You would think with all the brugs there, Costa Rica would make it their national flower. I don't think they were wild, but the natural way they were planted all over hillsides and up and down driveways made them look wild. They also had tons of different colors, peach, white, yellow. It's against the law to take plants from one country to another & for good reason. Diseases can be transmitted to areas that have no built in resistance & invasives can be deceptively pretty. I had to laugh last year because my friend from NH came to visit last summer & thought kudzu was beautiful! She was putting roots in baggies to take home when I told her she might be sorry. My friends also gathered tons of seashells but couldn't get through customs with those either. My one poor brug I took in the house died over the winter. I have almost no sun. I am wondering if the tree size one might grow again as it was a warm winter. Now that I see how cool they look in groups I need MORE BRUGS! I'm trying to start some seeds, so I'll have something for the swap. I'm counting on a getting some there... Enjoy the warm spell everyone! Here's a little ode to I wrote: Spring Green tongues of hyacinth & daffodils lick at the sun. Birds begin inspecting holes in the oak. Spring does not come in one day, but one day it is surely spring. Yesterday one pretty bird on a branch fluttered her wings and chirped. A saucy song. Many mates gathered round. Spring! It is finally here. Spring!

While I live in Costa Rica, and have Nepenthes'Maxima' & Nepenthes 'Alata' I don't think they are native to Costa Rica. These are two of the few plants I have actually purchased. My husband just loves them! I grow Kohleria 'bogatensis', which many 'experts' in the USA say don't grow here. Cochlospermum vitifolium or locally known as 'Poró poró' is interesting. I have some photos on my site.www.costaricafinca.net Contact me from there, if you want more info.

I am in search of a Birds-of-Costa-Rica guide with range maps that are color-coded to indicate season (as most good bird guides have). I have Birds of Costa Rica by Garrigues and Dean, which is the book most people recommend, and is a marvelous guide � except that the range maps are all the same color, so for any given bird I cannot tell if it is a year-round, winter, or summer resident (can�t tell from the map, in some cases the description says, but in most cases, no). I will be in Costa Rica in late May/early June (not the best time to be there, but it isn�t my choice). I am studying up on Costa Rica birds but I�m really only interested in those that will be there when I am there. So, any recommendations will be appreciated. Thanks.

Thats it for now, I will show a pic or two of the tire wall so you can see how it is from further away. Normaly these walls get covered with cement and stucco or adobe. But I hate working with cement and cant buy it right now. So I think the plants and trees look nicer than just tires and bottles.. There are ficus,bouganvilla and a bunch more plants on there. Is it the ugliest thing ever? Maybe. But the plants help a lot. And to me its not so bad. Anyway, hope y'all liked seeing most of my s/c collection. Tomorrow I need to ask about a sad jade that I want to help. Earthships are awesome houses when finished, they take care of the inhabitants. And they are usualy off grid but have everything a "normal" house has. But they are far better than box shaped easy to build buildings that cant feed you. And in the desert they dont use or have A/C. They dont need it due to thermal mass and being super efficient. Check them out. Someday I'll finish mine.. I hope its interesting to folks. No house is "greener".. Thanks for looking, comments are welcome.