The Green Time

(disclaimer: although I did not personally take all of these photos, they were taken by people right around the house)


This is one of my favorite times of the year.  We don't get much in the way of seasons by northern (and southern) standards, but the difference between summer and "winter" here is pretty significant.  There is absolutely no precipitation to speak of between December and April.  We always seem to ring in April fools with the first rain of the winter, and then the green season begins.  The most striking difference, of course, is the absence of dust generated by cars during the summer months, and the vibrant and luscious green that springs out of everywhere.

With the Flora, comes the Fauna, and since the sprouting, fruiting, and blooming ha

ppens everywhere, the local animals and insects follow:

This is an Urraca, spanish for jay.

A white throated Magpie-Jay to be specific, Calocitta formosa, I believe, to be technical.  These guys are pretty common around here, and they have almost no fear of people, and are not only very pretty, but bullies in the bird world.  They are fairly well behaved around here, because we don't feed them, but they can get rather territorial around places that do.

  

So we are blessed with lots of other birds here as well, trogons, mannakins, among others.  Right now as I'm writing this we have a Chachalaca in our Capulin tree, and we have a few Motmots that I think are burrowing in the area.  I believe that we have both blue crowned and turqoise-browed Motmots here.  It's fascinating to watch them swing it back and forth while they are surveying the area behind our balcony, looking for meals.  I once saw one stab the center of a scorpion, and swallow it down 

after slamming it against a branch to make sure it went down smooth.  

There is a lot of food for the Motmots around here

 at this time: beetles, and all manner of bugs. lizards, dragonflies, and of course, butterflies.  Part of the reason that we keep the butterflies that we raise here under an enclosure is to keep them safe from this impressive hunter. I'm not a hundred percent sure what this one is (although it is a little big for a Motmot  to swallow)

I'm guessing a female stilt beetle, but if anyone else out there has an idea, let me know.  This, however, is not too big for another beetle and caterpillar eater that comes to visit every once in a while:

     

Cebus Capuchinus

The White-faced Capuchin is a regular around here at this time of year.  The Capulin that that Chachalaca is still in (sorry, the camera is on the blink right now) is also a favorite with them, and they come by all the time to see if there are any bananas, beetles, berries, napkin holders, salt and pepper shakers, or humans around.  We also get a lot of howler monkeys in the area:  They are much more tranquillo than the white faces while they are here, and as the Mantled Howler or Congos (Allouata palliata) mainly eat the leaves of the various trees here, like our Papayas or Cecropias, we like to stop everything and just watch them browse while they are here.

We get a few other mammals around here too, but they are a bit harder to encounter, although both the Agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata) and the white-nosed Coatis (Nasua narica) like to get into our organic trash.

Agouti

Coati

If you come stay at our bed and breakfast, I can't promise you that you'll see all of these guys, but the chances are good that you'll see many at this time of year if you are patient and quiet, and look for a good spot to just sit back and enjoy.

And, make sure that you have us point you in the direction of Rainsong wildlife sanctuary!!  They now have two rescued Ocelots, and are in sore need of donations to create an appropriate enclosure for them to begin a breeding program!!  For more info about this amazing endevor, check out their website: www.rainsongsanctuary.com

la lluvia, es buena

October is deep rainy season. While it is sunny, and there are blue skies over the balcony as I am writing this, this is the month of torrential downpours. The rains start to recede in November, and by December we are back in the sunny season, but this time of year shares it's own special gems. The wildlife thrive, and although everyone runs for shelter when the torrents are here, the breaks are for taking care of business...

Living in the Jungle gives you a whole new appreciation for living in harmony with the other lifeforms that share the planet. It's one thing to raptly watch an Attenborough commentary on Army ants, and another altogether to watch them from your porch cheering, as they clean out that pesky infestation of stinging ants for you "organically."

This season I've decided to post some pictures of various things that we have planted within the last moon cycle. (not just a hippie thing, moon cycles definitely have a drastic effect on plantlife too) Costa Rica is the first place that I've lived where you can just stick cut up plants into the ground and have brand new plants grow. This is a shot of our Piña Garden, which is simply the tops cut off of the pineapples that we serve with breakfast stuck into the ground. Check back in 6 months for samples....

Aloe, this poor baby has put in lots of service for the folks who came back from Tortuga island without following sunblock advice...

Oregano.

Palm Trees

Porter's weed and Hibiscus (next to the sign). The car in the background is from our neighbors, who suffer from flatireitis, a common affliction here during the rains, as the roads fall apart from flash flooding. For chronic sufferers, make sure to fix your spare and/or make friends with the neighbors. For other chronicles dealing with this common, and serious affliction, check my myspace "time of the tico."

..Discontinuity..

There are some that call Montezuma the Vortex. Mainly because time happens differently here. There was a newfie who once put it like this: "one day I spent a month in Montezuma."

