Tags
animal behavior before earthquakeks, deforestation, Howler Monkeys, human-induced climate change, methane blow holes, siberia fires
My “Walden” of the Tropics – photo copyright/Lisa Brunetti
Before moving to Ecuador, I lived along a quiet stream in Costa Rica’s dry rain forest. Jaguars sometimes left their footprints in muddy areas to remind me not to venture out too far at night, and other exotic nocturnal animals allowed fleeting glimpses from time to time. (Red-eyed Pacas and golden-eyed kinkajous) Regal morpho butterflies surfed the invisible air currents above the cool waters of the stream while howler monkeys foraged and entertained me from the dense canopy overhead.
After a week of studying petroglyphs, I painted this ‘headphone holder’ coconut head and was surprised how it all but painted itself!
Quite at ease, this howler often loitered where I worked.
Almost every day the howler monkeys meandered through the tree tops along a specific-yet-relaxed route which included a stop-and-gawk session at the studio. Like watchdogs, they often slept in the treetops above the roof. Some mornings they slipped away silently, and other mornings they roared and howled until I finally opened the door, stepped outside and returned their greeting: “Buenos dias! Good morning! Ummmph-ummmph-ummmph-ummmph…” (Roaring upsets them; quiet ‘ummmphs’ calm them.)
If one remembers to look up, many times the howlers are quietly observing.
They became quite territorial in my behalf and seemed to watch over me. The ‘little ones’ taught me a few subtle nuances of their language, and I could often call them a bit too close for my comfort!
“Will You Teach Me To Speak English?” Cultural Exchange – Costa Rica and then a surprise visit to another blog!
The adult warned, “Don’t listen to that gringa loca!”
How well I remember a quiet morning in Costa Rica when “my” troop of monkeys raced by without stopping. “Hmmm,” I thought, “That was strange. I wonder where they’re going.” About half an hour later, they raced back in the other direction. “Yes; that was very strange.”
Several hours later the entire country was shaken by a very strong earthquake. Thirty minutes later a second one transformed the trees, power poles and vehicles into a moving Salvador Dali painting! I’ll now pay close attention when howler monkeys race through the canopy! *
Years later in Ecuador, I remember looking up and seeing a line of frigate birds flying to the northeast. They were extremely high, and the line stretched as far as I could see in both directions. I watched for ten or so minutes, then looked again several hours later. They were still flying up the coastline. “Hmmmm,” I thought. “That is strange. I wonder what this means?”
A few weeks later I read where tourists were stranded at Machu Picchu due to extreme heavy rains. (January 2010) Roads and railroad tracks were washed out, and the tourists were evacuated via helicopters. If I ever see an exodus of frigates overhead, I’ll know that bad weather’s in the forecast!
(*While writing this, a temblor shook the town around 9:30 this morning!)
A few days ago I admired the birds at sunset and realized that they feed and nest and tend to their own business and could care less if we humans survive or not. Our absence would not affect them at all, and it would halt the raping and plundering of the natural resources. Our planet could begin to heal.
The following images were all taken from the comfort of Casa Loca! It’s not so crazy to live in harmony with nature when these neighbors grace my daily view!
April 18 sunset
Soaring home
The monarch butterflies are vanishing. See Washington Post: (The Monarch Massacre; Nearly a Billion Butterflies have Vanished) Sea life is dying, species are beaching, starving, deformed… Siberia’s been waving flags – first by releasing earth’s pressure with “unexplained’ methane blow holes, and now areas of Siberia are burning. Scribbler: March 2015: One-Kilometer-wide Methane Crater found in Siberia
The methane craters definitely got my attention, and I’ve been following the story closely. Did the news of the mysterious craters get your attention? They seem to be part of an ongoing canary-in-the-cage story, and now there’s a new chapter.
The following post from Robert Scribbler begins with these chilling words: “The script reads like a scene from some post-apocalyptic disaster film.”
It ends with this sentence: “And so we are just at the start of a long road through another hellish Arctic fire season, one enabled and made far, far worse by a current and very rapid rate of human-forced warming.”
Please take time to read this if you’ve not been following the story.
The Dry Land Burned like Grass: Siberia’s Road to a Permaburn Hell
Earth day is every day, and if each one of us were just a bit more proactive, we might make a slight positive difference in our planet’s health. Do we REALLY need to use as much water as we do? Can’t we save some of that water we send out the drain and water our house plants with it? If you don’t have a house plant, get one today!
April 1, 2013 Photo by Barb Seibel
Here on Ecuador’s coast, I remain impressed with how fast the plant life grows after the life-giving rainy season arrives. Compare the photo above, taken two years ago, with the one below, taken yesterday. Everything that you see (below) is ‘inside’ that rustic bamboo fence! I am also sobered at how fast things die when those life-giving rains are delayed. It’s a domino effect and we have to begin to reforest our planet one tree at a time.
April 18, 2015 – The native trees, which sprouted as volunteers, are the tallest and hardiest. The birds love the canopy as well. To most people, they’re ‘junk’ trees, but they provide cooling shade, dense mulch and habitat.
