Butterfly Eye

I went for a garden stroll yesterday afternoon, just after a hard rain shower. in the post-storm stillness, the only sounds were my rainboots splashing in fresh puddles and the residual drippity drip from the trees. i had intended to photograph the leaf-cutter ants and their latest conquest amongst our coffee bushes, when i got the sense that someone was watching me. indeed, something had its "eye" on me!

Califo memnon

Owl butterflies thoroughly enchant me. They are not the type to flutter about and mingle in the garden sunshine, rather they prefer dark shady corners and dusk, thus magnifying the intensity of their camouflage. it is rare to see them rest for even a moment, so happening upon this one with camera in hand was a special treat!

A bit further along, I encountered one our most ubiquitous butterfly species, identifiable by its bright red on black wings. Crimson-patched Longwings have been a favorite of mine ever since I recognized them in the rainforest exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

Heliconius erato

I recently learned that Crimson-patched Longwing caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves of passionflowers. que bueno that i've just planted two different varieties in the garden!

Still assuming I was on leaf-cutter ant hunt, I didn't scan the wildflowers along the trail for winged activity. Yet, directly in my path, hovering low over the wet earth, maybe dipping her probiscus to taste a fresh rain drop, this gorgeous creature beckoned my attention. it seemed i had inadvertently acquired butterfly eye!

Siproeta stelenes, commonly known as the Malachite

With this realization, I sharpened my gaze and noticed, they were everywhere! The quiet aftermath of rainstorm is exactly the time for butterfly chasing.

Not sure what type this one is....

Glasswing butterfly, Greta oto

yes! you can actually see THROUGH their wings!!

Banded Peacock or Fatima, Anartia fatima

See with your butterfly eye

PASSIONFLOWERS

At long last, I am so proud to brag that I am growing my all-time favorite flower!!! After many years of oohing and ahhing over its dramatic colors and showy displays, envying other gardens cascading with its tropical vine, even obsessing over its tangy fruit juice, I GREW IT! it is mine. and not just one, but TWO thriving plants!

Without further ado, allow me to introduce my garden's latest showstopper:
The family Passiflora is large and varied, so identifying specific species is a bit out of my league. Passionflowers stand out with their dazzling bold blossoms, typically pollinated by large bees and hummingbirds (both of which I have seen buzzing by this very flower).
Passionflower of course produces passionfruit, a baseball-sized fruit that Nicas call calala, which is popular in juice. In the market they are sold a ripe yellow color, so as of yet, the calala in the photo is not mature.

I can take a pretty good stab at this, my second vine, being the largest of all passionflower varieties, Passiflora quadrangularis.

Granadilla is a gigantic fruit, also containing a tart flesh used for refreshing drinks. It is especially large for growing on a vine, but sorry--I do not actually have any fruit on this guy yet.
isn't this blossom enough???!

The granadilla vine is part of my vision of a natural shade patio; an edible, ornamental, and also functional plant!

the flowers dangle straight down, as will the fruit

For now I am perfecting the art of passionfruit juice so that I'll be ready when my own crop is ripe ;)

Calalas contain dark colored seeds encased in a slimy pulp, which I know, does not look super tasty. but stay with me...

In Nica it is common practice to serve fruit juices with their pulp and/or seeds, leaving you with gulps of chunky beverage to enjoy, or if you're like me, with a tricky "straining of your own glass without looking too gross" technique. Therefore, in making my own batch, I press the pulp through a strainer, extracting as much of the tangy flavor without the actual globs.

Add water in the straining process, about 1 cup per fruit, and sugar to taste.

PASSION in a glass: ¡Deliciosa!

Landscaping take 2

Still in the midst of dryness, but i am putting more effort into keeping things green around the casa. With enough tenacity and arm muscle, it is possible to grow in these thirsty days. I was inspired reading about the new finca at La Mariposa spanish school, where rows of crops are currently being planted and every drop of water is hauled in watering cans!

Trinitaria, known widely as bougainvillea, are a ubiquitous ornamental in Nicaragua. Bursting in various colors and tolerant to our drought season, they are an ideal candidate for a beginner like myself. I planted an assortment of colors, including the purple above, pale pink, fuschia, and white.

I envision bright flowery walls to replace the outdated penitentiary look we have right now...

Another attempt at beautifying is an all-natural shade structure. A simple arbor (here a ramada, indicating a shelter built of sticks, ramas) awaits the rampantly vining granadilla, a large variety of passionfruit.

It seems a a gigantic space to fill, but local gardeners tell me that one plant will easily cover this area.

