The Guaria Morada was decreed the national flower on June 15th, 1939 under the government of Mr. León Cortés Castro by the Secretary of State for Development and Agriculture, agreement No. 24. Subsequently, by Executive Agreement No. 24, on November 1972, it was establishing the second week of March as the Costa Rican Orchid Week, under the government of Mr. José Figueres Ferrer.
History tells that in 1939 in Argentina was founded a botanical garden called the Garden of Peace and asked to Costa Ricans to send its national flower, to show off with other flowers from different countries. Since then, the country did not have a national flower, so the government asked to the Garden Club and the Rotary Club to make a contest and to choose the flower that will represent Costa Rica from then on. In the competition were very appreciate Costa Ricans facts, as it originated in America and was very rooted in our customs. The winner was the Guarianthe skinneri orchid (Cattleya skinneri before), popularly known as the abode Guaria Morada.
It is the most cultivated orchid in Costa Rica. Its name was in honor of its discoverer, George Ure Skinner, who was an English trader who lived in Guatemala and sent plants from Central America and southern Mexico to Europe. This name was given in England, by the botanist James Bateman as a way to honor its discoverer. It is an epiphyte flower on trees, which bloom extends from February to March. It is called “Guaria Morada” (Purple Guaria) because of the reddish purple color of flowers, similar to blueberries. The appearance of flowers during the month of March, in addition to the appreciation that the Costa Rican have, makes this flower used for the decoration of altars during Lent and Holy Week celebrations.
Although the orchid is widespread throughout Central America, is in Guatemala (where it is also known as Candelaria Flower or San Sebastian Flower) and in Costa Rica where it is abundant and grows in greater proportion.
Today, the Guaria Morada decorates walls and gardens. Many fans of the flowers grow cultivated and make many statements of “Guarias” as the Ticos (Costa Ricans) call in orchids, where we can observe in all its glory, the beauty of their colors and varieties. Costa Rica has the privilege of having more than 1000 species of orchids; in fact Monteverde is the region with more density of orchids on the planet. It is not a parasite, but grows in walls and in trunks and branches of trees or in pots mossy scent and happy environment.
The Yigüirro was declared the national bird on January 3rd, 1977, under the government of Mr. Daniel Oduber Quirós.
It was declared as a tribute to his powerful and melodious singing that accompanies the entry of the rainy season for the good of the crops. The Yigüirro or Clay-Colored Robin is a familiar and well known bird because it stays close to the houses and its name is mentioned often in the typical songs, stories and literary works of Costa Rican authorities; it was considered an important figure in the Costa Rican folklore.
Its scientific name is Turdus grayi. It may also be called Clay-Colored Thrush; it can reach up to approximately 22 to 24 cm and weighs approximately from 74 grams to 76. Both, the male and female, have identical plumage, a brown or yellowish brown and little clearer in the throat and stomach. The iris is reddish brown, yellow beak and feet are brown.
This bird lives especially in open places. It feeds on various kinds of fruit trees. Also go much digging in the ground to beak and collect earthworms, snails, worms, insects, etc. It has only been found in America, from northeastern Mexico to northern Colombia, and in some places get different names, for example, the cas-cas in Panama.
It was declared as the national tree of Costa Rica on August 31st, 1959, under the government of Mr. Mario Echandi Jimenez, by decree No. 7.
Guanacaste tree was chosen as a tribute to Guanacaste for its annexation to Costa Rica in 1824. It also was due to its immense beauty and greenery, whose shade is similar to the protection that the government offers to all Costa Ricans.
Guanacaste is an Aztec language, Nahuatl, in which Guautil means tree and Nacaztli mean ear, so that our aborigines called it “ear tree” because its fruits are like the ears of people, a hard glossy pods brown shaped ear.
Its scientific name is Enterolobium Cyclocarpum, belonging to the family Fabaceae Mimosoideae. It is a type of deciduous tree and is considered a perennial tree, for its power and long life, ranging from 60 to 70 years. In their natural state. It is distributed on both coasts, the Pacific and the Atlantic, but is more common in the North Pacific, which is why it was assigned to the province of Guanacaste, with its name.
This tree has a very broad crown, with its extensive leafy branches and permanent greenery. Can reach 15 meters high and 4 meters in diameter; the trunk is thick, a light gray color with nuances. Its flower is white with long stamens; its fruit is a legume which serves as food for wildlife and livestock. The seeds are used to produce handicrafts, as its fruits. They were also used as feedstock for the manufacture of soap due to its high content of saponins. In Costa Rica generally blooms from November to March and produces fruit from January to May.
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