The Flora & Fauna Symphony

By

 This is the ninth chapter of the historical fantasy entitled "Rhapsody of Nature."

Synopsis: The island's exotic plant and animal species serenaded the young man...



A small dove was cooing nearby...

Hoooooooooooooooop.... Poo-poo-poo-poo-pooop...


Amethyst Brown Dove
Photo Credit: Rodolfo Quinio through Amethyst Brown-Dove - eBird


Hoooooooooooooooop.... Poo-poo-poo-poo-pooop...

Soon, its friends flew nearby and began to join its cooing.

Poo-poo-roo-poo-poop!


They were sitting on the branches of trees. Esteban looked keenly on their feathers. Their primary color was cappuccino but their chests and necks were adorned with amethyst fur...


We are the flora and fauna

Of these beautiful islands!

We need your assistance

Protect us from foreign hands!


Our habitats are in danger

From the wants of invaders

Truly, we are very scared

But with you, we will dare!


Poo-poo-poo-roo-poo-poop!


We're amethyst brown doves

Music is one of our first loves

We will reveal you the other species

That live here for centuries!


Esteban can't help but stare at the singing and speaking birds. He may have seen plenty of strange things on the island but birds that coo with words were yet another surprising fact about this exotic region.

While staring, he felt something slithering in between his legs. Looking down, he was startled and was made to jump. A serpent slithered through his feet!


Esteban, don't be alarmed!
Ulupongs are friendly...
will do you no harm!
While they can be deadly
--quite venomous--
Towards you, sir, they hold no animus!



Phil. Cobra, known locally as Ulupong.
Photo credit: Mario Lutz 


"How do I know if it'll spare me?!," Esteban screamed his question to the birds who seem to know everything...


If you threaten them,

You will be damned!

The venoms they spit

Reach up to ten feet!


Fortunately, the snake left Esteban unscathed. He was still breathing heavily and shaking out of fear though.

In a very brief moment, he felt the ground moving. "Is it quaking?"

He turned around and noticed a tree growing nearby. In an instant, it reached ten feet high. As soon as it ceased growing, he noticed its barks peeling off, revealing different colors.


Rainbow Eucalyptus

Is what you see

Its resplendent colors

Make it a peculiar tree!


Rainbow Eucalyptus
Image Source: returntonow.net


The tree will make you marvel

At its innate miracle

More vivid than the rainbow

The woods that beam and glow!


"Amazing! I love its colors. Very nice!" Esteban moved closer to see if they're real. He touched the tree's bark. "Indeed!"

While he marveled at its special characteristics, something poke his head from above.

It appears that a stone fell from the tree. Another one fell on his shoulder but, this time, he was able to grab it.

It was a small violet fruit. "Is this the fruit of the tree?"


Young man, it's certainly not

That fruit is from native pili

It contains a productive nut

Whose uses will make you happy!


"Really? Why is that so?"


The tree has dozens of uses

Its oil can be fragrances

Its nuts can be chewy candies

Or blended into luscious purees!


"That's nice. I'd love to see the tree!"

The birds flew to a tree that was earlier knocked off by the rainbow eucalyptus, which partly explains why its fruits fell on Esteban's head.


Pili Fruits
Photo Credit: Starr Environmental through businessdiary.com.ph


As he looked at the tree, he noticed a round yellow object surrounded by what appears to be a black ring. It turns out to be the eye of a lizard, only that it was camouflaging behind the leaves.


The Green Crested Lizard
Photo Source: ecologyasia.com


The green crested lizard

Is a little bit of a wizard

It's sometimes brown, sometimes green

Depending on a certain scene...


While Esteban was still staring at the lizard, the ground shook yet again. "It must be another tree growing from the ground again," he thought.

This time, he sort of sensed that it must be growing on the area near the well...

He went to its direction and looked...


It wasn't really a tree but some colourful shrubs lining up around the well. The shrubs showed what appear to be different shades of pink, red, and white.


These shrubs are the queens

Of these islands called Philippines

Beautiful in their own right

All very charming by sight!


"I'm the prettiest!" one of them proclaimed. 

"Oh no, no, no! You're not! I am!"

As they fought the silly contest, the birds continued singing...


