This past week Town has witnessed a small seasonal change, one that is gentle but unmistakable. The vainillos, Tecoma stans, are entering their flowering period and their yellow blooms have begun appearing throughout Town.
The vainillo is a native species to Costa Rica and much of tropical America. It can reach up to twelve meters in height and adapts easily to many types of forests and climates, which is why it grows so comfortably in Guanacaste and feels naturally at home in our warm conditions. It is one of those quiet trees that you begin to notice more once you learn its name.
With the start of the dry season the vainillos open their flowers in bright clusters, adding vivid touches of yellow to paths, gardens and hillsides. It is a soft but clear sign that the season is shifting.
Their beauty also plays a role in the ecosystem. The flowers attract bees and hummingbirds, bringing movement to the canopy and supporting local pollinators. The tree provides good shade along smaller paths in Town and contributes to soil health as part of the nitrogen fixing process common in this group of plants.
Their flowering marks a simple but meaningful shift in the landscape, one that gently reminds us that the new season is already on its way.