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Sunday, February 5, 2012

A day out in the bush

 The group minus Virginia who took this photo, what a rag tag bunch we resembled!
Wild man Terry having some fun, imagine meeting him for the first time in a setting like this!
 Juliette all decked out with her gloves et al.
 I found a palm that is indigenous to Barbados and many of the other Caribbean islands Cocothrinax Barbadensis, so I decided to dig it up with my new fork.
 Well the new fourk became a twork after attempting to dig the palm up!
 Virginia, Terry and myself in front one of the many shallow caves found in this area.
 Juliette joining Virgina and I
 Andrew reflecting on the morbid past in an area known as Negro's Rock. He related a story known to many in that area, about plantation owners during the time of slavery hanging their slaves there. Over time the name has been distorted and vulgarized and is now known as Nigga's Rock. Andrew who hadn't been into the woods for several years was surprised at some of the damage done by Hurricane Tomas two years ago. There were lots of fallen trees and thick underbrush that covered many of the tracks.
 These roots from trees located on the cliff  above have grown down unto the floor of the gully to anchor themselves.

Maiden hair ferns grew naturally on these damp rocks
ferns dotted the floor of the gully
Thunbergia fragans
 Cabbage palms found growing along the stream bed


 This morning I took a trek with some friends to a former dairy farm on Mount Wilton which borders the parishes of St. Thomas and St. Joseph. It is co-owned by Andrew the group's leader and his brother. The farm covers some ninety acres with small sections under cultivation. We trekked into the wooded part of the hilly terrain  and there we found  many species of palms  growing wild; there were  Cabbage palms, MacArthur  palms, Macaw palms with their menacing spikes and the Barbados palm Cocothrinax barbadensis. We came across a plant by the name of job's tears Coix lacryma-jobi that has been used by  indigenous peoples around the globe for centuries in jewelry making. As a child I remember making necklaces and bracelets with its beads. We are planning another trek soon in that same area and I can't wait to see what we might discover.

4 comments:

  1. Hello Helen, glad to see you! I love what you do, although i haven't done collections in the wild like what you did, but i see the same while mountain climbing. Your wild areas really look like ours. I am very glad i saw a lead name for what i've been calling ours as green shrimp plant, which turn out to be wild hops, as you said it. By the way, if i may suggest, Scientific names are written with Genus starting with a capital letter and species with low caps. If there are varieties, they are enclosed in single quotes that follow, but not italized. I miss your posts Helen.

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  2. Beautiful bushland. It looks like you had a fabulous day in great company.

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  3. Good morning Helen. I have been sending you emails but I am afraid you are not receiving them. This is Mark @ Exccel Greenhouses, I was the person that sold you your greenhouse/cold frame. I loved your blog--wish I could relocate to the islands.

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  4. We have most of the plants in our area except for the caves. I'd feel much at home in Barbados!! I have something like the wild hops in your photo. Glad I know what it's called. Looking forward to the pictures and the details in your next trek!

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