White is Doña Aurora

Red's Doña Evangelina

But the best, the creamy pink

Is Queen Sirikit!


"How dare you, little birds!" the dark pink shrub exclaimed. "It is, I, Doña Alicia that's certainly the best!"

"Don't be delusional! You are not. I am!" the pink one disagreed. "I am Doña Luz after all!"

"You may be fighting for the best, but I will always be the original!" Doña Aurora quipped.


Queen Sirikit is a variant of Mussaenda Philippica,
the shrub's scientific name, which means "Queen of the Philippines."
Photo Source: http://english.xtbg.cas.cn/


Doña Aurora, another variant of Mussaenda Philippica.
Photo Source: savorthebite.blogspot.com


Doña Evangelina
Photo Source: Project Noah


Esteban looked closer at the shrubs. He was surprised upon realizing that the plants' faces were on the very tiny star-shaped portions of the plants.


The pink, red and white are not flowers

Though they may be vivid colors

They're merely the bracts of the shrubs

What you should look for are the stars!


Indeed, the tiny stars are the shrubs' actual flowers. Though more resplendent, the pink, red and white are merely the plants' bracts whose vibrance were the result of the lack of chlorophyll.


While the flowers were still fighting, something emerged from the middle of the well. It was a very large green lizard whose scales looked purplish. As it moved on top of the well, some drops of water fell on the surrounding sensitive shrubs who all complained about the mess the lizard made.


The Sailfin Water Lizard.
Photo Credit: Greg Brave through coffeeandcreatures.co.uk


"I guess my presence would keep you all mum?" the lizard teased.


The sailfin water lizard

Aside from being awesome swimmer

On any surface of water

 It's also a speedy dasher!


As soon as the birds mentioned its noteworthy abilities, the lizard gave Esteban a playful wink.

With its uncanny humor, Esteban find the creature endearing. As the shrubs were a bit uptight, fighting it out on who among them was the best, the lizard seemed very casual. Because of this, he pet the lizard's head, but it immediately turned away and said, "Hey, don't touch my third eye!" 


The lizard's third eye

Is sensitive to sunlight

It helps it navigate

Through very dark landscapes!


"Ugggh I bet that with those three eyes, it still won't see real beauty!" Doña Evangelina exhibited her usual smugness. "Isn't it always messy? My beautiful bracts are now ugly! Thanks to that rather awful lizard!" Queen Sirikit added. 


The birds giggled at the over-fighting, insecure flowers.


"Maybe we can ask each of its three eyes who among us is the fairest?" Doña Luz proposed. "I don't think it necessary! The birds already proclaimed I'm the best!" Queen Sirikit shouted. "You actually believe those birds?!" another of the shrubs contested.


"I guess no one will win regardless of who the judge is," the young man quipped to himself. The flowers just can't agree on anything. They still kept on fighting, which made Esteban scratch his head. While each of the smug flowers debated on who among them was the fairest, a long booming sound was heard all over.


The Rufous Hornbill it is

As the clock of the mountains

It beckons everyone to a sense

Of specific time and tense


You will know what hour it is

By its long booming call

Every hour, every hour

The time of day you'll recall


The Rufous Hornbill
Photo Credit: Forest Jarvis through ebird.org


The Rufous Hornbill continued its long, sonorous call. It was exactly six in the evening so the doves were about to conclude their singing. 


We are the flora and fauna

Of these beautiful islands!

We need your assistance

Protect us from foreign hands!


Our habitats are in danger

From the wants of invaders

Truly, we are very scared

But with you, we will dare!


Poo-poo-roo-poo-pooop!


So many other species came out to complete the entourage. Birds, insects, ammonites, deers, frogs, mammals. All sorts of animals, and plants!


