| After spending many vacations in Cancun, Mexico, I | | | | into the jungle, in the Playacar section. I went in there |
| decided to take the plunge and move there to study | | | | and walked around, to see the different birds that |
| the beautiful nature I'd admired in my previous trips. | | | | usually are hidden by jungle. One bird took a fancy to |
| Having lived many years in the comfort and safety of | | | | me, a barred currasow who followed me everywhere. |
| American suburbia, it was time for some adventure. | | | | She was my feathered tour guide, and posed for |
| After learning Spanish, I went to the Yucatan and | | | | photos freely. I finally got to see a chachalaca up |
| rented a home in suburban Playa del Carmen and | | | | close, a relative to a turkey, that is shy, loud (its call |
| hired myself a maid. Then, with help from hired guides | | | | sounds like a rusty meat grinder), and travels in groups. |
| and friends, I visited a variety of remote places in the | | | | Also, there were red ibis, more flamingos, egrets, and |
| Mexican jungles. It was an unforgettable experience to | | | | much more. The aviary is a must see if you visit |
| see a variety of animals in their natural habitats. | | | | Playacar. |
| The ever-growing city of Playa del Carmen is an hour | | | | Another interesting natural sector in the Yucatan were |
| south of Cancun, and easily accessed by public buses. | | | | all the bugs. Insects of every kind, in great quantities. I |
| Both cities are on the Caribbean Sea, where coral | | | | could've done without all the mosquitoes, though, thank |
| reefs abound up and down the coastline. The beauty | | | | goodness for bug repellent. My favorites were the |
| of pure white, limestone sand, and richly colored, | | | | butterflies. Sometimes when driving down remote |
| turquoise water of the ocean drew me down there. | | | | roads, we came across undulating masses of various |
| Being a nature artist, I was fascinated by the plants | | | | butterfiles colored yellow, white or black. Monarch |
| and animals of the region. Armed with my cameras, | | | | butterflies also migrate in large groups down to Mexico, |
| drawing paper and pens, I got to work drawing and | | | | I saw them once, too. The most beautiful butterfly I |
| photographing bugs, birds, plants and anything else | | | | came across in the wild, in my opinion, was the morpho |
| exotic. Soon, my artwork landed me a job as main | | | | butterfly. It has large irridescent blue wings, wasn't as |
| illustrator for a large nature park called XCaret. | | | | common as other butterflies, and preferred the privacy |
| Whenever I had a drawing to deliver to my employer, I | | | | of non-populated areas like fields and jungles. There |
| would board the employee bus for XCaret, and then | | | | was another butterfly that was big, brown and with its |
| walk down a long, back jungle path next to the park to | | | | wings closed, was the size of a large dinner plate. It |
| the office. These walks fascinated me, due to the path | | | | was called an owl butterfly, and flew slowly. I got really |
| was directly next to fenced enclosures for their zoo | | | | close to him and he seemed unafraid. He had patterns |
| and aviary. Flamingoes, spider monkeys and a harpy | | | | on his wings that were like numbers. Fascinating. |
| eagle were animals I could see the best from the path. | | | | Beetles. Ahh, beetles..not very graceful, and apparently |
| One time I made the mistake of giving one of the | | | | not all that bright, but endearing with their less than |
| monkeys a cookie, only to see the other monkeys | | | | graceful antics. There were golden scarab beetles that |
| chase after him to steal it, trying to beat him up! I | | | | used to fly into my window as I was working, |
| quickly got out a couple more cookies and gave the | | | | frequently. They usually landed on their backs with their |
| rest to them, to avoid the original monkey from getting | | | | feet flailing helplessly in the air. Eventually the situation |
| hurt. They all sat there munching peacefully as I snuck | | | | would rely on me turning them right-side up, some |
| off, hoping nobody saw. | | | | would then fly off, others would somehow end up on |
| In Mexico, you will see iguanas in nature frequently. As I | | | | their backs again. It was odd, but I took the opportunity |
| walked down the nature path on my way to work, | | | | to draw these metallically colored insects, who looked |
