Overview

 

Welcome to Mango Creek Lodge. This little guide will give you an overview of the variety of ecosystems you will encounter in and around our grounds. It is not meant as a complete guide – there are so many plants, trees, fish, birds and critters it would be a very large guide indeed! Instead, we will attempt to describe some of the interesting and beautiful things you can see, and then you may decide to get a detailed field guide and discover more on your own. Enjoy!

 

Lying 30 miles off the north coast of Honduras, the Bay Islands are the peaks of the Bonacca Mountain range which extend underwater from mainland Honduras at San Pedro Sula. In total, there are 8 islands and 65 small cays, for a total of 58 square miles. Most of it is on the three principal islands of Roatan, Guanaja and Utila.

 

The Bay Islands are used mostly as a platform for the exploration and enjoyment of the extensive coral reef system. This reef is an extension of the Great Maya Reef system which runs down the Yucatan through Belize and Honduras – and is the second largest reef system in the world second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

 

Aside from the obvious beauty and diversity of the marine life, the Bay Islands have much to offer by land – from the beaches and mangroves to the freshwater streams, savannah and jungle, there is much to discover here.

 

Throughout the year, temperatures in the islands are relatively stable – between 77 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Trade winds usually keep things cool even when it’s hot. Rainfall exceeds 6 feet per year, with 50% of this falling during the rainy season months of October and November. The lightest rain months are March, April and May. The Bay islands are in the hurricane belt – statistically being struck every 10 years. The season officially runs July through November, with the riskiest months October and November. January through September are considered good times to visit the Bay Islands.

Roatan – originally named Rattan Island - is the largest and most developed of the Bay Islands – the only one with a real road. The Cuba-shaped Island is 32 miles long and only 1.8miles wide, with a ridge forming a central spine some 770 feet above sea level. The hills are covered with pine and cedar and oak trees, and thick tropical undergrowth. Despite the recent population increase, Roatan’s north and east ends maintain its wilderness state, because historically, people have lived off the sea and not by agriculture. Roatan has numerous well defined runoff routes, knows as gullies, but most only contain water after rainfalls for a short time. Slopes are so steep that water runs off quite quickly except for areas near the sea where the land flattens. Roatan lies very close to the three smaller islands of Helene, Morat and Barbareta, and 52 tiny cays.

 

 

The Sea:

 

Coral Reefs are the marine equivalent of tropical rain forests. Composed of millions of tiny animals called polyps, the animals contain algae cells which provide nutrients to the animal host by photosynthesis. This explains why coral is only found in clear, shallow water. The coral polyps also feed on plankton, using tentacles to capture the tiny drifting animals. There are two major types of coral – the reef building hard corals extract limestone from the seawater to secrete protective exoskeletons. The soft corals excrete a soft exoskeleton and include sea fans and sea whips. The reef itself consists of a living layer growing atop the skeleton of its ancestors. Within a tiny area, we can find several species of coral, dozens of species of fish and thousands of other forms of tiny and microscopic life. The sea anemone is a close relative of the corals. Also found in an amazing variety are sponges – filter feeders which range in size from tiny to the huge barrel sponges.

 

Coral reef systems have fed and sustained aquatic life and humans for centuries. They are key spawning grounds for fish and habitats for lobster and crabs. And most recently they have provided much needed income in the form of tourism for the Bay Islands. However, the reef ecosystems are as beautiful as they are impossibly fragile, and in many cases they have been mismanaged by both native islanders and tour operators. Simply touching the reef or bumping into it can remove the protective slime layer or break off pieces and render the entire colony susceptible to disease or predation. Dropping anchor over a pretty spot creates incredible damage from the anchor and the chain or line dragging across the coral.

 

Remember, when you are diving or snorkeling the reefs, you are a guest in a very fragile environment. Never touch coral with any part of your body or equipment unless a responsible guide shows you how and what types of coral, shells or other organisms can be handled. If you’re tired, float – don’t stand up on the coral. Try to move slowly and carefully, so that the fish are not frightened away and then you can drift and enjoy them in their natural state. Enjoy the reef – don’t become part of the problem.