To be continued...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

An Everlasting Pulchritude

By
Image
The beauty that still mesmerises us Of the mountain who used to be a lass Every time we set our eyes on her Something makes us wonder For how can Mother Nature be so gracious To give us something which, though, we need not choose Is, nevertheless, spectacular That no other mountain is at par? She’s beyond magnificent Though she explodes every now and then Her many eruptions Conjured rousing captions What would scare us to leave? The magma? The raining of ash? The broken debris? The boulders? Or the lava-fountaining and showers? But these are the same matters That add to the volcano’s wonders Because from a safe distance You would see some other-worldly trance... For tourists and visitors, Even to locals and natives, Its explosion and eruption Are tourist attractions Why are we not afraid then, Do you ever wonder? Because we always see her… As a beautiful lady with the usual temper. But at most times, she’s calm and collected,...
Read more

Mesmerizing Monaco 🇲🇨

By
Image
  La Condamine, Monaco We were almost done with our Euro Tour, but our last stop - unbeknownst to us - would make our escapade even grander exponentially. Monaco is indeed the wealthiest, most affluent nation in the world... and the dollars are speaking from amongst everything you see in every corner of this miniscule country. It is beautiful, it is organized, it is spotless! If we saw tiny bits of candy wrappers and cigarette butts in very few places in Italy, we didn't see any gram of litter in all of Monaco! Beautiful Nightscape of Monaco with Late 19th Century Buildings Perfect. Flawless.  I have said several times that perfection is unattainable, but our stay in the microstate of Monaco proved me wrong. In the billions of square miles all over the world, there is one tiny country where perfection is, surprisingly, a reality. Arrival Our Bus from Nice, France 🇫🇷 to Beausoleil, France 🇫🇷 It was September 14th, my sister's birthday, when we flew from Rome, Italy 🇮🇹 to ...
Read more

Is Love a Constant –

By
Regardless of mood or circumstance, it remains? And when it fades because of a tweak here or there, it is but a mirage? I guess I’ve felt what it’s supposed to be – for ladies I cannot be with. It’s the emotion I feel when I see someone to be perfect or perfectly beautiful despite the flaws because for no reason but love, her allegorical scars – the mistakes of God – are forgiven. The feeling doesn’t change. It's a constancy of company and connection, a perspective that endures day by day, moment by moment, even after years or decades passing by. Because I see her in exactly the same way as the day we met, and the more we get to know each other, I unravel more things I like about her, all justifying the imperfections, and giving me memories that add spice to mundane moments. I may have sought the wrong women, looked love in the wrong places, defined it by wrong standards. Age does not matter, everybody says. But my youth is done; my potentials to develop young, sweet...
Read more

The Jade Islands of El Nido

By
Image
This view beacons you to a heap of glimmering islands waiting to be discovered... Located on the northernmost tip of Palawan, El Nido is distant from all other places in the world. Because of its location, nobody knew its stupendous tourism value. As late as 1979, El Nido was unknown to beach-goers and wanderlusts, when a group of divers met a sea accident at night forcing them to drop anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers woke up to an amazing scenery of skyscraping dark cliffs, thick green forest, white-sand beach, sparkling waters and, rising above it, a series of magnificently-sculpted jade islands. [Wikipedia] I was fortunately born late enough to have read the “wows” of tourists who have been there and to have seen the spectacular pictures of El Nido… but it was not until my sister’s insistence three weeks ago that persuaded me to go on a last-minute decision to head on to this remote place. Two flights from Legazpi and a 6-hour ...
Read more

La Dolce Vita 🇮🇹🇻🇦🇲🇨 🍸

By
Image
September 2023.  My birthmonth, my birthyear. I was born in the year of the Hare, so 2023 - being another year of the Hare - had to be special.  Everybody knows of my Euro Tour with my aunt and my sister, but, contrary to what most people think, the tour was not at all premeditated. It was a split-second decision. So many countries were considered. Spain and Portugal came to mind. Thailand seemed plausible. Nearby Indonesia's fantastic architecture was tempting, and because Singapore was close enough, it was also suggested. Malaysia came into the radar too. But, not until visas have been approved or airline tickets were bought, nothing was final. And then, out of the blue, I heard my aunt and sister talk about a possible Euro Tour on no other month but September - which is my birthmonth - I immediately asked if I could go with them. "Sure," said my aunt! Our Euro Tour crossed different parts of Italy together with Vatican City, and as we sojourned to affluent Monaco, we a...
Read more