| there was rustling in the big tree near me. I looked up | | | | as if they were gilded in brushed gold. |
| only to see a large, 6 foot green iguana male with | | | | Grasshoppers and katydids are in large quantity in the |
| bright orange fringe on his back, in the canopy of the | | | | jungles of the Yucatan. There are so many varieties |
| tree. He looked down at me. I remember people telling | | | | of grasshoppers, I lost count. As for katydids. their |
| me that iguanas are good eating, taste like chicken, | | | | bodies are gigantic, the size of a sparrow. I caught one, |
| and that they are called "chicken of the tree". I never | | | | to draw him, then when I let him go off my balcony, he |
| found out if that was true or not, but then, I wasn't | | | | flew away in a straight path. His big, green body was |
| about to go eating iguanas. Nope, I'm not that | | | | visible for a very long time as he flapped off into the |
| adventurous in my dining choices. Black iguanas can be | | | | sunset, it was surreal. |
| seen usually sitting one per rock pile. Everywhere there | | | | Sea creatures and fish are plentiful in the Caribbean |
| were rocks, were male iguanas sunning themselves. | | | | Sea. Though the reefs are endangered and show |
| Interesting creatures. In Chankanaab Park (on the island | | | | signs of damage, they are still beautiful. Every day, I'd |
| of Cozumel) there is a huge iguana that walks around | | | | snorkel in the low-traffic area near my home. It was |
| public areas, oblivious to the humans that walk past it. It | | | | serene to get to the beach early in the morning, pick |
| will bite if petted, the park employee told me. So, I took | | | | up a few shells that washed up on shore, then make |
| photos of it and kept my distance. | | | | my spot on the beach. I'd snorkel until my body got |
| Another lizard that was interesting and plentiful, was | | | | cold, every day. There weren't many large predators in |
| Basiliscus basiliscus, the basilisk. There are a few | | | | the areas I swam in, due to the breakwalls that run up |
| varieties of basilisk to be found in Mexico. It can run on | | | | and down the coast, separating the shores from the |
| water if it gets scared enough, and I witnessed it after | | | | deeper, ocean water. Once in awhile, a barracuda |
| scaring one unintentionally. Later, I found a smaller one | | | | would find its way into the reef area, my, what big |
| and drew it for my job, they have intense eyes, looking | | | | teeth they have. Out there, you can see dolphins |
| very serious. When I was finished drawing him, he ran | | | | playing in the waves made by large yachts or ferries. |
| upright into the jungle, glad to be free of the big, scary | | | | Bottle-nosed dolphins are very social creatures and |
| human with whom he'd spent a few hours with. | | | | seem unafraid of humans. Some of the most |
| The jungles of Mexico are fascinating, but I would | | | | memorable smaller fish and creatures I saw were |
| never recommend walking off your path into one. First | | | | brittle starfish (they live under rocks and will climb off |
| off, the foliage is very dense. Second, there are | | | | your hand quickly if you try to hold one), octopus, |
| critters in there that can hurt you if provoked, namely | | | | conch, sea turtles, moray eels, blue tangs and of |
| scorpions, snakes and spiders. Look, but don't touch. I | | | | course, those feisty damselfish. Though I haven't |
| have seen all of these, and have paid people to | | | | gotten my scuba license, I went on a few professional |
| remove them from my home. Scorpions will come | | | | scuba tours where the water was so shallow, |
| after you if they are agitated. Back away quickly, | | | | snorkeling was possible. Tours are great for finding |
| wherever they cannot follow. The lighter colored ones, | | | | gorgeous coral gardens that aren't visible to everyone |
| I was told, are more dangerous than the black ones. | | | | else. The prettiest ones I saw were near the town of |
| There are tarantulas in Mexico, and they are big but | | | | Puerto Morelos. |
| not aggressive, thank goodness. I had a red-kneed | | | | Other places I liked to explore were the Cenotes Azul, |
| tarantula taken away from the front of my door once. | | | | and Dos Ojos. Cenotes are brackish water natural |
| My maid used to throw out other spiders she found | | | | bodies of water that the Mayan indians used to build |