A few years ago I winced when I saw a large area of the rolling hillside that had been “clearcut” for agricultural use. The corn, planted at the beginning of the rainy season, began to suffer when the clouds turned off their taps. The suffering corn plants began to tassel at about three-feet tall; the crop was a total loss. The absence of canopy created an inversion of heat, which repelled the life-giving rain clouds. (Other areas received rain.) Even shade-giving living fences would help, but many times almost every tree is destroyed to justify more cropland.
A living fence provides comforting shade in Nicaragua!
We all agree – we’ve created a monster, but what can we do about it? While others with deep pocketbooks go after the big boys, what can we – the little ones – do to help? Apathy is not the answer. We criticize the destruction of the wetlands, the rain forests and the mangroves, but we sometimes forget that our ancestors and possibly our own generation are responsible for loss and desecration of oxygen-giving and life-sustaining woodlands. We’ve traded those resources so that we can build cities, retreat to the suburbs, drive on superhighways, visit shopping malls. We can drive and fly most anywhere we desire- we have it all – at our planet’s expense.
How can Mother Nature fight back?
Vast farmlands, ranches, feedlots and oil fields supply our consumption needs. By using our superior intelligence, we’ve split the atom, explored beyond where the human eye can peer into space, yet we still cannot halt or reverse the damage we’ve done to our planet. Nuclear power reactors backfire, and no one knows how to put some of these monsters to sleep.
Will there be any ancient trees left to tell our story?
We want to halt the destruction, but what’s stopping each one of us from planting trees, and lots of them? If one doesn’t own the land, one can ask permission to plant trees elsewhere! We criticize the oil companies, yet we continue to pump that fuel into our vehicles or make unnecessary trips or keep our homes way too cold in the summertime or way too warm in the winter. We are all partly responsible, and we need to wake up before the canary falls over dead in the birdcage! What will it take for all of us to awaken and adjust our lives to live in closer harmony with nature?
Recently I recommended a book to my friend Bob Ramsak. Bob posted about the Chevron ‘hidden’ tapes that recently came to the public eye. Read Joe Kane’s SAVAGES (1995) and you’ll agree – if an Indian from a remote area of the Amazon finds the courage and drive to take his plea to corporate USA in New York, can’t we be inspired by his story?
Scan the comments on Goodreads/ Savages Here’s one: “Reading this book kinda made me want to burn down every gas station I saw.” (Todd)
Panama City Zoo – Republic of Panama -Mango Tree!
Check out the Chasing Ice documentary site and watch the captivating video clip below:
Our planet is in serious trouble, and we have to push ourselves out the door and become proactive and do something, even if it’s a tiny drop in the bucket. Each drop helps!
Help us get off this road to Hell.
One day this tree will shade (and cool) the house!
Thanks for listening! Now go plant a tree – or ten of them- and remember to use that dishwater for thirsty plants! The monarchs would appreciate a garden showcase of milkweed vines as well!
A lovely host for the monarchs in Latin America…
May our descendants always have live monarchs to admire! ( Acrylic: Monarch – Copyright Lisa Brunetti)
Remember that Earth Day is every day! Z
Lots to ponder here, but my guess is that many, if not most of those who’ll come across this post are already contributing more than their proverbial drop. The debate at the political level needs to change quickly and dramatically. The situation is alarming and exceptional, thus requires an exceptional debate, one beyond the unsustainable ‘jobs vs environment’ cliché that’s simply moving things forward down the wrong path.
Always love the birds in your yard, by the way. 🙂
Thanks, Bob. Just returned from lunch at Exclusivo, and about 30 Ecuadorians on a bicycle tour were having lunch!
You are right – the situation is alarming, and we can’t just stand by like passengers on a train and not looking ahead to see what’s in the path. It’s a train wreck in progress, and it makes me very sad and worried.
z
Well said amiga. There is much amiss and it is easy to complain about it. Plus, we have many who don’t realize anything is wrong. So, we must act and tell others as you have so capably done.
you do your share as well, and i’m proud that hugh recently chimed in. have you seen the recent findings about fracking and rising radon levels in pennsylvania?
Z, I have. The evidence continues to mount that shows this process is anything but perfectly safe. Let ‘s keep banging the drum for more to hear. Have a great rest of your weekend. By the way, I love the wonderful pictures of birds and butterflies. BTG
thanks; the photos reflect one day, but every day is similar yet different!
i wonder if we could turn back the calendar 100 years and have the wisdom and knowledge we do now, what could we do to stop the damage from happening to our planet
It is a nice dream, but I am confident that human’s desire to make money, would still be hard to overcome. The people taking down the rainforest today know it is bad, but still do it to make money.
Terrific post! Unfortunately, when humankind does itself in it will take many, if not most, animal species along with it — including the adorable howler monkeys.
yes, you’re right; we’re not going to go down the whirlpool without dragging down anything possible.
