Welcome August! The month when Casa de Campo shines brightly with Flamboyant… And the month that marks the start of our peak hurricane season.
Below we bring you a complete overview of all you can expect in this month… the weather, seasonal fruits and flowers, holidays, social events, and also our top 10 memories of July 2013.
Weather
Rainfall: 4.1 inches
No. of rainy days: approximately 9 days per month
Temperature range:
Max. 33 ºC
Min. 23 ºC
Humidity:
Day: fluctuates between 70 and 85%
Night: fluctuates between 65 and 78%
Sunrise: Approximately at 6:14am
Sunset: Varies between 7:11pm
Conclusion:
Well it’s peak hurricane season, which means the odds are that it will rain, and it will rain heavily! It also means that now is the time that the Dominican Republic is most likely to be affected by some kind of tropical cyclone, be it a tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane. Here at Casa de Campo Living we’ll do our best to keep you updated on the development of any tropical cyclones.
That said, if there is no tropical cyclones on the horizon, we can expect the weather to be hot, with the occasional tropical downpour.
Dominican National Holidays & International Celebrations
Saturday August 16th – Día de la Restauración Dominicana
17 years after regaining Independence in 1844, Pedro Santana, then President of the Dominican Republic decided that it was easier to hand the country over to Spain instead of rule himself. So for a short period of time we were, again, under Spain’s power, until one of the Dominican Republic’s original liberators, Gregorio Luperón hung the Dominican Flag at the “Cerro de Capotillo” (Capotillo Hill), an action known as the “Grito de Capotillo”, thus declaring the start of the Restoration War fought from 1863 through 1865 between nationalist Dominicans and Spain.
The result: On the 16th of August 1863, Spanish forces finally left and the Dominicans claimed their Independence once again, a day remembered every year on August 16th as el día de la Restauración Dominicana’ (the Day of the Dominican Restoration). On this day every year, the President makes a speech on his performance throughout the year, highlighting the progress of the country. Or every 4 years, when there is a newly elected President, this is the day in which he (or she) takes power.
August 12th – International Youth Day
On 17 December 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.
August 19th – World Humanitarian Day
World Humanitarian Day is a time to recognize those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. The day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.
Happening now!
Villas Owners Golf Special When: Sunday June 01 – Tuesday, September 30th Where: Dye Fore and The Links, Casa de Campo
The following fruits are currently in season, meaning that not only is NOW the best time to enjoy them, but also that you’re likely to spot them growing all over the Casa de Campo resort.
Cherry
Wonderfully delicious, cherry fruit is packed full healthy nutrients and antioxidants. Cherries are native to Eastern Europe and Asia. Botanically, the fruit is a “drupe” (stone fruit), belonging to the broad Rosaceae family of small tree fruits in the genus, Prunus. Several species of cherries exist, two popular cultivars are wild or sweet-cherry, and sour or tart-cherry. While sweet cherries belong to the species of Prunus avium, tart variety belongs to that of Prunus cerasus. In Dominican Republic the only species is the tart-cherry.
Mangos
Mango is a popular tropical fruit, with a slightly acidic and fleshy pulp. The fruit is usually green at first, and yellow or orange when ripe. Mangos originate from Asia, mainly India, and there are numerous varieties – many of them created by grafting (a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together.)
Mangos are in season from April to September.
Cashews
The cashew tree is a tropical evergreen that produces the cashew nut and the cashew apple. Officially classed as Anacardium occidentale, it can grow as high as 14 metres (46 ft), but the dwarf cashew, growing up to 6 metres (20 ft), has proved more profitable, with earlier maturity and higher yields.
In Casa de Campo we can see the cashew, Cajuiles in Spanish, growing on the Teeth of the Dog
Avocados
Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world. Commercially, they ripen after harvesting. Trees are partially self-pollinating and are often propagated through grafting to maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit.
Here in Casa de Campo, avocado trees are hard to spot because the fruit is green and doesn’t stand out against the green of the leaves. However, we have spotted avocado trees on hole #2 and hole #13 of the Teeth of the Dog, although of course there must be many more!
Avocados are in season from June to November.
Limoncillo (Quenepa)
Limoncillo is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, native or naturalised over a wide area of the tropics including South and Central America, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean, and parts of Africa and the Pacific.
Now that they are in season we can expect to see them for sale on the side of the road throughout the Dominican Republic.
Limoncillos are in season from June to September.
Loquat (níspero)
Loquat, known in the Dominican Republic as nispero, is small – about the size of an apple – and is soft and very sweet with a distinctive flavor. The skin of the nispero is brown, while its flesh has a unique texture and is white/brown/orange in color. It is not very popular for juicing – but can be peeled and eaten. This tropical fruit contains 14 percent sugar.
Flowers of the season
Thanks to countless numbers of flowering trees and plants, Casa de Campo is always a colorful paradise, but as the seasons change so do the flowers we see brightening the roads, golf courses and villas.
Flamboyant
Flowers between May and August
Spreads widely, and its dense foliage provides full shade
Fern-like leaves
The flowers are large, with four spreading scarlet or orange-red petals up to 8cm long, and a fifth upright petal called the standard, which is slightly larger and spotted yellow and white.
The seed pods are dark brown and can be up to 60cm long and 5cm wide
Used for ornamentation for streets, avenues and parks.
The hibiscus originates from America and Africa, has more than 220 species that derive from the Malvaceae family and are generally found in warm environments. The species most typically found in the Dominican Republic is known as “Sangre de Cristo”, Christ’s Blood (hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and is a national symbol, often used as hair decorations on national holidays.
However, here in Casa, magnificent Hibiscus flowers can be spotted in neon pink and orange, these were found on hole #5 of the Links golf course, while we’ve spotted the “Sangre de Cristo” around the Teeth of the Dog.
Animals highlights
Butterflies
During this beautiful time of year, not only do we enjoy the resort blooming with hundreds of different types of flowers in a rainbow of magnificent colors, but serving as the perfect addition are the butterflies, floating from flower to flower, and darting in the grass, everywhere you look. With the butterfly season (from April to November), here in Casa de Campo you can spot dozens of different species.
March to November in the Dominican Republic is turtle nesting season – which means right now on the Dominican Republic’s many beaches; Hawksbill turtles, Green turtles and Leatherback turtles are laying their eggs – some even right here on Minitas Beach and on nearby Saona Island!
Spanish
Flamboyant
Hibiscus
