Lionfish are beautiful fish that have distinctive red, maroon, brown and white stripes on their head and body, and fan-like fins. They are native to the Indo-Pacific oceans, but have started to show up in the waters of the Atlantic and Caribbean. There have been numerous Lionfish sightings reported around Puerto Rico and the surrounding islands.

Puerto Rico has lots of wonderful things to do, see, eat and listen to. One thing it is lacking is any form of "exciting" wildlife. I know that when you hear El Yunque rain forest you think of all sorts of colorful and exotic animals — like monkeys, jaguars, and macaws. You are not going to see those here, but we do have some critters that are worth being on the lookout for.

Zingiberales is a family of tropical plants that includes heliconias, gingers, bananas and cannas, among others. These are some of the plants we fell in love with during our travels and now we take pleasure in introducing other people to these wonderful flowering plants. Here’s an easy opportunity for you to get to know these plants for yourself.

Do you want to get away from the concrete jungle of San Juan or Old San Juan for a while without traveling too far? Or have a nice place to bike, run or walk that is away from traffic? Then the Parque Lineal Martí Coll or Paseo Lineal (Martí Coll Linear Park, in English) might be just what you need. This "park" is actually an elevated, 8-foot wide concrete walkway that runs along the bank of the Maria Pena canal. It is 1.2 miles long, and a nice place to exercise or just enjoy the day.

Save a Gato is a volunteer organization that manages the care and feeding of the colonial cats of Old San Juan. Through an agreement with the National Park Service, Save a Gato provides food, water and medical assistance for these cats. They do what they can, as a completely volunteer organization, run on donations. But every trap-neuter-release costs money. Find out how you can help.

In the summertime, many locals and visitors flock to El Yunque National Forest to get away from the heat and enjoy the cool refreshment of the rain forest. Over the last few years, during July holidays and weekends, Road 191 North has become a zoo, overflowing with people and cars. During July 2010, on certain weekends and holidays, the National Forest Department is going to be changing forest access a bit to help limit the congestion.

Every year, the town of Aibonito hosts the largest plant show & sale on the island. It features flower & plant displays, a large section for plant sales, live local music shows, and food kiosks. My favorite part is the rows and rows of booths selling all kinds of plants — orchids, fruit trees, vegetable plants, heliconias, gingers, hibiscus … just to name a few. I look forward to this event all year and it is now that time of year again!

Are you looking for a little good luck, or perhaps you just want to experience a local tradition? La Noche de San Juan, or Saint John’s Night, is celebrated annually on the night of June 23. To take part in this tradition, all you need to do is get yourself to a beach, be prepared to stay up late and get wet. Are you ready to get lucky?

When looking for day trips to do, I sometimes forget to look at places close to home. Luquillo is a great little town in the north east part of Puerto Rico. It is home to diverse natural beauty — both miles of beautiful beaches and acres of rain forest. It has a rich and interesting history and a decently active, modern social life. Most people assume they have "done" Luquillo if they make it to the food kiosks and Luquillo Beach, but there is a lot more for people to do and enjoy. So take some time and come explore Luquillo!

If you take a trip to the Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park, you can learn about the people who lived in Puerto Rico (or Boriken as they called it) prior to the arrival of the Spanish. In this a small area, archaeologists have uncovered many artifacts, petroglyphs and a number of stone-lined areas. Many years later, after further excavations, research and preservation, this area is said to be one of the most important Taino-culture archaeological sites in the Antilles today.