 

You can expect to spot:

 

Coral - Almost all of the coral types specific to the Caribbean can be found off Roatan. Pillar Coral, Elkhorn, star, lettuce, and brain coral. Rope, vase, finger and barrel sponges, sea fans.

Creatures - Tiny shrimp crabs & lobsters in the coral and anemones acting as ‘clean up crew’, scavenging coral crabs and spiny lobsters, echinoderms such as starfish which feed on shellfish, sea urchins grazing on marine plants. Sea cucumbers live on sandy areas, extracting small amounts of food hidden in the grains of sand. Snails such as the flamingo tongue which preys on sea fan polyps, scallops, conch and many types of shellfish. You might even be lucky enough to spot the tiny sea horse or the elusive and mainly nocturnal octopus. Feather duster and Christmas tree worms live in tubes drilled into the coral, and extend their feeding tentacles to passing plankton.

 

 

Fish – Among many others, you will be able to spot - Moray eels, barracuda, trumpet fish, groupers, snappers, butterfly fish, angelfish, damselfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, chub, wrasse, triggerfish, needlefish, blue tang, indigo hamlets, rock hinds, chromis, hawksbill turtle, nurse sharks, eagle rays, .

 

 

The Mangroves:

 

Mangroves deserve a section of their own – being neither a land ecosystem nor a marine ecosystem, but a unique blend of both. The complex system of mangrove roots, mud, salt and freshwater forms a perfect nursery for a variety of sea creatures such as lobster, conch, shrimp and bonefish and snappers. They provide vital protection from erosion of the coast during hurricanes and storms. Their roots stabilize the shoreline and prevent silt from washing down and covering the reefs. As such, they interact and depend upon the entire coastal ecosystem of reefs, open channels and lagoons, mud flats and white sand beaches, which if disturbed in one area, another area suffers. The coral reef serves to break the force of the waves, so that the mangroves can develop in the quiet water behind the surf. Sea grass slows the currents and calm the sea even further. In return, the mangrove leaves, nectar and fruit provide nourishment for a variety of animals. Their cast-off leaves decompose in the water, support a marine nursery and ecosystem. Baby shrimp, conchs, crabs, worms and clams all thrive under the tangle of muddy roots. Birds fly in to roost and nest in the mangroves – you can find belted kingfishers, egrets, herons and pelicans settling here after a busy day of fishing. The mangrove leaves ultimately decompose into soil and merge with sand provided by the reef, forming new land where there previously was water.

 

A mangrove swamp used to be viewed as ‘wasted’ land, and many were ‘reclaimed’ by cutting, filling and developing into real estate. Mangroves typically belong neither to fishery or forest or agriculture departments of governments, and so are difficult to administer and protect. The landowner cannot directly cash in on their benefits to the fisheries or stabilizing the coastline. Happily, more and more countries are protecting these areas and preventing the loss of this vital habitat.

 

Mangroves are the only plant which can survive in salt water even though it depends on fresh water to live. The plant has the ability to concentrate the salt in their sap, or store the salt in old leaves that are ready to drop. Other types secrete salt through their leaves or roots.

 

Red Mangroves line many of the bays and bights, especially in the east end. These mangroves sit atop aerial roots and divide into a complex network which can extend up to 35 feet into the mud to provide strong support. Their thick leaves are adapted to prevent water loss, turn yellow and drop off at all seasons where they are washed into the surrounding roots to form new soil. Red mangrove roots are adapted so as to limit the amount of salt that enters the plant. The propagation of red mangroves is a fantastic adaptation – the seeds sprout directly on the parent tree. Once it falls into the water, if it lands in the mud below the parent tree it sends down roots. Otherwise, it floats away on the tide and can survive many months on the open ocean before finally finding a home on some distant shore. There it sends down roots and can grow as much as 3 feet in its first year. The aerial roots do not form until the third year.

