Country Article / Postcards
Bats and Butterflies...And A Monkey on My Porch
Date: 06/25/2003Dear International Living Reader,
Did you know that bats can swim? I didn't either, until last week, when I thought I had discovered a new species of animal.
I like to get up early--about the time the sun is rising. And a couple days ago, I awoke at my usual hour and saw something bobbing merrily along, making ripples the entire length of the pool of the house where I'm staying. It wasn't yet light enough to see well, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what manner of animal I was looking at. Whatever it was, it could really swim!
I roused a disgruntled Joos (my fiance) out of bed and convinced him to fish the thing out of the pool. As the light grew brighter, we realized it was a bat. I don't know how it ended up in the drink...
The experience reminded me of one of the great things about Rancho Santana (the private development on Nicaragua's Pacific coast where I live)--nature. Because we're in the tropics, we have all around us all sorts of animals and plants that aren't found in northern climes.
Like howler monkeys. Normally, they stay farther out in the jungle and don't come in close to us here at Santana, but sometimes we hear their howls. They're loud when they want to be--like a lion roaring or a freight train. A couple of days ago, we heard one very close to the house. We couldn't see him, though, because of the rain.
Turns out...he was sitting on the ledge outside my front porch. My assistant stumbled upon him while she was checking on the gardeners. Imagine coming home to find a howler monkey on your terrace!
We think he was trying to stay dry under the ledge--it was raining pretty hard.
Yes, the annual rains have started. We're taking advantage of the rainy season...and taking cuttings from healthy plants to start a vivero.
A vivero is a nursery...with a twist. This one will have plants and trees that would interest visitors, and walkways for viewing.
You'll be able to see tropical fruits growing, such as bananas, mangoes, limes, and papaya, plus all sorts of tropical flowers and trees in different stages of development. If you visit us here at the ranch, our gardeners might even be persuaded to sell you a plant or two (when they're mature) for your own garden. Right now, they're busy preparing the soil and putting the cuttings in little black bags for transplanting. Look for our progress in the area near the old windmill well.
It's also the season for butterflies. You see them in bunches, in the mud, drinking. If you happen to walk into one of these butterfly gatherings, it's like passing through a white, yellow, and orange snowstorm.
Gail Geerling
for International Living
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