Yesterday, July 29, 2017, I went out on a long walk and had a minor, but meaningful, experience. One certainty of being in Belize–life can be found anywhere. Even seemingly barren landscapes not far from the road. On this particular evening, I chose to investigate a slightly flooded lot to see what I could find, and wasn’t disappointed. Signs of life were evident even as I stepped in; green intermingled with brown, old dead plants that had been felled made way for fresher, greener fronds. Clumps of weeds grew up from the standing water, and a ring of trees surrounded the entire lot, some yellow leaves to balance out all the green.
Naturally there was some fauna along with all the flora–I had to step over a trail of red ants as I walked in. Once I was actually inside the lot, I had a quiet stare-off with a white, black, and yellow kiskadee before it flew off. Other birds came and went as I observed. A dragonfly flew by, and a lizard scurried out onto a fallen branch, bobbing its head. In this particular instance, however, it was not what I saw, but what I DIDN’T see that had me the most intrigued. Birds sang, animals scurried about in the bushes, and frogs croaked to each other, even as cars rumbled nearby. In the future I hope to see more in places like this, but for the moment, it is satisfying to be reminded that non-human life can flourish and thrive anywhere.
Nuts for Nature 