 

Much more of the island was once lined with red mangroves, but many were cut down to extract a red dye form the bark used for tanning leather and preserving canvas for sails (today, ‘tanbark’ sails are still used, although no longer dyed using real bark). Happily, the mangrove swamps on the east end of Roatan are now protected by law.

 

Black Mangroves grow further back from the sea, in the oxygen-poor muddy zone. Their roots have vertical pencil-like extensions called pneumatophores, and pop out at the surface to collect oxygen. These mangroves get rid of excess salt by secreting it through shallow pits on the upper surfaces of their leaves, and also excrete salt through their roots. Because of their battle against salt, there are under constant metabolic stress, and therefore very sensitive to pollution, particularly pesticides.

 

White Mangroves grow on more solid ground and are less tolerant to salt. Their leaves excrete excess salt, and they produce seeds which sometimes sprout on the tree but most often fall to the ground and can float for up to 4 weeks. Thereafter they sink and if they are lucky they will begin growing. They have scaly reddish brown bark and greenish white flowers.

 

 

The Buttonwood or ‘walking tree’ will, over a very long time, extend its roots and actually move its position. The lumber of this tree was used in the past to build stilt houses because the wood is so solid that it sinks in the water and does not rot. It is similar to mangroves in that it has a tolerance for salt water, but it grows well away from any areas experience frequent salt water flooding. It looks much like the other mangroves except it has alternate leaves instead of opposing.

 

The Giant Mangrove Fern is quite un-fern-like. Its dark green leaves are thick and not lacy to limit water loss; they do however have the typical brown spores along the underside of the leaves. They have along their stems a pneumatophore like the black mangrove, to send oxygen to the plant. They are unable to excrete salt, and so are heavily laden with this mineral, so much so that they are quite fire-resistant. Indians figured this out and used them to thatch the fire prone areas of their homes like the cooking hearth.

 

Mangrove critters – in and around mangroves you will see numerous crabs of two varieties. The mangrove crab is small – less than an inch across which usually live up in the mangrove trees, returning to water to mate and shed their eggs. The land crab, growing up to 4” across,  lives in long curved burrows which go down to the water table because these crabs, in spite of their name require an almost constant presence of water. They come out at night or when it is raining  Primarily, they are herbivores although they will eat pretty much anything they can scavenge. They mate during the rainy season, outside of the burrows, one or 2 days before a full moon. About a month later there is a mass migration to the sea, where the eggs hatch and are released into the sea.

Living among the roots of the mangroves are the long purple shelled mangrove oyster, or the grey-shelled flat tree oyster. Both are small and full of mud, and are food to starfish, some birds and, when cleaned and prepared, people.

The upside down jellyfish can be seen as a whitish blob in the mangrove waters. They live upside down, with tentacles facing up so that the sunlight can get to the yellow-brown algae that lives among their tentacles and supply them with food – an example of symbiosis.

 

Grass Flats: Near to the mangrove swamps grow the extensive turtle grass flats. They are a true grass, evolved from land grasses, and as such they reproduce with tiny flowers and pollen and seeds flow in the currents like terrestrial grasses do in the wind. They are the only flowering plant that spends their entire life underwater. The grass flats are home to the spiny black sea urchin which feeds by night on the algae covering the grass, the queen conch, white mullet, parrotfish and surgeonfish feed directly on the grass. In addition to providing food and shelter, the grass flats perform a valuable service in baffling the currents and allowing sedimentation of organic and inorganic matter.

 

The Land:

 

Flora:

 

Roatan’s warm temperature and abundant rainfall once supported a rich forest. They were first exploited by the Paya Indians, who cleared trees for cultivation of crops, and probably introduced certain fruit trees. Caribbean Pine and Oaks are found in the 2000 acre Port Royal Park & Wildlife Reserve adjacent to Mango Creek Lodge. This area was decreed protected in 1978 by the municipality. It protects the watershed of Port Royal and provides the last breeding area for white tail deer, parrots, agoutis and other wildlife.