Great post. I do what I can, but I know I drive too much. I live in the desert, so planting trees gives me pause unless they are desert hardy ones that need little water.
I plan to reread this and go back to read all you’ve recommended.
thanks dear emilie! i have no experience of life in a desert and assume that man has had little effect on the desert… appreciate what you have and keep scattering smiles and good will toward mankind!
Your garden is thriving. It must be all the love you give it. Yes, we can all do something every day to be kinder to our earth.
Thanks; the garden started with a barren parking area for the bodega, and then they pushed down the mangroves and filled the area with crushed rock… there was no option except a better one, one that improved a little by little each day. many of the plants are ‘street rescue plants’ — they were waiting for the trash truck!
No wonder they grow; they have been given a second chance. 🙂
you’re probably right!
Thankyou Lisa, this weekend my wife and i planted six rainforest trees in our back paddock with fences to protect them from horses. Maybe in twenty years they will be magnificent but I shan’t be here to see it. Our problem over the next 12 months will be to nurture them regularly to ensure they survive our drought. Locally it is one of the worst in living memory. Although the flowers are very pretty we’ll not be planting milkweed bush it is a noxious weed in Australia, along with several other introduced plants, most of which we seem to have on our property, mainly lantana! We will continue to plant as many trees as we can whilst we are still able to do so. Cheers! Tony
thanks for the report from your area; lantana can get quite prickly and out of control, and yes, it thrives in barren and dry areas here on the pacific coast. i hope that your six trees preside over your area for hundreds and hundreds of years to come, and that they’ll smile on a more-holistic version of our species. thanks, tony!
I’ll drink to that Lisa.
Very good post Z. So much to think about, so many things to change. While many see the needed change, there is many times more that will do nothing to help unfortunately.
thanks, donna. i wonder if we could turn back 100 years of time, and have the knowledge we have now, what could we do to stop this scenario from happening….
I have often thought that. But also to go back to simpler times.
thankfully i sort of live in ‘simpler times, which is why i was drawn to this area….
We went to a presentation by Dr. Robert Ballard this week.He is famous for discovering the Titantic (which was only a cover for locating two sunken American Submarines, one of which was the Thresher). He downplays that discovery in light of the massive work he does as an oceanographer. One of the best presentations we’ve ever seen, and his work as an environmentalist is incredible.
He agrees that we are in the midst of a period of climate warming, partly a natural cycle, significantly contributed to my man-made issues. He makes all of the same claims and warnings that those of us who are aware of the situation hear regularly. But his most chilling comment was this. I’m not worried about the earth. The earth will survive and recover nicely. It’s mankind’s decision as to whether we will be part of that recovery.” Think about it.
Great post, Liza, a message we all need to keep sending out.
thanks for this great feedback! here’s a quote that pairs with yours, from environmentalist Michael McCarthy : “We are the only species capable of destroying our own home. And it looks like we will…”
We are well on our way to destruction, aren’t we. Some argue that we’ve already passed the point of no return. Some say we’re not there yet, but close. All I can say is I’m glad i’m in my twilight years, and won’t see where this is headed.
it won’t be pretty, and some predict it will accelerate sooner than we think. z
I couldn’t agree with you more! I’m always talking to everyone about doing lettle things to help make that change. Even if we don’t think it’s enough, we all have to do our part, and together it will make a difference. The real truth is corporations don’t want to lose money, and their lobbyists push hard on their behalf. Well written Liza, I’m going to repost this if you don’t mind.
“even if we don’t think it’s enough, we all have to do our part, and together it will make a difference.’ thank you for helping!. z
We live in Pedasi, Panama, home of the Azuero Project that is working with the farmers and ranchers to reforest the fields. Wherever there is a natural source of water, they go out and plant trees. The more trees that get planted, the shade of the developing trees enables the natural water source to provide even more water and more trees can be planted. There is more than enough land for the cattle and the cattle like the shade the trees provide.
that is a GREAT story! thank you so much for sharing! whenever my trail returns to panama, i had always hoped to come see where you all live, but now you’re dangling a big carrot to come witness this project! thanks so much for sharing this!
great post Lisa and loved reading the comments. We love the simple life here, as you do, and knowing that we’re adding some drops in the bucket , makes it even more of a blessing.
there are times when we’d like a few conveniences that we left in that other world (ha and our loved ones!) but the simple life truly is rewarding.
I’m a tree planter, water conscious and make all trips off island count, but still, there is more I can do, on our local level. We are fighting the land barons who have deep pockets and political ties. If they win, this island won’t be the same.
re: land barons/politics —-oh that makes my heart hurt. i hope that you win that fight!
i’m not surprised that you’re proactive!
A wake-up-call kind of post, Lisa. Thank you. Together, Ron and I planted over 2 million lob lolly pine trees. We were tree planters for the big paper companies in the southern U.S., but I learned throughout our tree planting experiences that the trees are planted every 20 years after harvesting. That’s encouraging.
We will plant a tree in your honor on our property in Nicaragua. You’ll have to paint a cool coconut head to hang in your new tree. 🙂