Over Thanksgiving break I had the very lucky opportunity to go to Roatan, an island of Honduras. The flora and fauna were beautiful, and that’s where I found my new phenology spot.
Above is a google map of Roatan, and a picture from the place where I stayed. The tropical forest was bursting with plants of all kind, including Coconut Trees, which dropped coconuts in front of our house. My grandfather started a collection. Roatan and Rock Point could not be any different. Roatan was full to the brim of color and warmth. Regularly, Scarlet Macaws would fly overhead, or a Central American Agouti would run across the beach. The plants that make up the ecology include Ferns, Bamboo, Orchids and Palms. This in comparison to the Northern White Cedars, Birches, Clovers and Woody Blue Aster that make up Rock Point in Burlington is stark. The temperature is likely a large contributor to the stark differences in flora. While I was in Roatan, the high was 89 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s only winter. When I arrived back in Burlington, it was 28 degrees Fahrenheit. That alone shows the change in climate.
I’ve included two more photos of the beauty of Roatan. One shows the tropical forest, and the other a mangrove grown in the water. The mangrove particularly interested me, because I haven’t seen anything like it in person before.
As for the gift, I chose my gift to be not leaving anything at all. I was trying to think of something I could do to give back, and I decided the island has been through enough. There is a lot of tourism, and there aren’t many parts of the island left untouched. I decided to pick up trash when I saw it, and leave no trace, as to not further the harm done to the island.