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Published Friday, March 19, 2021
By Victoria Torley
The sun is coming! I’ve seen it (well, in between showers), and the birds know it. The male Montezuma oropendolas are courting females, flashing their colors, and calling to proclaim ownership of local territories where they will mate with and defend two nests or sixty. Pretty soon, the clay-colored robins will be back and calling from the trees. Spring in Costa Rica.
Spring means other things here. Trees in bloom then setting fruit. Having to water the garden. Looking for shade on hot afternoons.
Ah, yes, shade. We have a small stream running through the property, and naturally, it is heavily forested. By law, trees cannot be removed within a certain distance from a stream—what a great place for a shade garden. We didn’t have to plant anything and wait years for it to grow up; we merely had weeds, low vegetation, and cuttable trees (small diameter) taken down to make a solid footpath that meanders through the forest. Armando has finished a bridge across the stream, so there is no more excuse for wet feet. We discovered the nutmeg tree in the shade garden. I’m sure someone must have planted it but have no idea who or when.
Of course, a shade garden doesn’t have to be too large, just a few trees grouped together. Perhaps a Malinche and a frangipani or two attractively grouped. For extra cooling on hot days, a fountain protected from falling flowers and leaves by netting. Netting will save you extra work – trust me, I dealt with it in Georgia. Cleaning a fountain or a small pond is icky work. No, thank you, I’ll just keep the leaves out altogether. Add some flowers and an excellent groundcover, and you have the perfect setting for a few comfortable chairs. Perfect relaxation.
Things have not been too relaxing around here lately. A local rancher asked if he could graze his cattle on the property. Naturally, we said ‘yes.’ Cows are wonderful for two things: cutting the grass and fertilizing it. We have a lot of grass. In exchange for grazing rights, he has agreed to do some fence work. An honest hard-working man. He even sent one of his ranch hands out here for a few days until the cattle settled in.
The problem? For about a month, a heifer has been wandering up and down our road, occasionally getting onto the property. No one knew where she came from or why she was loose. We were unable to catch her. Enter the ranch hand with a rope.
Sadly, this untended, unfed, uncared for heifer was infested with bot fly larvae, fleas, ticks, and assorted pests. Our rancher recognized the brand and called the owner. But, the owner never came. This morning, she went down, weakened by infection.
Five or six liters of milk and some quickly purchased feed, she is still alive as of this writing.
Why do I mention this? Abandoned and mistreated animals are a plague. Every province has a resident representative of SENASA, which oversees the treatment of such animals. I have called our representative and hope he will look at the pictures of this heifer since we do not want to return her to her owner.
No flower today, and, trust me, you don’t want to see a picture of the calf.
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Editor's note: For more information on this article Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached at victoriatorley1@gmail.com
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