Seasons

June marks the beginning of rainy season in Belize and this year the storm clouds came right on schedule. The first week of June it rained almost every night; days are typically sunny, hot, and humid. The lingering clouds have produced some beautiful sunsets. The constant rainfall also brings about pothole season.

In rainy season some people speak of crab season. I notice many blue land crabs peeking out of their mud holes as I walk around my neighborhood. Belize offers a lot of good seafood, but I think I'll pass on the land crabs.

June 15th is the beginning of lobster season. In the off season the fishermen were busy repairing their traps. Belize is home to the Spiny Lobster (Panuirus argus), which has no claws. Fishing communities such as Placencia and San Pedro celebrate Lobster Fest in June. Speaking of Placencia, I caught a whale shark on camera; have another look at the previous post.

In Belize's Cayo District is an amazing wet cave system called Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Stone Sepulchre). Inside the cave are many artifacts such as clay pottery, tools, and human remains. Because hundreds of water vessels were found in the cave it is believed that Actun was most used for ceremonies pertaining to the Rain God, Chac. The ancient Mayas also sacrificed humans in the hopes of appeasing the gods and bringing rain.

Once dry, ephemeral ponds are now full of water and life. A noisy chorus of frogs can be heard during the night or on a rainy day. I visited Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary to work on an environmental education project and with some free time went looking for Red-eyed Treefrogs. I saw many other frogs jumping around in the grass and surrounding trees, thick like grasshoppers in summer, but not the one I was looking for.

Finally, rainy season is the beginning of hurricane season, which is no cause for celebration. This popular Kriol rhyme traces the progression of the season:

June tu soon
Julai stan by
Aagas luk out yu mos
Septemba memba
Aktoaba aal oava.