Location
Aruba's rolling landscapes are robust with cactus plants, aloe and distinctively-shaped divi divi trees, around which exists a thriving community of small wildlife. Aruba's semi-arid climate supports unique flora typically classified as desert, with cactus and brush plants standing in sharp contrast to the shimmering turquoise seas.
Aruba's dry, desert-like rocky terrain is an ideal home for many four-legged animals, including wild donkeys and goats. They are usually found near the rock formation of Ayo. Other intriguing creatures, such as iguanas and a variety of lizards also call the island home.
For birdlovers, the four San Nicolas Bay Keys located at the southeastern part of Aruba are major nesting sites for different tern species: sooty terns, black noddies, and brown noddies nest in or under buttonwood trees. At the Bubali ponds - a former saltpan now an artificial freshwater wetland fed by the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant - buttonwood and white mangroves thrive. Buttonwood trees, growing along the eastern shoreline of the larger pond, attract brown pelicans and cormorants diving for food in the deep waters of this lake.
