The Oak That Burst Into Color by the Lake

Near the lake at the entrance of Fundación Loros, a tree decided to demand attention without asking anyone's permission. Maicol found it in full bloom: a roble rosado —Tabebuia rosea— draped in flowers ranging from soft pink to deep fuchsia, so heavy with color it looked as though someone had painted it in the small hours of the morning. The clear blue sky of that Wednesday made it stand out even more, as if the two of them had struck a quiet agreement just in time for the photograph. At the foot of the tree, the broad leaves of a banana plant kept it company without stealing the spotlight. Maicol documented the sighting with his camera, leaving a record that, in this corner of the sanctuary's 520 hectares, the roble rosado's flowering season was already well underway.