Green and yellow in the flag

With some graphical rearrangements, this leaf could be the Brazilian flag. Maybe that's the reason the tree is called Bandeirinha (little flag). It's a croton and originally from Asia, but I don't talk much about this fact because Brazilians are obviously proud of their colors. Most people plant this small tree in their yard and it does exceptionally well in these savanna soils. The more sun it gets, the more beautiful it becomes. I planted one at Bosque Santa Lucia. It does quite well during the dry season, but lacks luster during the rainy season. I've threatened to cut it down several times, but then the long hot summer season sets in and it pulls out of its slumber.

Flower that brightens day

There's nothing like a big yellow flower to brighten the day. Yellow is one of the Brazilian's favorite colors. Yellow and green on the Brazilian flag. Yellow in the gold. Yellow in trees; yellow and green uniforms for the national soccer team; and yellow in flowers. Maybe that's what makes the Brazilians a happy people.

A feast for vultures, continued

A turkey vulture looks down on the dried up creek, remembering the delicious fish it eat over the last day or so.

A feast for vultures

There's been an unusual amount of vulture activity around the footbridge for the last three days. A combination of both black vultures and turkey vultures gathered to feast on dead fish left by the dramatic drying up of the water in the baixada, which is the lowland area that fills with water during the rainy season. Summer with blue, cloudless skies have left the ancient creek basin without a drop of water. I tried to get a picture of one of the small dead fish, but our friends didn't leave even a sign of them.

Tropical Savanna, continued

Yes, anacondas still exist in the waters of the Tapajós and Amazon Rivers. Does the cobra grande exist? Well, I suspect that there are still some big ones around, but the most beautiful one I've ever seen was at the Escola Floresta, the environmental education center to which I've referred. It's 5-6 meters long, carved from one piece of jacarandá of Pará wood (Dalbergia spruceana). I found the head of the creature to be exquisitely done, as seen in the image.

Tropical Savanna, continued

One of the thatched buildings at Escola Floresta has this spectacular view of Lago Verde, alias Green Lake. Off in the distance you can see Serra Alter do Chão, better known as Serra Piroca, which has a vulgar connotation, if you come from other parts of Brazil. The Tapajós River is just off to the left of the hill and the village of Alter do Chão is on other side of the landmass to the left of the image. This is definitely God's country.

Colors of savanna

This past weekend I took friends to Alter do Chão, where we visited the Escola Floresta, a school of environmental education operated by the Municipality of Santarém. This center was inaugurated just a few days ago and I was anxious to see the place. From one of the thatched roundhouses I spotted these new leaves presenting a show of colors. I compare these biological events to orchid flowers. They can be stunning.

Wild fig trees, continued

A closer look at the new root system produced by this wild fig tree.

Wild figs, continued

On another trail I discovered that this wild fig tree has put on some new clothes. That's quite a set of new roots it's produced and they are quite flashy in their red color.

Wild figs

Some premature figs are beginning to fall from this huge fig tree located on the other side of the footbridge. When mature, the figs will be a larger than these shown in the image, but never the size of the domesticated figs we are used to eating. People don't seem to have a taste for these wild varieities, but animals do. As we get into the season, I'll be showing the fruit again. The local name for this strangler fig tree is apuí. The scientific name is Ficus nymphacaefolia. I try to include scientific names, when possible, because not everyone commands the English language. With the scientific name, it's easier to research the subject.

Clitoris flower

It's not easy to find a botanical reference for this flower because of the millions of references to the anatomical counterpart. Maybe it's clitoria amazonum or clitoria racemosa. Regardless, it's a beauty!

Horned spider

One of the most commonly seen spiders at Bosque Santa Lucia is the horned-spider. Maybe it's seen more because it loves to spread its web across the open trails of the Bosque. I confronted this one this morning as I walked around the woods near the reception center. It's not often that I see a web of this design, so I found it very attractive. After some hit and miss shots with the sun rays coming in through the trees, I finally managed an image that captures both spider and its web.

Catfish

Santarém is famous for its fish. Hardly anyones leaves the city for Belém or Manaus without taking an ice-chest full of fish to family and friends. One of the favorite fish is catfish, the ones seen in the image. These two beauties ended up at our place for eating, and also for taking to Belém the next time Áurea visits her parents and our son, Daniel. Our friend, Dona Joana, did the honors of preparing the fish.

Old fence post

If only an old fence post could talk, think of the history it could tell. The fence that includes this old soldier is relatively new, put up by my neighbor at Bosque Santa Lucia to keep his cows and goats at home. But we can be sure that the post, itself, is several decades old. It's fought other wars in the past. The wood that remains is hard as nails, but it was probably much larger when a young soldier. Termites always start with the softest wood and then work up. I'm willing to bet that the fence post will be around for a few more decades. I know people who love to make charcoal from old fence material. It's said to be the best.

Spider on stage

This spider is normally quite cryptic, almost invisible on the trunk of trees. At this photographic session it was highlighted because of the blotch of fungus in the background.

Orchid, back to the tree

I showed this orchid in bloom some days ago, after which I discovered from Cláudio Serique that it would develop better if put on the side of a tree, rather than in a vase. Come to think of it, I never saw one of these rat-tailed orchids in a vase. Always on the trunk of a tree. I tied this one onto a rosewood tree close to the reception center. It seemed to have like the charcoal I had in the vase, so I left the pieces on the root system.

Tails of leaves, continued

I discovered this little tree loaded with new leaves only meters from the one shown on the previous post. It has the look of having been broken off at the top.

Tails of leaves

I've heard that trees will produce new leaves in different colors to fake off leaf cutting insects, thus giving the leaves a chance to get tough and mature. These must be rather appetizing because they're getting eaten up anyway. Maybe the green is showing!

Tento, continued

If I hadn't been looking up into the tento tree when we were removing leaf samples, I wouldn't have seen that it was in bloom. The flowers were almost up in the crown of the tree, so I got the best zoom shot I could with a simple digital camera. The image won't win any prizes, but it's good for the records of comparing trees. By the way, the genus of the tento tree is Ormosia. The family is Fabaceae. Sorry, I don't have the species.

Tento

On placing this image, I need to make it clear that I'm not a forester. And no, I'm not a botanist. I'm only interested in these things and there are times when I get into pissing contests with others who are likewise not professionally qualified to identify certain trees. Having samples of leaves and seeds make a case. The hard, red seed in the image is called tento. It's used by everyone in the arts and crafts industry as a favorite for making necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry and decorations. But ... biodiversity being what it is here in the Amazon, there are many different kinds of tento trees. Some produce red seeds in different sizes and formats. Some produce black and red seeds. And so it goes. I'll keep these leaves and seeds around to compare with others, as I find them.

Fungi on manioc press

The two vertical pieces of wood are what remain of an old manioc press used by the former residents of the farm where Bosque Santa Lucia is located today. My wife and I bought the property in 1981, and I remember that our caretaker continued to used the press and other infrastructure for at least three years. So, I guess it's been about 25 years since the press was last used. The tree to the right, a pau mulato (Calycophyllum spruceanum), has grown up since that time. We can rest assured that those two pieces of wood are of some noble wood, maybe cumuru (Dipteryx odorate). Otherwise the termites would have eaten them up completely. No matter how noble we might be, fungi will get us us sooner or later.

Guaraná

At last this young guaraná plant (Paulinia cupana) is moving forward. I planted it from a seed taken from the first tree planted many years ago around the old roundhouse. In reality, the older one is more of a vine than a tree. When planted in the shade of other trees, guaraná grows up as a vine. When planted out in the open, it becomes a tree. Well, sort of! We'll see what this one becomes.