Wild Tamarind

As the name suggests, Wild Tamarind grows wild all over Barbados. The leaves look like those of a tamarind tree, and it produces bean-like seed pods - a lot less fleshy than those of a tamarind though. The flowers are pretty little white puff balls that only last a day and are best seen early in the morning.

I’ve seen parrots and sparrows (bullfinches) feeding on the green seed pods and the new leaves, so lots of people that keep birds will pick them as a free food source for their birds. I’ve also seen monkeys eating the new seed pods and the young leaves (their salad).

As the seed pods ripen, they get hard and turn dark brown, and once they burst and the seeds are dispersed, they spring up into new plants very quickly.

The roots of the Wild Tamarind go quite deep into the ground, so once they are established, they can be quite difficult to get rid of. If left alone, they will grow into small trees, and it is not uncommon to see a thick wood of Wild Tamarind trees growing wild around Barbados.

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

Reef Life in Barbados

When people think of Barbados, the first thing that comes to mind is not usually fabulous reefs and marine environments, however, there is a lot to look at and it’s improving all the time as steps are taken to preserve our reefs.

I visited the Drill Hall Beach (on the south coast) recently at low tide and was so amazed at how much there was to see on the reef without getting my feet wet. This would not have been the case at high tide.

There were all sorts of well camouflaged tiny fish that were the colour of the sand, but if you looked closely you could spot one darting under a rock. I saw sea urchins, sea centipedes and sea spiders and, to my untrained eye, they all seemed healthy.

I did not go in the sea, but I am quite sure that if I were suitably attired and donned my snorkeling gear, I would have been equally impressed with what I saw on the reef further from shore.

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

Seaside Plants & Trees in Barbados

Being a small island, much of the vegetation that flourishes on Barbados has a bit of tolerance to salt as you can never be too far away from it. Visit any beach and mahoe trees, manchineel trees and seagrape trees are in abundance. On more arid and windswept parts of the island and right on the beach, seaside morning glory, milkweed and coarse grasses thrive.

Most of these plants are quite harmless, but manchineel is very poisonous. Sheltering under one of these during rain (or afterwards when it’s still dripping) will result in blistering of the skin. The tree produces small apple-like fruit that you shouldn’t even touch. Manchineel trees are particularly common on west coast beaches, but they are usually labelled in some way - a red stripe or an ‘X’ to indicate that it is poisonous.

Casuarina trees and wild geranium are also fairly hardy and thrive in drier windier locations with some salt thrown in. Though these trees and plants can be found inland, they are more frequently found in coastal areas, especially areas that are a bit wild, as other plants will suffer in the saltier environment.

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

Asparagus Fern

Asparagus Fern (Asparagus setaceus) grows wild all over Barbados, particularly at higher, moister elevations, and with a bit of shade. It’s commonly used by florists in flower arrangements, so is in high demand.

Asparagus fern has a very delicate structure and is not actually a fern at all. As far as I know it is used strictly for decorative purposes, and if allowed to grow unrestricted, it can become a huge plant.

The stems are quite tough and there are thorn-like protuberances at regular intervals which makes handling the plant a delicate matter - gloves are a good idea. Simple small green berries are produced, which darken with age, and become almost black in colour.

Asparagus Fern (Asparagus setaceus) does not grow well in direct sunlight, and if cuttings are placed in water, they will remain green for quite a long time. Alternatively, they will dry out very quickly and turn brown if allowed to dry out.

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

Shagga Crab

I don’t know the real name for this crab, but I’ve grown up knowing it as a Shagga. It’s a saltwater crab found on rocks all around Barbados.

As you can see from the photograph, the Shagga crab’s camouflage is outstanding. It’s easy to look at a rock and miss it completely unless the crab moves.

You can go to any beach or cliff that’s on the water anywhere on Barbados, sit and watch closely, and you’ll see these crabs. They live on the rocks. I’ve never seen one swimming nor on the sand, so I think they live their entire life on rocks and cliff faces.

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

Barbados Green Monkeys

Saw this huge troop of Green Monkeys outside my back door a couple mornings ago. Don't think I've ever seen such a large troop, so it was pretty cool. Unfortunately they were too spread out for me to get a photo of the entire troop.

There were lots of juveniles, at least one very pregnant female plus others, and, of course, the dominant male. There were probably two dozen in all, maybe more. They didn't stick around for very long, but long enough for me to enjoy them and their frolicking.

Things have started to dry up a bit on the island, so monkeys are having to roam further afield to find food and water - this is when fruit trees take a hit.

I love being able to watch them at such close quarters, but I wouldn't mind at all if they didn't poop on my deck.

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

Seaside Morning Glory

Seaside Morning Glory is a hardy vine that grows on the beach and other salty windswept environments all around Barbados, but particularly on the north, east and south-east coasts of the island. The vine grows very quickly and can overtake an area if allowed to get out of hand.

The leaves are thick and hardy, but the flowers are very delicate. They are at their best early in the morning, and have wilted by afternoon. The seaside morning glory is good for helping to hold the sand on the beaches and though it will die off a bit in dry weather, once the rains start to come, they grow rapidly, much like a weed.

The specimens shown in these photographs were found growing on rocky outcrops on the east coast of Barbados, areas seemingly devoid of soil.

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