Green Iguana

Take a look at this Green Iguana strutting out in front of the house.  I spotted her (her, we think) first through the window, then watched spellbound as this prehistoric creature walked right in front of three slumbering dogs on the terrace.  She almost got past them and down to the pool but Dilly woke up and roused the other dogs to the presence of this very odd creature.  We have seen Iguanas often down in the forest, but this is the first time one of them has brazenly come up to the house.  A few weeks ago, Jose saw a male nearly twice as big as this one down near the Ceiba tree.  Perhaps they should meet and mate!  One thing’s for sure:  we can’t have a Green Iguana hanging out at the house.  I know that some forest people keep Iguanas as pets – even letting them lay around together with their cats and dogs.  But we firmly believe that wild animals belong in their own (wild) habitat.  We don’t feed any of the wildlife, be they Capuchin monkeys or hummingbirds.  They have plenty enough to eat and we can often view birds and wildlife coming up close occasionally to feed on fruiting trees.  Over the years, we’ve had to relocate many animals that moved in too close – Pizotes, Collared Ant-Eaters, Boa Constrictors, large lizards and more.  But why? 

Well, we don’t want them near the hen house.  One time, we unfortunately had to kill a Boa Constrictor because he came right back to the hen house after we’d relocated him back to the forest.  Apparently, he knew a good meal ticket when he saw it!  However, that was the only time we had a problem.  In our experience, when a creature interacts with a human (Jose) in the act of relocating him, the creature is never seen again.  In the case of this Green Iguana, we decided to move her to the foot of a huge Cedrela odorata tree.  Jose let her go and the Iguana quickly climbed to the top of it, where she surveyed the scene below her for the rest of the day.  The next morning she was gone.  We hope she found that awesome male Jose spotted a few weeks before…

The weather has been very dry:  no rain since early December, apart from a couple of showers.  However, this is an outstanding year for collecting seeds.  Trees don’t seed every year but this year is particularly abundant.  We’re busy collecting seeds to dry before the rains come.  Yesterday, Armando returned just before an afternoon shower, with bags of seeds for drying.  He had collected Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), Guayaquil (Pseudosamanea guachapele), Volador (Gyrocarpus jatrophifolius) and Peine de Mico (Apeiba dibourbou).  We now have them drying in baskets in the library.  Come and get them, if you’re interested.  First come, first served!  Also flowering and seeding now are species of Albizia, Cassia, Senna, Inga, Lysiloma, Acosmium, Gliricidia, Erythrina, and many other species of legumes, as well as Cupania, Jacarandas, Manilkara, Picramnia, Luehea, Laurel, and also the glorious, colorful Tabebuias!  There is nothing more gorgeous than driving past a Roble de la Sabana in full, glorious, pink bloom.  And then you see the bright yellow Cortez Amarrillas – another Tabebuia giving us a mouth-dropping show.  The Costa Rican dry season is truly spectacular for flowering shrubs and trees – and these native trees don’t require a drop of water, as they are adapted to the long drought conditions.  Still, all species (including humans) rejoice on those rare days when it does rain – if only to refresh and dampen down the ground to resist forest fires.  Rain for us forest-dwellers is a great relief in February.  So many farmers still burn pastures this time of year, and it only takes a strong, dry wind to lose control of a fire.  Each rainfall, no matter how brief, reduces the risk of forest fire, thereby reducing the stress level for all of us.  The top layer quickly dries as the water is absorbed, and we will be out again collecting seeds throughout this incredibly productive season.  Seeds expected in abundance in March are: Ceiba pentandra, Pseudobombax, Bernoullia flammea, Ochroma pyramidale, Cordia, Brosimum, Ficus, Maclura, Hura crepitans and many more.

Our animals also do very well during the dry season.  The horses have shiny, healthy coats and are full of energy for long rides.  Coquetta the cow is expecting her calf in March.  Will it be another Gerry birthday..?