Late summer and fall is the start of the rainy season. At this time the landscape turns to lush green and everything grows fast. With the coming of the dry season – early spring, many plants die back to ground level and shed their leaves to conserve water

 

Gumbo-Limbo Tree

Identified by its red peeling bark, it is also known as the ‘gringo tree’ because it turns red and peels! It is most common on dry rocky ground but they can grow just about anywhere. They have many adaptations to drought – losing their leaves in the dry season and photosynthesizing using their green bark layer underneath the red bark. Their trunks can store large amounts of water in the soft wood. Islanders find them useful for lumber and fuel, mainly because of their abundance rather than their quality. The leaves can be fed to cows and goats, and the sap can be used for glue, varnish and coating boats.

 

Giliricidia or Cow Tree – is native to South America and has been planted all over for ‘living fences’ – a branch simply stuck into the ground and it takes root. It thrives on depleted soil, produces beautiful pink flowers in the dry season, and its leaves are used to feed cattle and goats. The seeds, bark, leaves and roots are poisonous to mice and rats. The wood is good looking and can be used for furniture. It resists termites and is hard so it is used for house supports. Its leaves can be made into a tea with sugar to cure a cough, or put into a bath to treat skin infections.

 

Yellow Stemmed Bamboo grows in clumps up to 40 feet high. Their hollow, light stems are widely used in construction and they have been widely propagated.

 

 

 

 

Honduran Pine – Pinus Caribaea var Hondurensis

Found in the Port Royal Park and Wildlife Reserve adjacent to the grounds of Mango Creek, it is the largest contiguous section of this pine forest in Honduras.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traveller’s Tree – a relative of the banana, is as tall as a tree and its leaves form a giant flat fan, flaring from the top of a palm-like trunk. It is native to Madagascar and gets its name because there is a reservoir of water at the base of each leaf containing up to a quart of water.

 

 

Fruit Trees:

 

Fruit trees serve a valuable purpose in the tropics – to feed a variety of species. One of the best ways to see both birds and mammals is to locate a tree laden with fruit and see what comes by to feed.

 

Cashew – The cashew tree is native to the Caribbean, and is very hardy and able to survive drought and sea spray. The cashew nut grows on the underside of an edible apple which is very rich in Vitamin C. The nut however, must be carefully stripped of their shell which can cause severe burns. The oil from this shell contains cardol, used to treat eczema, ulcers and psoriasis.

 

 

 

 

Mango – originally from Borneo, it has been grown in Asia for 4000 years. It was brought to Jamaica to feed the slaves, and thence on to Honduras. The many tiny flowers produce numerous fruit of varying quality depending on the variety of the tree. Some are stringy, watery and taste awful, others are juicy and wonderful. Their deep tap roots up to 25 feet long get them through a dry spell while their abundant foliage provides cooling shade. In fact, a 2-3 month dry season is essential to trigger dormancy which in turn triggers flowering. The ripe fruit is eaten raw or made into juices or jams. Unripe fruits are made into pickles and chutneys. If you crush the dark green, wavy leaves, they smell of turpentine. The trees also produce a good quality timber which has been used in boatbuilding.

 

 

 

 

Papaya – is a small tree with soft wood and a short life cycle. It is thought to originate from southern Mexico or Costa Rica. It is fast growing, and you can have fruit within a year of planting a seed. After two or three years, the tree becomes so tall that it is hard to harvest the fruits. The trunk is soft and hollow, with the leaves all at the top like an umbrella. The fruits turn from green to yellow to orange when ripe. Unripe fruit is used to make jam or eaten as a vegetable. The young leaves can be eaten like spinach. The leaves, fruit and milky latex sap all contain the enzyme papain which is used as a meat tenderizer. Meat can be wrapped in papaya leaves to tenderize it. Papain is obtained by making vertical cuts in the unripe fruits and collecting the milky latex. It is also used in chewing gum, cosmetics, tanning, washing detergent and dry cleaning. Tea brewed from the boiled root is used to treat gonorrhea, the seeds rid the body of worms, and tea made from cubes of green papaya is said to be good for high blood pressure.

