Backyard Paradise
BY ELLA _NAYOR enayor@florida-weekly.com
T o many folks, a day set aside mowing a spit of lawn and trimming some shrubs is as close as they get to communing with

FLORIDA WEEKLY PHOTOS Scenes from the backyard gardens of Lee County residents Mike Wong and Dennis Balgemann.

nature let alone helping to create

it.

And it's not everyone who can say they live with nearly 30 monkeys in their own handmade rainforest.

But the idea of coming home to an apartment surrounded by concrete and facing some fast food joint left Lee County residents Dennis Balgemann and Mike Wong cold.

Now a yard - make that a rainforest - filled with the howl of monkeys and the sights of banyan trees, bamboo and other exotic fauna and flora excited them.

"I just never saw myself walking out of an apartment everyday," Balgemann said while gazing at a rare blue bamboo tree.

Nearly 30 years later, the two gregarious men have created what they consider their own version of the Garden of Eden on their six acres of agriculturally zoned property in North Fort Myers.

Here at the mini rainforest - which actually has an elaborate watering system set up that mimics sprays of rainwater splashing the trees - exotic flora such as a curvy African-based Baobab tree and voluminous elephant ear trees fill the men's property and dream to stay close to nature.

And close to nature it is.

At any given moment the men can behold rare orchids - many nestled in the saddle of tree trunks - in bloom or rare Purple Martins flitting about several nesting gourd houses.

"There's something new each day," said Balgemann.

It has been a labor or better yet a legacy of love that drives the two State of Florida retirees to care for their mini rainforest and zoo.

They spend about an hour each day feeding 29 monkeys and tending to hundreds of plants including over 160 species of tropical palm trees, 40 species of tropical and temperate bamboo, many tropical and citrus fruit species and sensual exotics such as cannonball, sausage, baobab and banyan trees.

Sausage?

And for the laymen, many of the exotic trees growing on Balgemann and Wong's property are so named for their unique appearance. The sausage tree's name comes from the fact that the fruit of the tree resembles - well a sausage.

It's a tropical species, which grows in the eastern part of South Africa, stretching from Natal to the Northern Province, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and further northwards as far as Tanzania.

Though the fruit that is shaped long and swollen is inedible and even thought to be poisonous, some African tribes consider the tree holy, according to South African magazine Encounter.

And none of the often towering and cascading trees and plants came without toil. Most began as seeds that were nurtured for the past 30 years.

And the tab for the flora? Balgemann said they couldn't estimate the cost of putting the botanical garden together but estimated they spent thousands of dollars a year for seed alone.

Yet, it was money well spent, the pair said.

Balgemann and Wong skipped entertainment and other luxuries in order to build their dream and oasis from the world.

And oasis doesn't even come close to describing this man-made paradise.

It seems almost hard to believe one has not been transported from the modern and beachy atmosphere of Southwest Florida and into a pristine Amazon-like rainforest.

But once Balgemann or Wong open the gates to their nature mecca it's as if a transformation of spirit begins.

It is hard not to feel calm amidst the plants and elaborate lagoons and ponds brimming with mature Koi fish and Tilapia. And for the romantic soul there are even a few voluptuous swans skimming the waters.

The Eden-like property seems a medley of the two men's personalities and heritage. Mini pagodas and rare bamboo of Chinese origin serve as a reminder of Wong's homeland.

Wong who Balgemann says is the technically talented one of the pair came to the U.S. from Hong Kong and worked for nearly 30 years in Florida as a field auditor for unemployment.

Balgemann a Midwest transplant who once worked under the renowned architect, designer and writer R. Buckminster Fuller who designed the geodesic dome did much of the designing of their nature emporium.

Dennis Balgemann

The retired economist's work can be seen in the efficient and eco-friendly monkey cage enclosures and other structures along the property.

But a sole cactus tree represents his soft heart for nature. The winding barbed pale green tree has traveled with Balgemann since he was a 15 year-old.

But perhaps the fauna sprinkling the preserve-like property best describes the soft-spoken pair.

Nearly a dozen blue and gold and scarlet macaws rest and nest in giant airy enclosures on the property. Their cheery raucous chatter seems to fit in with the colorful blossoms and swaying tropical trees.

And nestled between bamboo trees and other exotics, the monkeys - 26 black cap capuchin and three spider monkeys - frolic in roomy metal enclosures.

Feeding bins which include pieces of mango and citrus fruit from the property's extensive collection of fruit trees sustain the small primates.

Amidst the hooting and hollering of these furry primates it seems the partners' legacy of love toward perpetuating nature becomes its most vibrant.

Mike Wong

The two chatter with grins and chuckles about the individual monkeys and their antics. Among the black cap capuchins is Gorilla Monkey and MaBoo, Cheeva and BoBo - who is "always curious," according to Balgemann.

