Dear Jeff, It is not that simple as you think and say: If you have one, you have the entire set Even the great lumper, the late Ted Anderson, accepts 3 varieties of this taxon growing on different islands of this archipelago. There are J. thouarsii v. thouarsii, v. sclerocarpus and v. delicatus. Others name even more. It's the same with the ''Willies', almost each island carries its own subspecies. Jordi

Thanks! Yesterday, I ended up planting a couple more small pindo palms and another windmill palm and placed an order for 2x brazos blackberries (blackberry x raspberry x dewberry hybrid), 2x 'austin' dewberries, 2x black beauty mulberries, 1x methley plum, and 1x conadroia fig. I've been wanting a black mulberry for some time, but I didn't want want that got as big as a tree. These black beauty mulberries are said to be semi-dwarfing, getting a maximum of about 15'. Only one of them will be planted on my property. I bought two because I heard they were hard to propagate and wanted to give it to someone as a gift. As far as whether or not I'll be able to grow all of this stuff in this area, the jury is still out. Aronia and autumn olives are things I haven't really heard anyone ever growing in Florida before, and the pacific northwest blue elderberries probably won't do well here because of the huge climate difference between Florida and Washington, but I'm going to try anyway. Some of the things may live but not fruit due to not enough chill hours or even having too much shade in certain areas. A good example of something going wrong in the shade was when our family use to have a large persimmon tree, a tanenashi I believe, and when it got to around 20', its limbs started growing toward the sun, and one day, it had so much weight all on one side of the tree that the roots came out of the ground. It did fruit before that but somewhat sparsely. Just another note about getting lots of plants in two acres. I wasn't totally in to all of the small plants and flowers when we started landscaping this place, and I even chose a few wrong trees initially to plant and ended up pulling them up before they got too big. When I say I chose the wrong plants, I mean I realized that there was very limited prime (somewhat higher and better draining - clear from driveways, access, lawn mowers, - full-sun) space and wanted that space for "better" things. Ever since then, I've tried to figure out what would work best at all of the "other" spaces in the property. There are plants that may like low land with full sun, and then there are plants that like shade but don't like wet feet. Finding plants that would work in a low/shady area that I actually liked have been a challenge. Local nurseries generally haven't been much help either. They just say plant some bald cypress, red maples, or river birch and be done with it! The size plants grow have also been an issue even in the better areas of the yard. Thankfully, almost all of my fruit trees are semi-dwarf, and a few are real dwarfs, and they can be pruned down to a manageable size. I'd be lying if I said I always put plants in the perfect location though. It's part of having a limited space and trying to experiment and make use out of every part of it, see what will happen. It makes things interesting. It's disappointing when it doesn't work out, but it's great when it does!

Here is our itinerary... I have never wanted to do a tour-based, prescribed sort of trip, but I am kind of happy about not having to think too much! Just show up! Seems like we'll have some down time later in each day, though. GUAYAQUIL __ _ June 2014 (1 Night) DAY 1: GUAYAQUIL: Upon arrival, private transfer to Oro Verde Hotel. DAY 2: GUAYAQUIL: Breakfast. At appropriate time, private transfer to the airport. BALTRA __ _ DAY 2: BALTRA: Upon arrival, connection flight to Isabela Island. ISABELA ISLAND __ _ (4 Nights) DAY 2: ISABELA ISLAND: Upon arrival, private transfer to Iguana Crossing Hotel. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant in town. After lunch we will walk to the Flamingo Lagoon. DAY 3: ISABELA ISLAND: Breakfast. The Tunnels of Cape Rosa Prepare yourself for one of the best days of this trip! After sailing for 45 minutes from Puerto Villamil, we will reach Cape Rosa on the western side of the island. This is one of the most beautiful and amazing places nature has bestowed upon humankind. Here we can walk over the connected lava tunnels surrounded by the crystal sea waters. From the surface, you will be able to see dozens of sea turtles, penguins and rays. You can also snorkel or simply swim along this rich marine fauna. As we sail to and from Isabela, we might be able to see manta rays of different sizes - a truly unique experience. And if it is their mating season, we will watch them floating upside-down on the surface, waiting to have their pictures taken. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant. In the afternoon you can enjoy the beach by your own. DAY 4: ISABELA ISLAND: Breakfast. Sierra Negra Volcano Today our guide will meet you at the hotel and take you to one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world - Sierra Negra. Its crater is approximately 7 kilometers wide. We will take a 4h trekking tour to enjoy this wonderful and unique scenery. Lunch in a local farm called Campo Duro (or the Housers) where we will also watch Isabela Giant Tortoises. DAY 5: ISABELA ISLAND: Breakfast. Seven paths - Wall of Tears - Tintoreras This day we will visit the “Wall of Tears”. This historical place was built by the prisoners of the Ecuador’s first jail. On our way back we will stop at the Orchilla viewpoint. From the top you can see the entire coastal wetland system including Poza de los Diablos, Puerto Villamil, the beaches, the volcanoes and the islets to the south-east of Isabela. Love Beach, has a rocky sea Access and Tunel del Estero, a path with adequate lava plates ending in a staircase inside a lava tunnel. Above the tunnel you can see the intertidal landscape that offers a tapestry of Galapagos Sesuvium between "El Tunel del Estero" and Love Beach. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant. Back to Puerto Villamil town, we will visit Tintoreras Islets. Herds of white tip sharks can often be seen here, resting around the lava canals. You can also observe hundreds of marine iguanas, as "Las Tintoreras" are one of their main breeding sites. On the nearby sandy beaches, sea lions play and relax in the sun. Afterwards we will have an opportunity to snorkel. Return to the hotel and lodging. DAY 6: ISABELA ISLAND: Breakfast. At appropriate time, private transfer to the Baltra airport. BALTRA __ _ DAY 6: BALTRA: Upon arrival, connection flight to Guayaquil. GUAYAQUIL __ _ (1 Night) DAY 6: GUAYAQUIL: Upon arrival, private transfer to Oro Verde Hotel. DAY 7: GUAYAQUIL: Breakfast. At appropriate time, private transfer to the airport.

I saw some of those on Oahu several years ago while I was bike riding. I noted with disgust that several of these large snails had been intentionally, I thought, run over. Afterward, I mentioned it to a friend who lives on the island and she said that they are so destructive that if they see them, they kill them. I don't like the thought but totally get it. Otherwise, I really like small snails that don't eat my garden plants, and very much enjoyed a book called The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova.