Studying nature with a bad foot
I am on the lovely Caribbean island of Nevis for four weeks, but I have my left foot in a stiff and heavy medical CAM boot, and the right foot with a big rubber "even-up" layer strapped onto my sneaker. This is because of severe Achilles tendinitis (correction -- tendinosis) in the left leg, and therefore I am also under doctor's orders to minimize my walking as much as possible.
This has some pluses as well as some minuses. Although I can't walk down to the main road and go to the various beaches every day on foot or on the bus as I usually would, I can nonetheless walk around the small yard of the rental house to some extent, or even go up and down the lane a little bit, as long as I am careful not to do very much.
Because my scope for exploration is severely limited, this is causing me to concentrate my awareness and my searching efforts, in order to find as many different species as possible within this small and somewhat ecologically impoverished area of a few houses and a few vacant lots that are mostly overgrown with invasive species.
I think this is actually good discipline for me as a naturalist! I have to focus really intently and therefore manage to find things that normally I would not notice.
I have included here some of the more picturesque things I have found so far in this small area.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Acacias, Mimosas, Mesquites, and Allies (Subfamily Mimosoideae)Observer
susanhewitt
Photos / Sounds
What
Tropical Bull Nettle (Cnidoscolus urens)Observer
susanhewittDescription
Oooo, this is nasty stuff, terrible stings, and on Nevis I have seen it in one place grow to be 9 feet tall.
Photos / Sounds
What
Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa)Observer
susanhewittDescription
There are a fair number of these lovely little sulphur butterflies around here.
Photos / Sounds
What
Isogona scindensObserver
susanhewittDescription
Found by. sweeping a net through lawn vegetation that was grown somewhat high after a month of not being cut.
Then chilled to be still before photographing. Then released.
Photos / Sounds
What
Wall Spiders (Genus Oecobius)Observer
susanhewittDescription
This was outdoors, under a window sill.
A spider egg case protected by a silk net. The silk net was not much more than 12 mm from one end to the other.
Comments
Let's see, Nevis in a CAM boot or northeast rain, snow and cold - I'd take the boot :-) My grandson is wheelchair bound and uses a beach wheelchair, generally available from local cities, hotels or beach rentals. Not sure they are available in Nevis but may be worth checking into. I wish you the best.
Thanks Ellen! A beach wheelchair is a cool idea -- I guess it has very fat tires. We don't rent a car on Nevis, but I can order a taxi as needs be. One of the coastal areas/beaches that I usually go to requires crossing a fairly short distance over rough ground with tall weeds and rocks. I do have a cane. I am not going to push myself. I am going to wait a few more days before I go to any beach I think.
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