It is the end of summer here when you can expect very hot, dry weather, and different flowers and fruits. One of the most spectacular things of this time are the guayacán trees. The article below says they bloom when the rains come back, but here it seems to happen when we still have dry summer. If we are lucky the trees burst out with brilliant yellow flowers and if there is no wind to blow them all off the trees, they will last for a few days.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/guayacan-forest-ecuador
Today was a good day! I set off on a longer bike ride and the trees were gorgeous all over town. These are a few pictures, but they hardly do the trees justice. They are brilliant yellow and will catch your eye every time you see one. I wish I could bring you all with me so you could see them for real!
It has been an odd summer though. Summer is from about mid December to mid April. We may get some rain in December but by late January, we are lucky if we get one or two rains before April. This year, however, we have gotten a number of rains, some of them impressive downpours. People who count on the dry weather of summer may not be happy, but the plants and those of us who appreciate some cooling and more greenery are very happy.
I have planted mani (perennial peanut) as a ground cover in the back yard. Usually by this time of year it looks brown and toasted, but as you can see here, it is lush and green, and if the picture was better you could see how many yellow flowers it has.
Another very favorite part of summer in mangoes! There are many varieties of mangoes here, and some very old trees that are amazingly big. One advantage of my running around is I know where there are some trees on unoccupied lots where you can pick up the fruit off the ground. Or if you ask nicely, chances are that anyone with a full mango tree will be happy to share.
Avocadoes are also hanging off the trees, and should be ready in another month or two. I remember the joke in Florida – Why do you need to lock your car? Because if you don’t, you will come back and find it full or oranges! It’s kind of like that here, Anyone with avocadoes will have tons of them, and will be looking to share with anyone who likes them. The avocadoes here are large and delicious, so of course I am happy to help.
These are another of my spring flowers, corcuma. They are a member of the ginger family and closely related to tumeric. The bulbs have many health benefits and can be use to flavor food. I bought one flower from a guy in the street for $1, and over the last few years they have grown and multiplied so much that I have had to thin them a lot, and I still have clumps in many places. I think the flowers are beautiful, and then later they will have pretty green leaves with purple veins. They die back in the dry season and reappear, flowers first, when the rains are coming back.
So, that is what is happening here, where nothing much ever happens. We read about awful storms, fires, and other disasters up north, and we feel so bad for the people suffering in all that. Here, we are just hot, or maybe wet if we get another rain, and we are very thankful.
