Planting With The Forest
Green season has arrived in Nosara. It’s that moment when, after months of clear blue skies and no raindrops, everything seems to hold its breath in anticipation… It begins with the yigüirros (our national bird) calling and singing at the top of their lungs. Us Ticos say that they are calling the rains.
Yigüirro, or Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
And then, it’s on. For the next 5-6 months we’ll enjoy plenty of water. In fact, the dry tropical forest of Guanacaste can get more rain during this season than the rainforest.
This is when we plant. Costa Rica’s native flora is incredibly diverse, and choosing what to plant is not always easy. Ornamentals are a common favorite, and anything that attracts butterflies and humming birds gets bonus points. Majestic, emblematic trees are a no-brainer. And sometimes you just have to root for the underdogs.
Arguably, one of those is Miconia elata, also known here as “lengua de vaca”, or “cow’s tongue”. The one pictured above is right outside our kitchen window. At first glance, it’s not particularly remarkable or eye-catching. But then, it explodes into delicate white flowers. Soon after, bees arrive to work their magic, and fruit follows. That’s when the party starts.
Suddenly, this modest tree becomes the talk of the neighborhood. My husband Felipe set up a camera and captured more than 20 different bird species stopping by to enjoy it, along with the occasional howler monkey. For an avid bird watcher and nature enthusiast, it is a gift and a quiet thrill – an invitation to sit, slow down, and enjoy the show. That’s one of the things my family loves about El Bosque - this incredible opportunity to live eye to eye with nature. Here, birds are so close that binoculars become optional.
Seeing the impact of a single Miconia inspired us to reproduce and plant more of them throughout El Bosque. Giving this kind of helping hand to nature is part art, part science, and a bit of magic. It takes careful observation paired with the empirical wisdom passed down through the generations of our garden team members, plus the info in the gigantic plant encyclopedias still used by scientists.
In the near future, as homes are built and daily life unfolds, El Bosque residents will enjoy the morning “rush hour" of birdsong and canopy movement, courtesy of the Miconia and other native species we’re planting today.
