Day 6 - Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary and Bird's Eye View Lodge

The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, covering 6,637 hectares, has been designated by the National Government for inclusion in the list of Wetlands of International Importance established under the Convention on Wetlands, the International Treaty signed in Ramsar (Iran) in 1971 to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wetland areas worldwide. The protection and management of this site is under the onsibility of Belize Audubon Society, 12 Fort Street.
The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary Boardwalk. This boardwalk, first of its kind built in Belize, extends about three quarters of a mile through the lush lowland subtropical forests of northern Belize. It meanders alongside part of the fascinating complex of lagoons, home to many migratory and resident water birds.
Savannah White Poison Wood (Cameraria latifolla). As the name implies, the savannah white poison wood is a poisonous plant found growing mostly in the savannahs, swampy or coastal marshes. Like its relative the black poison wood, the sap of this plant is highly corrosive to the human skin, a factor which has greatly reduced the use of its wood as a construction material. Plants of this type normally grow to heights of about twenty feet. Logwood (Haematoxylon campechianum). Generally favouring the edges of swampy and marshy areas, the logwood is undoubtebly the best known plant species in CTWS and is the main reason for the settlement of the Crooked Tree area in the 1700's. All but over-harvested throughout its range, the logwood population suffered considerably from over-logging because of its highly resistant wood and dye. Today the logwood is still harvested for fence posts and in this case for the construction of this boardwalk.
Devil Guts (Selenicerus testudo). A species of epiphytic gut-like cactus, the devil guts got its name from the belief that the devil is so bad that he has prickles in his gut. Initially growing from the soil and climbing its way up a nearby tree, the cactus eventually loses its roots and subsequently proceeds to take up water and nourishment from the bark of the host tree. Ranging in size from a few centimeters to ten meters, this plant produces edible fruits and its flowers are pollinated by fruit-eating bats.
Strangler Fig (Ficus sp.). A haven for seed eaters when in fruit the strangler fig germinates in the branches of a host tree from the seed deposited by birds. Many roots are sent down and they gradually envelope and strangle the host tree leaving the fig in its place. There are about four species in the CTWS.

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