Black mud puddles and land crabs
Something in the soil around Nosara means the puddles turn black after rain. At first I thought the dark colour of the water was caused by oil on the road, but then I noticed that on the nature trails the same oily blackness prevailed. I detected an odd unfamiliar smell too. The tropical mud of Costa Rica has a unique fragrance, different from that of temperate soil.
The little orange land crabs are everywhere, and are they ever fast. No sooner do you set eyes on one than it scuttles out of sight under a leaf -- or into a puddle. Many of these creatures came out after the rain, but they moved so fast it was nearly impossible to get good pictures.
