Hike to Rio Jaris

Last Saturday, Barry Hammel came over to the Finca with Isabel and Carry, a botany student from the States, who has a particular interest in the Acanthaceae Family.  Sadly, I couldn’t accompany them on their botanical trip down to the Rio Jaris, but I understand they had a fun time.  Armando and his nieto, Danny, went along for the plant hunting, and when they returned, Marcia prepared them a nice, simple lunch from the garden – salad, picadillo de chicasquil, tortillas de maiz, arroz y frijol.  Here’s a picture Barry took of Isabel, Carry, Armando and Danny.  So that’s fine that they had a fun time, but did they find anything?

They did!  Barry writes his remarks below and includes a link to his pictures, at Flickr, of the expedition.  I highly recommend that you take a look at his pictures – he is a real artist.
Barry writes:
“We had a great trip on Saturday, found everything we were looking for and more!  Our main goal was Justicia urophylla (see bottom series of pictures in the included link) and Armando was the lucky one to see it first, just after crossing the stream before reaching the river.  We all jumped and shouted!

We also found one small population (back up by where the spectacularly odoriferous and nearly black-flowered Sapranthus palanga is in fl.) of the tiny and elusive (nearly unspellable!) J. rothschuhii.  This last one is very similar to J. isthmensis, which I had collected some time ago at your place and we now have growing nicely in our yard.  J. rothschuhii has much smaller flowers and I had missed it. I was also pleased to find and collect J. spicigera, which I don't believe I've ever seen before, cultivated in your yard.  That's a Mexican spp. not known from the wild in CR, but sometimes cultivated. Photos of J. spicigera and J. rothschuhii are on page two of the included link.

You can see my recent Flickr uploads of Acanths here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68114448@N06/

Thanks again so much for arranging this trip; the lunch that Marcia made us was wonderful.  Now we know how to make picadillo de Chiscaquil. It was great to have Armando and Danilo accompany us.”

Meanwhile, while Armando hiked with our friends down to the river, Jose scrambled around to sort out yet another solar energy system emergency associated with water.  However, by the time everyone returned from the river, the problem was solved and lunch served.   I don’t think they noticed and, as usual, I was the last to know.

We love hosting botanists and students!  This past Friday, students from the Universidad de Costa Rica College of Pharmacy hiked at Reserva El Tigre, with Armando as guide, to take a look around and to collect a bit of sap from the Targua tree (Croton draco).  Armando collects small amounts of sap from several trees on rare occasions so as not to weaken any individual tree, and feels strongly that the best time for collecting sap is at the beginning of the waxing moon during the afternoon.  His students suggested a metal surgical instrument for more effective collection but I think Armando’s ‘abuelos’ method provided the students with far more Targua sap – 100% pure and undiluted – than their classmates who simply bought vials of ‘Targua’ down at the Central Market.  One publication I read recently suggested that collectors simply cut down the Targua tree when it concludes its life-cycle, and harvest an extensive amount of sap all at once.  I gasped in shock when I read this at first but, out in the commercial world, it makes a certain amount of sense for growers, who could do this sustainably by planting successively and harvesting just occasionally, responsibly. 

This week, Armando and Jose both started an I.N.A./SIMAS course on Organic Gardening.  You can read about SIMAS at: www.simas.org.ni

Jose and Armando are both high level agricultural workers in the sense that they grew up here in El Rodeo as farmers, planting gardens and raising farm animals.  However, this organic gardening course will take them to a new level.  We have to think of the future.  We have to eat, if nothing else, and the best way is organically, responsibly.  They came home yesterday from the first class with new ideas on composting and a better understanding of the nature of the microorganisms that process and improve the soil.  They knew this already intuitively but the course instructor - Fabiano Pacheco - provided new imagery to the concept.   Already the guys have plans in the works to make composts and fertilizers using ingredients here at the farm.  We already have a huge compost pile – now we are going to organize the process more systematically.   

Last Sunday, Armando joined a few others to clean the road of trash along the route between Ciudad Colon and El Rodeo - once again, many thanks to Luisa and Bob Hughes for hauling away the trash and the bags of recycling.  Unfortunately, only a few people came to work, but all change starts with setting an example.   Armando said that passers-by provided moral support, and a few hikers even asked for bags to assist in picking up trash as they walked along the road.  It’s a start.