 

 

 

 

Hog Plum This tree is native to Central America. Its plentiful fruit is eaten raw and has a sharp but pleasant taste. They are also made into jelly and jam, and the juice can be fermented and distilled to make moonshine. Resin from the tree is used as glue, bark used for tanning and dyeing (because of tannin content), and young leaves cooked as greens.

 

 

 

 

Mameee apple – is native to Cuba, Santo Domingo and Jamaica. It can grow to a height of 75 feet and produces large fruits with a tough rind. This fruit tastes like an apricot and is most commonly used to make marmalade or jam, stewed or eaten raw. Its leaves are also used to make an aromatic, refreshing digestive drink

 

 

Nonee Apple – a warty fruit grows on this tree, and is reported to cure a wide variety of ailments such as diabetes, cancer and AIDS. The fruit is steeped in water for several days and the liquid is drank – tastes awful but good for you!

 

 

 

Banana – Plantain, banana and ‘apple’ bananas are important food sources. “Eating’ bananas grow with their fingers pointing up; plantain or ‘cooking’ bananas grow with fingers facing down. They originated from the hybridization of two wild species in Burma, India and the Philippines and first introduced in the New World at Hispanola in 1516 by a Spanish priest. Because they are hybrids, they must be propagated and are not capable of pollinating themselves. The mother plant produces suckers which spring up from the base, and these take about 9 months to grow fruit. A single stemmed flower shoot sprouts out of the center of the leaves and soon bends down toward the ground under its own weight. It produces abundant nectar and sticky pollen and the flowers open at night to product a fetid odor that appeals to bats. The flowers are big and strong enough to hold the weight of the bat. Once the bananas are ripe, the plant dies. The old plant is cut down, leaving one sucker at the base to produce the next crop.

 

 

Pineapple – is a member of the bromeliad family and as such is related to the ‘air plants’ that grow on tree limbs. They have been cultivated since pre-Columbian times. They must be artificially propagated by rooting the cuttings from the fruit tops of from side shoots. They are usually planted close together because their shallow roots allow them to topple over, so if they are crowded together and prop each other up. Each of the ‘eyes’ of the pineapple fruit corresponds to a separate flower. It is rich in bromelin, which aids digestion.

 

 

 

 

Passion Fruit – grows on a woody vine up to 150 feet long! They live from 3-10 years producing round yellow fruits. They are delicious but full of seeds, and so are used for juices and pies.

 

 

 

 

Lime – These trees were brought to the Caribbean by Columbus on his second voyage. Lime trees survive poor soil and drought better than the other citrus trees. The leaves when crushed smell like the fruit.

 

Sea Almond – This tree was introduced from India and has been widely planted for the dense shade it provides while being tolerant of salt spray and sandy conditions. The branches of this tree grow horizontally in layers and the leaves turn bright red before they are shed. Tiny white flowers are produced in clusters, resulting in many, many fruits about the size of a small apricot.  The green flesh is edible, and under this is a thick corky shell containing a brown-skinned sweet kernel that tastes much like a hazelnut. These nuts float for a long time like the coconut, and this is why they are so widespread. The tree produces a beautiful red, strong wood, and the bark is used to make a diuretic.

 

 

 

 

 

Bromeliads – are a common plant which makes its home in trees and some produce beautiful flowers. Having no roots in the soil, they have to find all their own nutrients. Bromeliad leaves are shaped to collect and hold rain water, and when insects fall in and drown, this provides the plant with nutrition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tree Fern is the most impressive of the native ferns. Growing up to 20 feet high, it has a straight single stem topped by the large airy fern fronds. It actually prefers temperatures that don’t rise above the low 80’s, well drained soil and light shape. A true fern they propagate by means of spores.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staghorn Fern – We have but a single specimen of this beautiful fern at Mango Creek. These ferns grow on tree trunks and branches and reproduce by spores that form on the leaves. They attach to the tree bark and grow fronds around the roots to trap moisture and other nutrients.