During a recent visit one of the male monkeys decided to be a bit amorous and show off his best smile and courting behavior.

"They're people watchers," Balgemann said with a chuckle.

Balgemann said we could learn much about ourselves through watching monkeys.

"The kind of things people do in private - they do in public," he said.

The partners enjoy watching and caring for their monkey family. And they have kept them in their own environment without trying to domesticate them - a move that area vet Milt McKelvie supports.

"Someone has to perpetuate the species," McKelvie said.

McKelvie who has been tending to the monkeys for about the past three years said they are living in a good environment with good care.

FLORIDA WEEKLY PHOTO A swan drifts around the island of a manmade pond at Dennis Balgemann and Mike Wong home in North Fort Myers. The pair also have 34 species of tropical fruit trees and 20 species of citrus.

"It takes a special person to take that kind of commitment," he said.

Commitment that involves not even thinking about vacations or getaways, according to Balgemann.

But the kind of stewardship the two provide is what McKelvie said is vital to maintaining the species.

McKelvie does not recommend people going out and getting a pet monkey either.

He said aside from the necessary licensing required, monkeys are high maintenance. Their highly social animals that need attention and can sometimes be unpredictable and bite.

"It's not a pet that should be in someone's living room," McKelvie said.

McKelvie said there are about a dozen or so of breeders and private monkey owners in the Fort Myers area.

In the meantime, Balgemann and Wong are hoping to expand their monkey repertoire and get some Wooly monkeys.

FLORIDA WEEKLY PHOTO Twenty-six Black-capped Capuchin monkeys live in domed cages on Dennis and Mike's land. The monkeys eat dog food and fruit from an orange grove on the property.

Their deeper hope is to, however, perpetuate their mini preserve for other generations. They are hoping a college or research facility would like to work with them and create a positive learning environment in the community.

"It should be put to use when were gone," said Wong.

Capuchin monkey >> Habitat: Blackcapped Capuchin monkeys are found in every South American country except Uruguay and Chile. They live in almost every type of forest from lowland rainforest, dry forest, and mangroves to mountain forests. Capuchins are primarily tree dwellers that will occasionally descend to the ground in search of food or to raid crops and orchards. >> Diet: Capuchins have the most varied diet of all the New World monkeys: They eat fruits from up to 96 different plants, as well as nuts, seeds, insects, small vertebrates and crustaceans. >> Tidbits: Capuchins were named after capuchin monks because the dark fur that forms a cap on their heads and extends down in 'sideburns' resembles the cowl or headdress of the priests. >> Number at Dennis and Mike's: 26 Sausage tree >> Locale: Native to South Africa, the African Sausage tree is a member of the Bigona family. >> Size: It grows 20 to 40 feet tall and bears sausagelike fruits, 1 to 2 feet long, which hang down on long, cordlike stalks. The tree's flowers, about 4 inches wide, are purplish green in colour and are slightly irregular in shape or bent to one side. >> Also called: Kigelia pinnata or Kigelia africana. >> Tidbits : The hard, grey fruit of the sausage tree has a thin skin covering a firm, fibrous fruit pulp containing numerous small seeds. The fruit, although inedible itself, is a common ingredient in traditional beer, and is said to hasten the fermentation process. The fruits are much prized by monkeys and elephants. >> Number at Dennis and Mike's: 22 Spider monkey >> Habitat: Spider monkeys live in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America and as far north as Mexico. >> Diet: They are frugivores preferring a diet of 90 percent fruit and seeds. They also eat young leaves, flowers, aerial roots, sometimes bark and decaying wood, as well as honey. >> Tidbits: They are called spider monkeys because they look like spiders when they are suspended by their tails. They're usually all black, but some have flesh colored rings around their eyes and white chin whiskers. They have long, lanky arms and prehensile (gripping) tails that enable them to move gracefully from branch to branch and tree to tree. These nimble monkeys spend most of their time aloft, and maintain a powerful grip on branches even though they have no thumbs. >> Number at Dennis and Mike's: 3 Bambusa Chungii >> Locale: Native to Southern China, Chungii is a traditional ornamental bamboo that grows well in temperate climates. This rare bamboo is currently much in demand. >> Size: Bambusa Chungii has pole stalks reaching 2 ½ inches in diameter and a height of over 30 feet. >> Color: The new shoots and young culms are heavily covered in white powder, giving them a bluish appearance, and it has an attractive upright form. A vigorous growing and hardy bamboo, it can withstand frost, cold wind and dry winters. >> Also called: Blue Bamboo, White Powder Bamboo. >> Number at Dennis and Mike's: Two mature clums