You can see incredible flowers here right now, especially along the pasture edge where sunlight can reach.  Take a look at this Passiflora vitifolia flower.  The literature says that the Passiflora flower, dried and infused as a tea, has a sedating effect but we’ve never tried it; everybody around here falls asleep like a rock at sundown.  Native plants survive the drought conditions of the dry season just fine but we’ve had to move around a few culinary plants that need some help.  I don’t water any of the ornamentals - some of them go dormant, others flower dramatically. 

So much is blooming right now!  Take a look at the lovely purple blooms of this Chaperno tree, a species of Lonchocarpus.  There are also yellow and orange flowering trees - Poro, Tecoma Stans, Cortez amarilla, white flowers-Laurel, violet-Bauhinia, Madero Negro and Chapernos - all these trees and more are adding bursts of color within the forest canopy.

Take a look at the creamy flower of the Guayaquil also blooming now throughout the forest.  I think it is called Albizia now but, when I learned about it, it was called Pseudosamanea guachapele.  This is a beautiful tree that many confuse with Cenizaro (Samanea saman), which has a pink flower, now also probably called Albizia saman.  Barry would know.

Back in the garden, we just managed to rescue the asparagus that Tommy gave me, by transplanting all the two year-old plants down to the springs below the house, and they have already perked back up!   And yes, they are screened in from the horses et al. that drink from the springs.

What are you doing hanging around out here?  So you’ve found a place to live nearby.  I’m so glad to see you again!  Last time we met, you were camped out in our downstairs bathroom - so we put you out.  Out - but not gone!  Tarantulas are very elusive – not at all easy to find unless you go outside and walk around with a flashlight at night.  Normally they are very shy, but this spider (or his brother) has a history.  I first hauled him out of my riding boot last November.  During the process, I pulled off one of his legs by accident and, despite my rough handling, he didn’t bite me.  That’s why I’m kind of fond of this spider.  Where does he live now?  I can’t say because, after taking the picture of him, I never saw him again.  Maybe he didn’t like the flash.  Our Swiss neighbor identified this tarantula as a Psalmopoeus reduncus and, Gabi should know.  She has a lovely, transparent butterfly named after her that was discovered at Finca Hamadryas – it’s called Greta Gabiglooris.  Most forest dwellers have a keen interest in insects.  It just goes with the territory.

In the forest snakes are far more elusive than tarantulas.  You could hunt for snakes for days and never find one – yet they definitely exist!  I mention this for the benefit of tourists visiting Costa Rica.  It is extremely unlikely that you will see a snake in the wild, so tranquilo, pura vida…  Having said that, however, snakes do need to hunt their prey, and that sometimes brings them into contact with humans.  Take a look at this boa that Jose found in the henhouse.  We normally never kill boa constrictors - they are rat-eaters and part of the forest ecosystem.  They are also useful around the horse stables for people who don’t keep cats.  As competitors for food, cats kill snakes whenever possible.  Our cats killed dozens of small terciopelo snakes until they stopped coming out of the forest.  However, if the snakes are large, then the cats (and even small dogs) become the prey!  I know this from experience.  Well, Jose hauled this boa out of the henhouse and took it some distance away, but the rascal wanted to go right back inside with the hens.  He’d found his meal ticket and mighty fine eating – so many hens, little chicks and lots of eggs!  Therefore, unfortunately, Jose had to kill it.

Take a look at Coquetta, our new dairy cow residing at Reserva El Tigre.  Isn’t she sweet?  We shall start making yoghurt again finally this June!  Gerry didn’t like the water kefir.  For those of my friends wondering what happened to our two calves – Negrito, Lola’s first calf, now resides in a pasture with four cows, three of them carrying his calf!  Little Gerry is pasturing with a larger herd and hopefully not quite the vagabond he was now that he has some company.  Coquetta is perfectly fine with us in the stable-yard with the horses, hens, et al.

Now, all of my dear friends, is your mother still living?   Yes?  Lucky you!

Have you told her today that you love her?  No?  Time to call her then and tell her, “I love you, mom.”

Treasure every moment with your mom and dad!  Lil just turned 80 this week – Happy Birthday dearest Lil!  And Robin’s mother just turned 90!  Happy Birthday Robin’s mom – have a joyous birthday and may every day be just as joyous.