Granadilla produces gorgeous passionflowers and eventually a tangy tropical fruit. I look forward to a shady outdoor patio where I can escape the scalding sun, sip limonada, and listen to the buzzing cicadas' song.

curly-Q flowers

Actually, the curliness is in the seed pod....
While passing this colorful flower in front of a neighbor's house, my friend Jenny grabbed a handful of seed pods from each of the pale pink, fuchsia, and purple blossoming stalks. After a couple of days in the sun, the fuzzy pods curled up all cute like, then released small black seeds.
Nonchalantly, I planted handfuls of the curly flower seeds next to my doorsteps, a half-hearted attempt to beautify the bare dirt entryways that tend to accumulate junk (coolers, buckets, bicycle tires, you name it). I know this is very bad feng shui, i'm working on it.

What'd ya know???! A mere six weeks later:

Now i understand why so many others line their fences and patios with flor de China, as it is known around here, (no idea of its english name, though i'm fine with Curly-Q Flower.)

Dense green leaves and dazzling colors are sure to disguise, or at least draw the eye away from, our junky doorways. And according to the laws of feng shui, cheerful healthy flowers invite positive energy flow into the home.

There you have it, step 1 of my Landscaped Paradise in progress ;)

flowers for the dead

Día de los Muertos

November 2nd is a day for honoring loved ones, friends and family, who have passed on. It is celebrated differently in many regions around the world, from Latin American to Africa; here is a glimpse of this special day in Nicaragua.

Here, flowers rule the holiday.

The front of the cemetery becomes an impromptu florist market.

Visitors purchase flower bouquets and bundles outside the cemetery gates, many prepared with vases, buckets of water, and ribbons.

It is a day for reconnecting with old friends, and remembering.

Deep Fried Squash Blossoms: a spontaneous breakfast

I got out to the garden early this morning and was beckoned by bright orange squash blossoms! They said " Eat us!" and so I endeavored to do just that.

• First I picked 6 of the blooming beauties, all male blossoms, leaving several on the vine for pollination.
• Rinse and remove stem, stamen, and any lurking insects.
• Prepare filling: I chopped onion, garlic, tomato, chili pepper, cilantro, and baby spinach. and grated 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, plus a dash of salt and pepper.
  
  
  

• Mix filling ingredients together (I chose to sautee the garlic and onion first, eliciting their ultimate flavor potential, which was brilliant as the cheese got nice and melty)
  
  
• Gently stuff the awaiting squash blossoms full. I read that you should twist the petals to close the flower up, but they didn't stay shut for me.
  
  
  
  
• Dip and roll each blossom into first, a slightly beaten egg; second, a mixture of 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup cornmeal + 1 tsp salt
  
  
• Fry baby fry! (did i say this was healthy?) Allow all sides to become a crispy golden brown.
  

• Optional scrambling of leftover egg--I added one more to make the meal complete.
  
  Welcome to yum city! A hearty farm fresh breakfast to kick off the day!
  

Garden Rainbow

For the sake of all the Nica farmers and of my own little garden plants, I have been grateful for the rains that characterize our wet season here. However, day after day of gray skies has left me feeling a little dull and gray myself. I am always cheered by a rainbow, so when the clouds cleared this morning I went out on a hunt.

this bright red blossom surprised me by popping up in a potted plant I inherited

Amongst my thriving nasturtium i discovered a plucky orange

Lots of gardeners scorn spiky thistle plants, but there's no denying these flowers radiate sunlight

(as if i even had to look), my red bean field is currently a carpet of green

I guess i'm out of luck in the blue plant category...

but what a finish with this splash of violet!

i trimmed a cutting of this from a store front garden in town ;) Not sure what it is.

This felt a little Mr. Rogers, but i admit it cheered me up!

rabbit food

Leafy greens are not a big part of the diet here. A vinegary cabbage salad is fairly typical, often mixed with some carrot and onion. You can find iceberg lettuce in the markets, but rarely have i seen it served. While my tolerance for cabbage has developed into an almost fondness, I continually miss the deep green crunchiness of kale, collard greens, chard, and spinach. Most leafy greens prefer cooler temperatures, cooler than we ever get in my area. There are however, many non-traditional edible leaves that i'm learning to grow and love.

Nasturtium took to the dry tropical climate here immediately!

While a bit spicy, both the leaves and flowers of nasturtium are edible and add a crispy delicious zing to a salad.

This one is a little more unusual, a hibiscus relative known as roselle whose flowers are brewed in a popular refresco here, "Te Jamaica"
Turns out the leaves have a tart cranberry-like flavor as well.

And despite the odds, i made multiple attempts to cultivate salad greens:
under the shady eaves of the house I have successfully grown spinach!

Note the elongated horse-proof cage--Lucinda sniffs around my precious spinach every day or so but is unable to reach these well-guarded greens. I harvest the spinach regularly, which may explain why the plants stay so small? that's my guess, unless it is a result of the heat...
For comparison I've started another spinach inside on my kitchen windowsill. time will tell.

Probably the most successful salad supplement are my beet greens!

My beet beauties thrive in a box just outside the house where each day they receive a few hours of strong sun and many hours of cool shade. The greens have produced for several months now, kindly allowing me to snip snip about every other day for a salad, an omelet, taco filling, etc.

Eat your heart out, rabbits!