 

 

 

 

Lemon Grass – originated in India, it makes a tasty tea. Also known as ‘fever grass’. This tropical grass grows in dense clumps that can grow to 6 ft (1.8 m) in height and about 4 ft (1.2 m) in width. The bright bluish-green straplike leaves are ½” wide, about 3 ft long, and release a citrus aroma when crushed. It is the leaves that are used as flavoring and in medicine. They are steam distilled to extract lemongrass oil, an old standby in the perfumer's palette of scents.

 

 

 

 

 

Elephant’s ear – Likes cool damp areas and is recognized by its distinctive huge leaves on thick stalks.

 

 

Cat’s Tails - has plain leaves but compensates by producing long masses of bright red fuzzy tails. The shrub grows to 6 feet high.

 

 

 

Flowers:

 

 

Heliconia – conspicuous huge long paddle-shaped leaves and red, orange or yellow bracts shaped like lobster claws containing 20 or so yellow-green flowers grow in open areas and forest edges and stream banks. They are pollinated by hermit hummingbirds which have sickle shaped beaks adapted to dipping down into the flowers. They produce green fruits which ripen into blue-black which are eaten by birds and thus dispersed. The seeds have a 6 to 7 month dormancy period, which assures that the seed will not germinate until the rainy season.

 

 

Bougainvellea – a native of Brazil is probably the first flower you will notice. It grows vast amounts of beautiful flowers and comes in many colors, some almost glowing! They flower almost continuously but the flowers are most abundant during the dry season. These colorful parts are not flowers at all, actually but colored leaves – the actual flowers are small petal-less bracts inside these colored leaves. It is a plant that tolerates drought, pruning poor soil and so is a popular garden plant.

 

 

Hibiscus – a large flashy flower ranging from white to lemon yellow and pink to scarlet with five petals and a protruding column containing the pistil and stamen. Red flowers have been used as a shoe polish (!) if your shoes are black! And its leaves when ground up with water, make a passable shampoo. The flowers last only one day but most varieties bloom so profusely that there are nearly always several open at any one time. Leaves and flowers are both edible and sometimes are used in traditional medicine.

 

 

 

Red Ginger – this is a native to the Pacific Islands and its red flower is not a flower at all. Its petals are really modified leaves. This is closely related to the true ginger, and its root looks and smells like ginger. Their leaves have a distinctive long and oval shape with almost no leaf stalk.

 

 

 

 

Anthurium produce an eye-catching bract from which protrudes a tail-like appendage called a spadix. The spadix contains the tiny flowers which produce sweet nectar to attract bees and hummingbirds.

 

 

 

 

Bride of Barbados – is a bushy shrub which thrives in the wild or in the garden. It has bright orange flowers often edged in yellow and seed pods in various stages of development. Its origins are uncertain – it may be a native to the Caribbean or Mexico or Central America.

 

 

 

 

Golden Shrimp – is a decorative shrub from the American tropics which grows as a medium size bush. It ha narrow, shiny leaves and prominent erect floral spikes that are actually closely arranged bright yellow bracts between which white flowers appear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turks Cap – Attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, this relative of the hibiscus is often attacked by the leaf cutter ants. The flower is bright red and is rolled so it always looks like it is about to open.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orchid – Growing on tree trunks, their fattened leaves serve as water storage to prevent the plants from drying out.

 

 

 

 

 

Dangerous Trees & Plants:

 

Cockspur or Acacia - these thorny bushes grow in dry scrubland, and are spaced widely apart because their root systems are extensive in order to catch enough water to survive. The spines grow in pairs at the bases of the leaves which have tiny leaflets arranged in pairs along the stem. The spines are a powerful deterrent to grazing animals, and if that isn’t enough, there exists a symbiosis with the stinging red ant which lives inside the thorns. The plant even grows a little hole so the ants can come and go, and the plant produces a sweet sap on the tips of the leaflets and the stems which the ants eat. You must walk very carefully among cockspur plants to as not to touch them in any way or the ants will swarm out and sting you! The ants attack any insects that land on or climb on the bush, and they clip off plants that begin to grow nearby or overlap and shade the cockspur.

 

Beach flora: