The Sun Comes Up Behind Irazu

Turrialba on left (with plume); Irazu on right, moments before sunrise.

Irazú Volcano looms on the horizon fifteen miles east of us. Next to it, and set seven miles farther back, is Turrialba Volcano. At 11,000 feet elevation, Irazú is one of the biggest landmarks in the country. When driving in the Meseta Central, if I am lost and I see Irazú ahead of me, at least I know I am headed east. I have used its location many a time to help me find my way around.

Day length varies dramatically with the seasons in the temperate zone; in the tropics it only varies by a few minutes. This is something I knew when I moved here. I also thought another difference was that, whereas the track of the sun across the sky changed dramatically in the temperate zone, in the tropics it stayed virtually the same. Boy was I wrong. When we arrived, the sun was rising just to the north of Turrialba. Soon we noticed it rising just to the south of it, then behind Irazú, finally to the south of Irazú.

This change of the sun track affects gardening, as we quickly learned. We planted some shade-loving plants in the shade of our avocado tree. But as the sun moved, we found them in the sun. Oops! The position of the sun can be an important detail when gardening in the tropics.

So, actually, the sun doesn't always come up behind Irazú --only in November, December and January.

Happy gardening!