Lluidas Vale, also known as Worthy Park, is a
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation
*Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money
*Settlement (litigatio ...
in
Saint Catherine Parish
Saint Catherine () is a parish in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest and most economically valued parishes because of its many resources. It includes the first capital of Ja ...
,
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
. It has a population of 3,413 as of 2009.
Etymology
The name of the settlement either refers to the Spanish term ''luzida'', meaning 'happy' or 'fine', or ''lluvias'', meaning 'rains'.
Geography and geology
Lluidas Vale, whose elevations range from to , is bordered by
Ewarton
Ewarton is a town in the parish of Saint Catherine, Jamaica.
History
The name is most likely a compound of the surname "Ewart" and the suffix -ton, meaning town.
The town's economy prospered particularly from 1957 when ALCAN established a baux ...
and Swansea Coffee Mountain.
A church is located at the heart of Lluidas Vale.
The Lluidas Vales Cave is located southwest of the parish and near the Lluidas Sinkhole.
Lluidas Vales has an abundance of sugarcane fields and also has a wide range of
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
karst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
.
In particular, the settlement is surrounded by
kegelkarst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...
.
Flora and fauna
Most of the vegetation in Lluidas Vale has been cleared for agricultural purposes, although the wet limestone forest remains largely intact.
Trees commonly found in Lluidas Vale include:
* ''
Terminalia latifolia''
* ''
Cedrela odorata
''Cedrela'' is a genus of several species in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina ...
''
* ''
Nectandra
''Nectandra'' is a genus of plant in the family Lauraceae. They are primarily Neotropical, with ''Nectandra coriacea'' being the only species reaching the southernmost United States. They have fruit with various medical effects. Sweetwood is a co ...
'' trees
* fig (''
Ficus
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...
'') trees
Lluidas Vale is also home to a variety of birds including:
*''
Podiceps dominicus''
* ''
Podilymbus podiceps''
* ''
Butorides virescens''
* ''
Hydranassa tricolor''
* ''
Florida caerulea''
* ''
Ardeola ibis''
* ''
Egretta thula
The snowy egret (''Egretta thula'') is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, , which is a diminutive of , 'heron'. The species name ''thula'' is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, app ...
''
* ''
Nyctanassa violacea''
* ''
Cathartes aura
The turkey vulture (''Cathartes aura'') is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus '' Cathartes'' of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of Sou ...
''
* ''
Buteo jamaicensis
The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...
''
* ''
Falco sparverius
The American kestrel (''Falco sparverius'') is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. Though it has been called the American sparrowhawk, this common name is a misnomer; the American kestrel is a true falcon, while neither th ...
''
* ''
Porzana carolina
The sora, sora rail or Carolina crake (''Porzana carolina'') is a small waterbird of the rail family Rallidae, sometimes also referred to as the sora rail or sora crake, that occurs throughout much of North America. The genus name ''Porzana'' is ...
''
* ''
Porphyrula martinica
The purple gallinule (''Porphyrio martinica'') is a swamphen in the genus ''Porphyrio''. It is in the order Gruiformes, meaning "crane-like", an order which also contains cranes, rails, and crakes. The purple gallinule is a rail species, placin ...
''
* ''
Gallinula chloropus
The common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus''), also known as the waterhen, is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World, across Africa, Europe, and Asia. It lives around well-vegetated marsh ...
''
* ''
Fulica americana
The American coot (''Fulica americana''), also known as a mud hen or pouldeau, is a bird of the family (biology), family Rallidae. Though commonly mistaken for ducks, American coots are only distantly related to ducks, belonging to a separate or ...
''
* ''
Jacana spinosa
The northern jacana or northern jaçana (''Jacana spinosa'') is a wader which is known as a resident breeder from coastal Mexico to western Panama, and on Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It sometimes known to breed in Texas, United ...
''
* ''
Charadrius vociferus
The killdeer (''Charadrius vociferus'') is a large plover found in the Americas. Its shrill, two-syllable call is often heard, sounding like "kill deer". It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10 ...
''
* ''
Columba leucocephala
The white-crowned pigeon (''Patagioenas leucocephala'') is a fruit and seed-eating species of bird in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. It is found primarily in the Caribbean.
John James Audubon painted these pigeons, including the waterco ...
''
* ''
Zenaida aurita
The Zenaida dove (''Zenaida aurita'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes doves and pigeons. It is the national bird of Anguilla, where it is locally referred to as "Turtur, turtle dove".
Description
The Zenaida dove is a ...
''
* ''
Zenaida asiatica''
* ''
Columbigallina passerina''
* ''
Leptotila jamaicensis''
* ''
Geotrygon montana
The ruddy quail-dove (''Geotrygon montana'') is a species of bird in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. It breeds throughout the West Indies, Central America, and tropical South America. It has appeared as a vagrant in Florida and southern Te ...
''
* ''
Geotrygon versicolor
The crested quail-dove (''Geotrygon versicolor'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Jamaica.