It can happen like that.

It can happen other ways too, even linearly, but only in a rod sterling kind of way. Personally, I believe that it has something to do with a Coriolis effect, but since it's all relative you are going to have a hard time pinning it down anyway.

I am rapidly approaching a year since the last post, and although it's easy for me to put into words, I'm afraid that the affect of time here boggles the mind unless you've lived it. Last December seems like just a eyeblink ago, but if i were to reflect on all the changes and events, it seems to add up to at least five years worth of experiences. It's like I get extra time, but it is still the same day, all the same. It's not quite like every day is Groundhog's day, but it's pretty close.

The main addition to the family is the casita, our new lodgings behind the garden that houses my brother, our live in employee Morgan, and the work stay or backpacker folks. The main house is still the center of the community, but it's nice to have the satelite space, which is complete into itself, and useful to have in case the party needs a seperate venue....

Summertime!!

Once again, summer rolls around here in Montezuma just in time for the Holidays. Although we are north of the Equator, we're south of the tropic, and the rains stop and the sun shines from December to April...

Not to say that we have been idle. Lots of new things are happening at the gardens, not least of which was a facelift for all our rooms:


Our caligo room, with a large balcony overlooking the butterfly garden and a vista del mar, now rents at $70 per night, and includes A/C, Satellite TV, private bath, and of course our breakfast and butterfly tour.



Our Morpho room, which features the same amenities as the Caligo, with a much smaller balcony, rents at $60 per night, and allows for Holas to the folks who are walking by on the way to the waterfalls during the day:



The Juno room is a bit smaller, and without a balcony, but with a double sized and single sized bed with it's own bathroom, A/C and Satellite TV, is a good way to share more comfortable accommodations for a lower budget at $50 per night.



If you want to get away from TV, try the Dryadula Room. Air conditioned for comfort, and with a bunk bed, a great deal for $40 per night.
For December of 07, and part of Jan 08, this will also be our Work/Stay room, until our new casita behind the butterfly garden is complete.

All the rooms above assume up to 2 person occupancy, add another $10 per person over two.
Additionally, we are trying something new this year. For another $10 per room per night, we are opening our kitchen for guest use! It will be a true open kitchen experience, as all of our spices, condiments, and cookware will be at your disposal.

Work/Stay:










There are always lots of things to do around the garden, and the butterflies appreciate a lot of TLC, and we would like to give a shout out to everyone that helped make our Work/Stay program a wonderful success this year!!

For $250 per person per month, which works out to $8.33 per day, we can accommodate two people who trade 5 four hour days of work in the garden for cheap rent and breakfast and lunch. This works out well for everyone, and affords the work stay folks a reasonable means to get to know the people and the area for an extended period of time:

Contact Us:
josh@montezumagardens.com for email.

We do Skype with our satellite connection, username Mariposario1

If you are in country, and want to give us a call:

26 42 13 17

We are in a very rural location, so if it takes a day to get back to you: smile, whisper "pura vida" to yourself, and imagine living on the beach in a country where deadlines and your sense of time are....flexible.


pura vida

Fuego de April

So we had a little kick off for the fool moon. It is cashew season, and our tree did us right this year.Have you ever danced by the fuego of the cashew?

cuatro minutos antes

and introducing....

Elle

Elle has been around for the last few weeks, and due to her amazing nature, has now been adopted, and is now cared for, by the folks here at Montezuma gardens. Very sweet, a little bit naughty, but throughly nice, she has been getting the word out about our great little place here, and the care that they show to those in need, and so, now we have someone who has adopted us:

Deja

Who absolutely refuses to leave, even though she drives Jack crazy. They're getting used to each other, though, and i think she might just have our back. She definately took care of the cows that showed up while i was away in Panama, and kept them from "disturbing" our yard.

Well, if she wants to work, we want to take care of her.

Working in the Garden

What is life like in the Garden? Varied and various. We are always experimenting with our grand terrarium, and each day there are newborns and new visitors, and we try to find the best locale for each. Here are two new Morpho larve ready for their first meal.

And, someone looking for a buffet:

Not to be outdone by one of our little friends, here's Luke working all the angles for dinner....

It's been a full month, and we were blessed with two amazing women who stumbled upon us while trying to get away from a less pleasant volunteer situation, but they quickly fell in love with the garden and the butterflies, and as the feeling was mutual, worked and played hard to keep everyone cared for and happy. Here is Elizabeth collecting Parides eggs:

All things change, and new adventures are just around the bend, but that won't stop Jack from doing his puppy dog best to keep you here as long as possible.


Photos in this post courtesy of Danielle Colvin

Pura vida

A weekend afternoon....... Just cause I can.

Summer flowers in the Garden

An adrenal rush to keep things active on a hot day.

"town"