Who knew there was a bar inside a plane in Philipsburg on the Dutch side of the island? Well, there is. It’s also the home of the Sint Maarten Rotary Society.

Here’s a small collection of very small flowers that were living on the exposed northeastern coast of the island. The tip of my index finger is in most of the photos to provide scale. The nature trail that traverses that area is quite enjoyable and highly recommended. According to the documentation, the area is the last remaining littoral forest on the island. The other forested areas are apparently regrown after being cleared for agriculture and firewood during colonial times.

When I collected my first monarch chrysalis parasitic wasps emerged instead of a butterfly. Our second chrysalis was from a checkered swallowtail that had been damaged by a six-year-old throwing it on the ground. Third time was indeed the charm, however, and a lovely monarch emerged from my latest chrysalis. We let him or her hang out in the apartment for the evening and then released it the next day.

Here are a few photos of a moth from Happy Bay that is similar to one I found in La Savane, but has significantly different wing coloration. Perhaps the species is highly variable, either between different areas or different sexes, or perhaps it’s a closely-related species. Since this particular specimen was quite flighty, I tried taking a few mid-flight photos. These aren’t great quality photos, but it actually turned out to be a good way to see parts of the wing that aren’t visible when it is resting.

Here are a few more creature photos, including the most common local anole (Anolis gingivinus), a true bug and an unidentified moth.

One night as we went out for dinner we were treated to an odd sight: a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) standing in a tiny dinghy. Seeing a bird roost on a boat is not uncommon, but this is the first time we’ve seen a bird so big on a boat so small. Great blue herons are apparently not very common around here, and it was funny to watch him keep his balance on the boat as it rocked back and forth.

I need to do some research into the history of the abandoned Happy Bay condominium project, but in the meantime, here are a few more photos of the abandoned buildings.

In addition to finding what seem to be three species of gecko on Pinel Islet, I also encountered some wingless cockroaches and a strange and hostile-looking creature that I believe may be some species of vinegaroon, which are apparently harmless. There was also a large brown spider. All three creatures were found in the leaf litter of the small forested part of the island.

When we stopped by the airport to pick up Paul we spent a little time at the Sunset Beach Bar, which is on the beach at the end of the runway of Princess Juliana Airport. It’s a popular place to hang out and watch the jets come in (and the little prop planes, too).

On our second visit to the mangroves at the edge of Baie Lucas, we encountered less than ideal visibility. We did take some photos and video near the mangroves and further out in the bay, including some of the gregarious anemones that cling to the mangrove roots. Due to a lack of active research on Caribbean anemones, it is basically impossible to identify them exactly, although they closely resemble what is cited as the sponge anemone in the popular Reef Creature Identification guide.

The shots of green feather algae (Caulerpa sertularioides) and green mermaid’s wine glass (Acetabularia crenulata) feature a snow globe-like effect from particulate matter in the water.