Taxonomy and systematics
At one time the crested quail-dove was the sole member of genus ''Geotrygon''. Most of what ar ...
''
* ''
Amazona collaria''
* ''
Amazona agilis''
* ''
Aratinga nana''
* ''
Forpus passerinus''
* ''
Hyetornis pluvialis''
* ''
Saurothera vetula
The Jamaican lizard cuckoo (''Coccyzus vetula'') is a species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Jamaica.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the ...
''
* ''
Crotophaga ani''
* ''
Tyto alba
The western barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is a species of barn owl ''Tyto'' native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and Africa. It was formerly considered a subspecies group together with barn owls native to other parts of the world, but this classifica ...
''
* ''
Pseudoscops grammicus''
* ''
Nyctibius griseus''
* ''
Chordeiles minor''
* ''
Streptoprocne zonaris
The white-collared swift (''Streptoprocne zonaris'') is a species of bird in the subfamily Cypseloidinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Mexico, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, and every mainland South American country e ...
''
* ''
Cypseloides niger''
* ''
Tachornis phoenicobia''
* ''
Anthracothorax mango
The Jamaican mango (''Anthracothorax mango'') is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is endemic to Jamaica.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checkl ...
''
* ''
Trochilus polytmus
The red-billed streamertail (''Trochilus polytmus''), also known as the doctor bird, scissor-tail or scissors tail hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Jamaica ...
''
* ''
Mellisuga minima''
* ''
Todus todus''
* ''
Centurus radiolatus''
* ''
Sphyrapicus varius
The yellow-bellied sapsucker (''Sphyrapicus varius'') is a medium-sized woodpecker that breeds in Canada and the northeastern United States.
Taxonomy
The yellow-bellied sapsucker was described and illustrated using a hand-coloured plate by the ...
''
* ''
Platypsaris niger''
* ''
Tyrannus dominicensis
The gray kingbird or grey kingbird (''Tyrannus dominicensis''), also known as pitirre, petchary or white-breasted kingbird, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatchers family Tyrannidae. The species was first described on the island of Hispanio ...
''
* ''
Tyrannus caudifasciatus''
* ''
Myiarchus stolidus''
* ''
Myiarchus barbirostris''
* ''
Myiarchus validus''
* ''
Contopus caribaeus''
* ''
Hirundo rustica''
* ''
Petrochelidon fulva''
* ''
Corvus jamaicensis''
* ''
Mimus polyglottos''
* ''
Dumetella carolinensis''
* ''
Turdus jamaicensis''
* ''
Turdus aurantius''
* ''
Myadestes genibarbis''
* ''
Sturnus vulgaris
The common starling (''Sturnus vulgaris''), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as European starling in North America, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and ha ...
''
* ''
Vireo modestus''
* ''
Vireo altiloquus''
* ''
Vireo osburni
The Blue Mountain vireo (''Vireo osburni'') is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae. It is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, plantation ...
''
* ''
Mniotilta varia''
* ''
Helmitheros vermivorus''
* ''
Parula americana''
* ''
Dendroica magnolia''
* ''
Dendroica caerulescens''
* ''
Dendroica tigrina''
* ''
Dendroica virens''
* ''
Dendroica striata''
* ''
Dendroica pharetra''
* ''
Seiurus aurocapillus
The ovenbird (''Seiurus aurocapilla'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae). This migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and winters in Central America, many Caribbean islands, Florida and northern Venezuela.
...
''
* ''
Setophaga ruticilla''
* ''
Coereba flaveola''
* ''
Euneornis campestris''
* ''
Pyrrhuphonia jamaica''
* ''
Spindalis zena
The western spindalis (''Spindalis zena'') is a songbird species. It was formerly considered conspecific with the other three species of ''Spindalis'', with the common name stripe-headed tanager.
Taxonomy
The western spindalis was formally des ...
''
* ''
Piranga olivacea
The scarlet tanager (''Piranga olivacea'') is a medium-sized Americas, American songbird. Until recently, it was placed in the tanager family (biology), family (Thraupidae), but it and other members of its genus are now classified as belonging t ...
''
* ''
Quiscalus niger''
* ''
Icterus leucopteryx
The Jamaican oriole (''Icterus leucopteryx'') is a species of bird in the family Icteridae.
Distribution
It is found in Jamaica and on the Colombian island of San Andrés. The subspecies ''I. l. bairdi'' formerly occurred on Grand Cayman in the ...
''
* ''
Icterus galbula
The Baltimore oriole (''Icterus galbula'') is a small icterid blackbird common in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. It received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of 17th-century L ...
''
* ''
Sicalis flaveola''
* ''
Loxigilla violacea''
* ''
Tiaris olivacea''
* ''
Tiaris bicolor''
* ''
Loxipasser anoxanthus''
* ''
Ammodramus savannarum''
References
{{coord, 18.127, N, 77.145, W, display=title
Populated places in Saint Catherine Parish