| inside, and laugh when I would be freaked out by them. | | | | their villages around. Now, they sit in the jungle and |
| "This? It's harmless!" she'd tell me. Yuck. I took her | | | | tourists enter them to go cave diving. Underneath the |
| word for it. | | | | Yucatan is an elaborate network of caves that attract |
| As for snakes, there are a few that are reason | | | | cave-divers from all over the world. Not me, I |
| enough not to go walking alone in the jungle. First, there | | | | preferred just swimming in the crystal clear water in |
| are huge boa constrictors. My ex-husband was called | | | | the mouth of the cenotes, and observing the fish I saw. |
| by the ladies next door, to remove a 6-foot boa out of | | | | One of the cenotes had fish that I'd seen in pet stores |
| their rental flat. They said it just slithered into the open | | | | back in the US, swimming there naturally. Jack |
| back door. Lesson learned, never leave an open door | | | | Dempsey fish and green sailfin mollies, along with a |
| to your house if you live close to the jungle. Then, | | | | kind of livebearer fish I didn't recognise. They were |
| there is a crimson colored snake the locals called | | | | very colorful, and the Dempseys, being combative |
| Coralio. I don't know its scientific name, but it was | | | | cichlids who like to pick on one another, had tattered |
| beautiful but deadly. A man who lived near me had a | | | | fins. But, all the fish were very healthy. What a wonder |
| whole apartment full of snakes, and he showed them | | | | it is to swim among them in their natural habitat. The |
| to me up close. Snakes are interesting but it pays to | | | | nature around cenotes is interesting, too. I saw a |
| watch where you step, since my ex and I nearly | | | | basilisk run across the water, when I swam too close |
| stepped on one during an evening walk. There are | | | | to him, and a duck that would dive for fish and stay |
| other snakes to watch out for, but these are the kinds | | | | underwater for a long time. Nature abounds in and |
| that we saw. All snakes will mind their own business if | | | | around cenotes. |
| unprovoked, it seems, trouble seems to be when | | | | The nature of Mexico is plentiful and beautiful in all its |
| humans aren't paying attention and step on one by | | | | forms. The tropical, hot climate brings out flora and |
| mistake. So, it pays to watch where you walk. | | | | fauna unlike anything I've ever seen in my home state |
| Then there were the amazing birds. A gorgeous | | | | of Ohio, or even in my current state of Florida. Living |
| variety of colors, shapes and sizes, birds in Mexico are | | | | among the lush jungles, hearing jungle frogs sing at |
| exotic and fascinating. My favorites were the toco | | | | night and spending time with my wonderful Mexican |
| toucan, motmot, currasows, Yucatan jay, | | | | co-workers, guides and friends changed my life. By |
| cinnamon-colored cuckoo, and pileated woodpecker | | | | being respectful of nature (look, don't touch) and |
| and violaceous trogon (a relative of the resplendent | | | | watching where you walk, you will see clouds of |
| quetzal). They had a knack for showing themselves | | | | butterflies, brilliantly colored birds, and animals like |
| whenever I didn't have my camera with me. I did draw | | | | coatimundis, agoutis and others normally only seen in |
| and take notes of what I saw, then look them up later. | | | | zoos. My employer promoted the preservation of |
| There was a bird that was so colorful that locals called | | | | Mexico's wildlife, and it was my honor doing artwork of |
| it, "siete colores" (seven colors). After looking it up, I | | | | all things natural for them. I miss walking the jungle path |
| identified it as a painted bunting. Another bird locals call | | | | to their office weekly and seeing the zoo animals, as |
| "pecho amarillo"(yellow breast), otherwise known as | | | | well as the wild ones in the trees. If you love nature, |
| the great kiskadee, used to sit outside my window and | | | | make sure to visit Mexico and go on tours to see the |
| yell, "Eeee, Eeee!" at the top of his lungs. We used to | | | | beauty of the wild, but with professionals who know |
| call back at him, and he'd answer. Very funny bird. | | | | where to take you. It will be an experience you will |
| In Playa del Carmen, there is an outdoor aviary, built | | | | appreciate and remember forever. |