Nature in All Her Glory

I wanted nature, and I got nature. But the one thing I never expected was this much nature! I feel like I am surrounded by nature in all her glory. Flora and fauna alike.

In the plant kingdom, I’ve found greens of every hue to soothe my eyes. The light green of newly unfolding leaves on the baby banana tree near the chicken coop. The dark green of the lime, orange, and cherry trees. The emerald green of palm and papaya trees. The shiny green of hibiscus shrubs. The feathery greens of ferns.

And, oh my goodness! How can I not mention the riots of reds, pinks, purples, yellows, and golds that tease my retinas! Flame-red poinciana trees. White, pale pink, and lavender orchids. Yellow and orange croton shrubs. Deep green bromeliads with delightfully red centers. Fuschia hibiscus flowers.

Above all the others, the poincianas (Delonix regia) are my absolute favorites. I grew to love these trees while I was in the Bahamas, but I saw them first when my sons and I made a day trip to Cozumel, Mexico. I remember vividly the Poinciana trees that enclosed the town square, like regal sentinels of old. We ate our lunch at a sidewalk café there and took refuge inside when a sudden downpour came out of nowhere. The rain came down so hard and fast that gutters overflowed and forced a rat out of hiding. A female patron at another table screamed when she saw the rat, and the owner of the café scared the poor wet fellow off with his broom. It was all quite comical, and the boys and I had a wonderful time, despite the rain. When the sun came out again, the poincianas glowed brilliantly in the afternoon light as we happily made our way to the ferry that would take us back to Cancun.

Known as “Flame of the Forest,” these trees reach heights of 35 to 80 feet, creating beautiful arches over the avenues they grace. The flowers are flame-red and grow in large bundles over the entire tree. In full bloom, the sight of one or more of these trees together will literally take your breath away. Every morning, I am lucky enough to pass several of these trees as I walk up my street and across the campus.

Color is only one plant characteristic that piques my interest here. Texture, shape, and size also fascinate me. So far, I’ve identified at least half a dozen different types of palm trees alone, with the fan palms by far my favorite. While on St. Thomas last week, I picked up a brochure on the “BIG” trees of the Virgin Islands. Absolutely fascinating! Of the various types of trees discussed in the brochure, I found the silk cotton trees to be the most curious, and I’m learning as much as I can about them now.

I’ve also noticed that plants cultivated mainly indoors in Texas grow profusely along the roadsides here. I’ve seen both Sansevieria trifasciata and S. laurentii (regular and variegated mother-in-law tongue) growing wild in the rainforest as well as near the beach. A neighbor across the street from Barbara has a Codiaeum variegatum (croton) at least 6’ tall in his front yard. Several different types of orchids grow amid the trees in Barbara’s side yard and in the courtyard at school. Different species and varieties of hibiscus decorate the yards on our street, and Barbara has a huge frangipani tree by the front gate.

Nature is inside as well. Insects and lizards, millipedes and centipedes, bugs that look like pill bugs but which don’t roll into balls when touched, sugar ants out the yin-yang, fruit flies, an occasional fly or mosquito—all of these are our indoor companions. In addition, water sitting around for any length of time inside the house not only draws gnats but is also a breeding ground for molds and mildews the likes of which I’ve never seen before. I make it a point to keep my bathroom and the kitchen as dry as possible all the time, and periodically I wipe everything down with Clorox.

To top it all off, I think fire ants have made it to this lovely island. Virgin Islanders have a different name for these creatures, but as far as I’m concerned, since they bite like fire ants, they must be one and the same. It’s a shame, too. I hate to think about fire ant poison being used here.