vulcan suddenly fall over onto his side, and that he expired a few seconds later – my cold compress still on his head.  His suffering had ended, at least.  We surmise, after reviewing everything again, that Vulcan likely experienced extensive internal bleeding and died of heart failure, probably secondary to snake bite.
 
He lived a good life and was much loved.  And we bury our special animals.  He rests now in El Tigre Animal Cemetery with our dogs, cats, a calf, a turkey and a few cherished hens and roosters.  How does a hen end up in the pet cemetery rather than the soup pot?  If we give an animal a name, then he or she becomes special.  Normally, we all grab a shovel and pitch in to help dig the grave but, on this sad day, we enlisted the help of a back-hoe to assist us with this unhappy but necessary task.  Everybody was there:  the children soon playing and teasing each other over captured insects; the adults just standing there and watching the back-hoe dig Vulcan’s grave, mostly silent and lost in our own thoughts.  We shall plant a tree soon at the burial spot, as we have done for all of the others.

 We grieve the loss of all of our animals – though for me, Vulcan’s came as a total shock.  That’s why I am writing about this today.  It’s the best way I can remember and honor Vulcan.  All horse lovers understand the special relationship they have with their horses.  Somebody once said that dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, and horses look at us eye-to-eye.  The relationship between human and horse is one of sensitivity and compassion.  If you feel nervous, your horse feels it in you, thus causing you to relax and to transmit that back to your horse. The relationship is mutually beneficial in multiple ways.  The bond grows deep over time.