While some members were in Guadeloupe to hike, some were busy with the regatta and some were undoubtedly discouraged by the heavy rain through the night and early morning, seven people did show up for the SXM Trails hike this morning. The route was quite nice, starting at Hope Estate and taking us around Étang Chevrise, down Orient Beach and back up over the hill and down through the rock quarry area. Highlights included a large group of brown pelicans on the pond (at least 25), an American kestrel in Orient Bay and at least six types of spider.

Here are a few photos of our trip to Marigot yesterday to watch the regatta. Having taken a nap on the pier while everyone watched the boats come in, there are no photos of sailboats.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to join a Eric Francius, a botanist from Guadeloupe, as he conducted a cactus survey with help from Marie and the interns from the Reserve Naturelle. Friday’s survey was at Babit Point in Oyster Pond, an area that the Reserve Naturelle is trying to establish as part of the reserve.

En route, I walked from Quartier d’Orléans, passing Étang aux Poissons, Baie de l’Embouchure and Coralita Beach. It was a lovely walk just after a rainstorm.

The cactus survey focused on one of three species of cactus in the area, Melocactus intortus, often referred to as turk’s head or pope’s head cactus. When healthy, these cacti have a single cephalium (the red part that sticks up) and produce small, pink fruits. Under stress, if they are kicked over by a donkey, for example, they create many small cactus buds. The survey counted the number of adults and immature cacti and recorded the number of cephalia on each cactus. Multiple areas were surveyed, including flat areas with other vegetation and the preferred habitat of steep, rocky hillside.

Eric taught me quite a few things about cacti. One thing I didn’t know was that cacti are all native to the Americas. He also explained that there is an Argentinian pyralid moth that feeds on cactus, particularly opuntia. This moth was used to control invasive cacti in Australia, South Africa and St. Kitts, but now is spreading around the Caribbean, threatening native cacti. The large, orange and black caterpillar is found inside the cactus pad.

The survey location was also a convenient vantage point to watch the sailboats participating in the Heineken Regatta.

While there, I stumbled upon a fly that was busily engaged in something on an unopened candlestick cactus flower bud. It was extending its abdomen and rubbing it against the flower bud, strongly suggesting that it was trying to lay eggs inside it. Although it briefly left a couple times, it was doing this for at least fifteen minutes. Close examination of the bud revealed some sort of liquid left on the surface, but it was unclear what this was. Photos will be sent to a specialist.

Harmony Nights happen on Tuesdays in Grand Case for about twelve weeks during the high season. Last Tuesday came at the end of the French side carnaval, so the dancers had flower-themed outfits, which was the theme of this year’s carnaval. Each week there is a different marching band, bands playing on the street and various stalls selling various stuff. The Rhythm Boys were playing near the cultural center, and I particularly liked the bass box that the bassist was playing.

The rock dove, or what most people think of as a pigeon or a rat with wings, is quite common in Philipsburg and Marigot, but I don’t see it much outside of those cities. It was a bit of a surprise to see a flock land in St. Louis, but it was also a good chance to get a few photos of them without concrete in the background. Plus, they really are quite pretty. That said, hopefully they will remain mostly centered around the big cities rather than displacing the several native species of dove and pigeon on the island.

Here are a few photos taken on a walk around the lower part of Pic Paradis and nearby St. Louis. Although it is the dry season and many of the smaller plants have dried up, there is still a fair amount of insect life on the plants that remain, particularly those in bloom. A small puddle of water remaining in a dry stream bed has the makings of a tragedy for the hundreds of guppies sharing the space while it lasts.

Across the main road in St. Louis the crest of the hill is quite dry, but the valleys are green and covered in Mexican creeper. A gigantic tree dwarfs a makeshift bar area near its trunk. Across the street at George’s snack shop, he shared some stories with me about the old days. Apparently, when they were building the first vacation houses near Baie Longue, the road was made of sand and was often entirely covered with red crabs. George said it was a beautiful sight in the sun. He also said that visitors from Guadeloupe were amazed that people on St. Martin didn’t eat that type of crab. I left a copy of the book there so people could look at it while waiting for their lunch.

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My stray critter photo selection from February is pretty sparse, and almost entirely spiders, mostly really small ones. There is also some kind of tiny insect from under our mop. If anyone can ID any of these invertebrates, let me know!

Sunday’s hike with the SXM Trails hiking association was another terrific one. It started in Quartier d’Orleans on the Moho trail. Apparently Moho is a large stone that was carved by pre-columbian Amerindians. The hike up the windward side of Pic Paradis started primarily in a somewhat overgrown ravine, but the vegetation got increasingly sparse as we climbed the slope. This is quite a contrast to the lush vegetation on the leeward side that we experienced on the descent into Colombier. The trail on that side was lush enough to remind me a bit of Saba. We ended the hike as the second day of the Arrowroot Jollification was winding down and enjoyed a cup of delicious arrowroot pap.

Today we attended the annual Arrowroot Jollification in Colombier. Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) is a tropical plant cultivated for its starchy roots. A jollification is a St. Martin custom similar to an Amish barn-raising, where a community comes together to complete a task, such as building a house, fixing a wall, or preparing arrowroot, while also having food together and hanging out.

The main steps of the arrowroot process include harvesting the roots, cleaning them and removing the skin, pounding them in large mortars and then straining the pounded root with water to separate the starch from the fiber. The starch ends up in the water, and once it has settled, the water is carefully removed and the remaining starch water is dried in the sun.

The jollification also included food and drink stands, a DJ and a youth marching band. The event was really fun, and attendees are encouraged to participate in the arrowroot preparation, particularly the pounding. The jollification will continue tomorrow.

We also happened to see some interesting things on our walk into and out of Colombier. The small stream that runs through the valley is completely dry in many places, including areas that were home to crayfish and three species of fish just one month ago.