Soldier Crab Houses

I’ve seen lots of soldier crabs recently, all with regular discarded crab shells of various sizes, colors and shapes as their “home”, but a few days ago, I saw one wearing a shell that topped the lot.

I was putting out food for the tortoises, which the soldier crabs and red crabs share, when I saw a large “snail” walking around. I had to do a double take as this shell was just not moving like a snail. Then I realized that the giant african snail shell was occupied by a large soldier crab. How cool is that!

I watched for a while before proceeding with my other chores, and so sorry folks, but I didn’t have my camera with me … as seems to happen when I see the really cool stuff.

I know soldier crabs will inhabit all kinds of different things as their mobile home, but this was definitely a first for anything other than a snail occupying a giant african snail shell. A much better use that sitting empty and collecting water in which mosquitos can breed.

If you’d like to read more about Barbados, please visit my other blog, Things Barbados.

Swifts in Barbados? Yes We Do

One doesn’t normally think of swifts as birds found in the Caribbean, but there certainly are some here in Barbados.

I am presently working on the east coast of the island on a property that sits at the top of a 90 foot cliff. Recently, we have been noticing a family of swifts in the area. They swoop and climb and dive at high speed as they catch tiny insects. The speed and control is impressive (me and my camera cannot keep up with them … sorry).

We had a day of rain recently which brought even more insects out, so these birds were in their element. There seems to be three pairs, perhaps nesting in the cliff face itself, and they have endless energy.

I love to stand and watch them do their acrobatics - I totally get the excitement of a wing suit … hang gliding or paragliding just don’t come close.

The swifts also have a very recognizable call, especially when one of the household cats is prowling. At the end of my work day I spend a few moments watching them dive and swerve, feeling every movement as if I were a part of them, before I return to reality and start my journey home.

If you’d like to read more about Barbados, please visit my other blog, Things Barbados.

Budding Ball Cactus

My ball cactus obviously likes where it is located as it is set up to flower again, and this time, there are eight buds coming. The first one (maybe two) will open either tonight or tomorrow night. Once the flowers start to move it all happens very quickly, so I have to remember to look out around eight or nine o’clock tonight to check progress and snap some shots.

It looks like the opening of the other six buds will also be staggered. Wouldn’t it be amazing if all eight opened at the same time?

To think that I found the original ball growing wild in the hills on the east coast of Barbados. It was just about an inch in diameter, and within three months of putting it in a pot, the first flower was out. I was really surprised that it flowered so quickly. That was three years ago. It’s gone from one flower the first year (around October of that year), to eight magnificent specimens this year. And yes, I know they will all be magnificent. And it’s in the same pot in the same location - I would not dream of moving it.

I'll add a couple more pics as the flowers open. And here are the flowers in all their glory taken around 6 o'clock this morning.

If you’d like to read more about Barbados, please visiting my other blog, Things Barbados. 

Seed Pods in Abundance

Right now as I sit on my deck looking over a wild and bushy area that was covered in sugar cane twenty years ago, many of the wild tamarinds that grow profusely and are very hardy, actually look like they are dead as they are all covered in brown. On closer inspection, the brown is thousands upon thousands of seed pods.

A variety of trees and shrubs are covered in seed pods right now, and from a distance, gives vegetation a very drab and almost dead appearance.

Women’s Tongue trees are covered in pale beige seed pods that are about nine or ten inches long and interspersed with dark green leaves. The wild tamarinds are almost leafless, and look like dry sticks save for a canopy of rich dark brown pods about six or seven inches in length.

I passed a Pride of India tree yesterday and thought how strange it was that the flowers had all turned brown. Then I realised that the tree’s canopy was a mass of dark brown seed pods about four or five inches long. It was quite striking.

It’s been a very interesting time in Barbados for trees and shrubs because of the lack of rain, something we haven’t experienced to this degree for several years.

If you’d like to read more about Barbados, please visit my other blog, Things Barbados.

Blooming Barbados

The photo above shows a huge bougainvillea bush that is blooming magnificently. This is what I mean when I talk about flowering during the dry season. Notice the very brown grass that is not actually dead, just very very dry. Once we’ve had a few showers of rain, that grass will turn green almost overnight.

Everything is covered in flowers like this at the moment and more still coming into bloom. I saw a yellow flamboyant yesterday that is just starting to flower. A week from now it will be absolutely covered in lemon yellow flowers.

I would imagine that a similar thing is happening throughout the Caribbean at the moment as everywhere has been experiencing very dry weather, something that helps bring out an abundance of flowers. 

One of my cacti has put out five flower stalks - I can’t wait to see them all. Last year we got three. And if they happened to open together ... oh my, what a sight that would be. The flowers only last a few hours, opening around 9 pm and then closing shortly after dawn. I check progress daily.

If you’d like to read more about Barbados, please visit my other blog, Things Barbados.