Believe it or not… the dry season actually bursts with color! The hot arid weather brings about the most spectacular blooms. During the dry season you have stunning blue skies, crystal clear aquamarine waters, perpetual sunshine and an endless display of colorful flowering trees.
The Yellow Cortez Amarillo
Let’s start with the gorgeous sunny yellow blooms. The Cortez Amarillo (Tabebuia Ochracea) is a crowd favorite here in Costa Rica! It puts on a short but spectacular display that only lasts about 4-5 days. Synchronizing with all the Cortez Amarillos growing in the area, the hills become speckled with pops of golden yellow. Not only is it beautiful to us but the monkeys and hummingbirds crowd around this tree to enjoy this short lived bloom.
The Caña Fistula (Cassia fistula) or golden shower tree blooms almost all summer. These glowing flowers hang down like long pendulums and cover the entire tree in yellow! Almost no leaves can be found when this flower is in full bloom. This golden rain sends a signal for all the butterflies and bees to flock to this tree.
Red Malinche and Poró
Next, let’s check out these red hot flowers. Often called the flame of the forest, the Malinche (Delonix Regia) tree is an incredible sight! These scarlet flowers are a definite show stopper. Beautiful and useful, the tree’s umbrella shape and quick growth make it a perfect shade tree. You can enjoy these exquisite blooms and very medicinal seed pods the Malinche has to offer during the hot dry season.
When you spot a grouping of Poró (Erythrina poeppigiana) trees, there may be a coffee or cocoa plantation nearby! Porós are often used as shade trees in these plantations. This tree is often even called madre de cacao or mother of cacao. The bright red Poró flowers are edible and can be enjoyed in a refreshing salad.
The Pink Cortez Negro
On to the next color speckled in the dry Guanacaste hills. The Cortez Negro (Handroanthus Impetiginosus) explodes with thousands of beautiful pink flowers! Pollinators rejoice over these blooms and swarm to collect the delicious nectar. This tall, slow growing tree has extremely valuable lumber along with medicinal bark.
Imagine giant pink pom poms on the end of every branch. That’s exactly what the Roble de Sabana (Tabebuia Rosea) looks like when it bursts with blooms. This showy tree is actually a very important timber tree in Central America with a variety of uses. Flowering occurs mainly in January and February, make sure you catch a glimpse of this incredible tree!
At first glance the dry season is very deceiving. Majority of the trees and plants look completely dried up! But when the right time comes, they burst at the seams with the most extravagant colors. Come check out this incredible spectacle in the Guanacaste region!
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