Introduction - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 11

Brasilwood trees (also called dyewood) are recognized by their twisted,
deeply grooved trunks. At one time, Europeans heavily logged the tree and
used its timber to produce a red dye for the textile industry. Today, only a
few hundred Brasilwoods grow wild on the islands. Look for them on the
west side of the Bubali Bird Sanctuary on Aruba. You'll recognize them by
their sinuous trunks, thorny branches, small round leaves, and small yel-
low flowers that appear during dry periods.
The indigenous matapiska tree produces a substance that is harmless to
humans but deadly to fish. Caiquetio Indians put leaves and berries from
the tree into the sea to poison nearby fish, then scooped up the dead fish
when they floated to the surface. Unlike the matapiska, the manchineel
tree is harmful to humans. Most of the trunks have been marked with red
paint, but uninformed tourists sometimes pick up the yellowish-green
apple-like fruit, with painful results. The sap, leaves, and fruit are highly
acidic and easily irritate broken skin and mucus membranes.
Tourist-pleasing palm trees and flowering bushes have been imported to
resort areas on the three islands. Desalinated water is used to irrigate
familiar tropical plants such as frangipanis , bougainvilleas , olean-
ders , and hibiscus . Fruit trees produce mangoes, lemons, and papaya for
restaurant tables.
Wildlife
The ABCs have a surprisingly large number of critters, con-
sidering their sparsity of vegetation and fresh water.
Iguanas and lizards come in many sizes and colors, includ-
ing the Caribbean anolis , a lizard noted for its ability to
cling to smooth surfaces, such as tree leaves and hotel walls.
Frogs , whose ancestors probably arrived on the islands as stowaways on
cargo ships, can be heard croaking their love songs after an infrequent rain
shower. Several species of harmless snakes (only Aruba has poisonous
rattlesnakes, the indigenous cascabel or Crotaluds thurissus ) and a vari-
ety of land snails make themselves at home under the islands' limestone
rocks.
As for mammals, bats find shelter inside caves and under rocky outcrops
along the coasts, and benefit the islands in several ways. Insect-eating
bats devour as many as 600 pesky mosquitoes an hour, and nectar feeders
pollinate night-blooming cacti that provide fruit for the birds.
Curaçao has a few white-tailed deer living in the thickets of Christoffel
Park. All three islands have a problem with goats and donkeys , both
originally brought to the Antilles by Spanish settlers. They run wild on
public lands, often darting into the path of motorists and getting hit. While
the donkeys have outlasted their usefulness as transportation animals,
the goats are still raised for food. However, many break out of their fences
and roam wild, grazing in private gardens and gobbling up the scant
vegetation.