The Vivid Netherworld

By
Image
  A sea serpent, perhaps descended from the four-legged creature  that  lured Adam and Eve,  spoke to me and said: "Come, the netherworld is actually as blue  as your   most vivid dreams..." Tikling Island, Matnog, Sorsogon Own Image. All Rights Reserved. The snake continued to hiss... "Dive into the blueness of the sea where you will find the luster of each and every creature of varying colors and shades. You will see them swimming and crawling amongst the most vivacious of corals where a pearl of pinkish hue is hidden. Take it. It's more valuable than your future dream house! It is so precious that it is worth all your sought-after desires and more! Oh, what festive paradise you will have when you find that one pink pearl!" Temptations abound on this exotic island, as if telling me to liberate myself from the bounds of the earth... To forget work, to forget everything... And go yonder, to the deepest reefs of the ocean, to the farthest of the islands, to ...
Read more

The Baby in the Manger

By
Image
I see all those vibrant colors Of the many beautiful decors I taste all those sumptuous flavors As I ate our dinner's main course They were glad when they opened The expensive gifts I gave them I was ecstatic when I opened The things they gave me as presents But something deep within Was peculiarly missing I wonder what might be that thing If I have everything All the extravagance, the excesses All the exuberance, the decadence But it seems as though All these are nonsense For a void is still felt Like a dark hollow thing That needs to be dealt For its echoes are deafening I asked myself What do I need to know? Or to do or to imbibe? For happiness to overflow What do I need to uncover? What answer am I looking for? And then I remember The baby in the manger Out of humility and love He came here on earth From the heavens above Through a simple rebirth No extravagance, no excess No exuberance, no decadence But it all so certainly Made a lot of sense It was plain, simple But it all be...
Read more

Arbor Day: A Holiday We Deserve

By
Image
Everybody wants a holiday. The more holidays there are, the happier the people. Simple as that. However, it is not always the case in the Philippines where not all holidays are the same. Arbol Tree Club members celebrating Earth Day at Mirisbiris Garden and Resort, Sto. Domingo, Albay There are regular holidays. Then there are special non-working holidays and some special working holidays. Among the three, Filipinos can only afford to rest well and easy on regular holidays and special non-working holidays, but we definitely could not afford to be absent on working holidays. Why is that so? On regular holidays, even if we don't go to work, we'd still be paid nevertheless. If we do get to work, we would be paid 200% of our daily rate. Meanwhile, on special non-working holidays, we will be paid 30% of our daily rate if we report to work, and in case we don't, we would still be paid if the employer feels generous. This is not the case with a special working holiday because if w...
Read more

Pastel Villas

By
Image
Own Image, September 2023. A tiny vivid city Rising from the sea Where villas dot the scene With pink, yellow, and pale tangerine Its roads are filled with stardust On wintry summers each passing year Blown everywhere by howling gusts And gentle whiffs music to the ear The rains of the island play jazz As they pitter-patter everywhere Like yesterday, like the other day Every day, as it always has At sunset, a lingering aroma Invades every corner, every villa With a quaint blend of sangria, Lavender, and a touch of vanilla In the middle of the island's forest Is some secret garden Where the most exotic, rarest Flora and fauna are hidden Meandering through the forbidden garden Where the way follows a scent Is a small cascading waterfall Hiding precious gems unknown to all There is a woozy labyrinth Somehow, somewhere underneath Leading to another island Where marshes and swamps expand The islands are riddled with enigma Every corner, every villa Has a strange story to tell Written in...
Read more

Eternal Rome 🇮🇹

By
Image
A view of the Colosseum Rome, the city for all eternity where we've seen massive structures dating back to antiquity, was part of our itinerary. It's not the most beautiful city we've been to, but it nevertheless has its charm due to its sheer historical value. It is, after all, one of the oldest inhabited cities on earth and was the center of everything during the Ancient Times. As the cliche goes, all roads lead to Rome. Arrival Roma Termini Train Station After exploring cosmopolitan Florence, Rome was our next destination. Just like the other cities, train was our mode of transportation. Everybody knows that Rome is an ancient city that still stands today, but I didn't expect that pieces of evidence of its age are evident even on a train station. The photo above shows a mural that seems to date back to around 500 AD. I've tried to google about this mural but no success. It looks really old, ancient to me, so I was surprised that a train station, which is a creatu...
Read more