Kids in Trees

Shot of Matchi.
Jose and I took Matchi out for the first time since removing his shoes last December. Just as with Lucero, we gave Matchi a year off from riding, in order to allow his hooves to strengthen and adapt to his new barefoot lifestyle. So we rode out on Matchi and Lucero - both have a similar pace - and it was just wonderful! Matchi has never felt more balanced, relaxed and settled - and this was his first outing in over a year! We rode all the way down to the river and out to Las Palmas, returning home via the road to Piedras Negras. A long ride for Matchi’s first outing but he did just fine - he never once showed any sign of heavy breathing, even when we cantered up the mountain.
It wasn’t only necessary for him to rebalance without shoes, however. I think he also needed a ‘reset’ - a long vacation - to start riding him not as a race horse, as we did back in the days when we raced, sprinted even, and WON… Those days are over. We actually ruined Francis’ mare by racing her. Xicha could no longer stay in the Peruvian trot - she always fell into a gallop in the up-transitions, and the judges obviously noticed it. So Francie retired Xicha to pasture up in Nicaragua - not a bad life though…
Matchi has now matured and settled down - he’s almost ready to entrust to the kids.


Here’s a shot of Negrito the calf.
Lola La Vaca weaned her calf some months ago, so we have no milk right now for making yogurt or cheese. However, she is expected to give birth to her new calf in March and, soon after, will be able to share some of her milk with us. In the meantime, we coddle and pamper both Lola and her calf, Negrito. Not sure what Jose plans to do with Negrito, but I have become very fond of this black, shiny calf. He is growing into a very large bull, although he is very sweet and affectionate for a bovine…


Every year, in January, the kids go down to the charral and we take pictures of them with their adopted trees. Three years ago, the kids planted a bunch of trees and now January has become the tree photo ritual. The idea is to photograph the kids annually with their adopted trees and observe how the kids and the trees grow!


Shot of Geovanna.


We nearly walked past Geovanna’s tree but she remembered it very well and pointed it out to us - a still tiny Peltogyne guainensis (Nazareno). Someday, it will tower over her. Karla posed with Sapindus saponaria, Calliandra bijugo and Terminalia oblonga; Danny posed with Cedrela salvadorensis; and they all posed with numerous others.



Shot of Danny
Danny would just as soon climb a tree as identify it. He is learning all the forest lessons fast from his grandfather, Armando, who has planted too many trees here at El Tigre to mention. On this day, we took shots of Armando with trees that he planted just 3 years ago, some of which now tower over him: Anacardium excelsum, Ceiba pentandra, Pseudobombax septenatum, Hura crepitans, Lafoensia punicifolia, Terminalia amazonia and Zygia longifolium and others I’m not sure about.



Shot of Picramnia with yellow berries.
While out with the kids, we noted Picramnia sp. (common name, Caregre) now fruiting, with their cascade of red, yellow, or orange berries, depending on the tree. The leaves look like the species antidesma , no matter which berry color. The berries do not change from yellow to orange to red. They fruit and remain one color, depending on the tree but, in all cases, the berries turn to black after a few weeks.


Shot of Picramnia with red berries.
Some fruits change color as they ripen on the vine, but not Picramnias. I mention this because it’s a point of confusion - depending on the time of observation. For example, the Pseudosamanea guachapele (I think they’ve now changed the genus name to Albizia) flowers are creamy - now in bloom at El Tigre - but after a few weeks, they turn mustard yellow. That phenomenon had me a bit confused until I understood what was happening.




Also, currently in full flower are Gallinazo (Schizolobium parahyba). We will have a bumper crop of Gallinazo seeds this year, unlike last year. Also, Lysiloma species are seeding abundantly this year, while there were none in 2009. Dalbergia retusa seeded last year and is seeding even more abundantly this year. The seeds germinate easily and we already have a slew of Cocobolo seedlings ready for planting at the start of the rainy season.
Also noted in bloom while out with the kids were: Sapranthus palanga, Bauhinia sps., Casearia sp., Eugenia sps., Cochlospermum vitifolium, Erythrina sp., Luehea speciosa, Plumeria rubra, Thevetia sp., and a slew of vines and herbaceous plants, especially Asteraceae and Acanthaceae.
It’s going to be a long, long, dry season…

The guys have already begun cutting fire breaks at the borders, and will finish the job after all the deciduous trees have dropped their leaves - probably by mid-February. We can’t control man but we can prepare in advance, and try to manage the fire threat to the forest.

The village of El Rodeo almost got a volunteer forest fire-fighting course organized with MINAET to start this week - we had 16 guys signed up, including Jose. I almost signed up too, but this was to be a boot-camp style type training with only young men signing up, so I bowed out, obviously. However, the course was postponed - we need more prep work.

I thought about closing this blog-site after a few ads landed in the Comments section recently. But this little remnant forest needs a voice. Actually, it needs more than one voice calling out to defend it, and this blog is just one. I am very grateful to the other nature lovers, near and far, who also defend this little remnant forest called Zona Protectora El Rodeo.

You would think protecting forestland would be quite in fashion, with all this global warming brouhaha, but economic interests too often are in conflict. MINAET told us that the logging is insidious. First, people just trim a bit, then they cut a few trails, followed by a house, then houses, and the next thing you know the forest is gone, the damage has gone too far.

Part of protecting a forest is showing its value to the world. And here we have a new voice!

Barry Hammel, renowned botanist and author, kindly identified some plants pictured in earlier blogs. When we get to New Orleans, I shall update them, because we still have no internet at the Finca - I’m actually sending this while lunching at Bagelman’s - so I’m reprinting Barry’s notes here:
Barry wrote:
…The unknown ("We’re still not sure what this is. Stay posted!) vine you have in your blog is a sp. of Marsdenia (Asclepiadaceae), probably have to see flowers to know which species.
And oh--just can't help being a botanist--looking on down I notice a few other things that could be tweaked, like that Asteraceae is not a Montanoa, but I'd have to do too much work right now to figure out just what it is! The first red tubular flowered one you seem to have called a Malvaceae is actually Rusellia sarmentosa (Scrophulariaceae), the next one *can* be said to be Malvaceae, sensu lato, but we (and many books) still do it in Sterculiaceae (Helicteres guazumifolia), and then the one Armando has in his mouth, that one *is* Malvaceae, sensu strictu, Malvaviscus arboreus.
After visiting your place I found that same cute little fern (Hemionitis palmata) at our place and now have it growing in the shade next to our house. I also went exploring on neighbors' fincas and have found some very-close-to-real lemons. So we have been sticking to Jerry's rule "gin and tonic with lemon, rum and coke with lime!" I hope we got it right....

Thank you Barry! It was a pleasure to meet you and Isabel and we are so grateful for any help you can give!


For example, this Asteraceae is in bloom again and I still have not found it in the guides. Take a look at the lovely purple flowers. Known as a stimulant, we tried decocting the roots and also infusing the leaves, but got no effect. Coffee works better and tastes better. But I would so like to know the name of this plant! Agustin?