Living Fences

I almost forgot to share this post about the living fences here. I mentioned them in an earlier post.

So when we first arrived at Chitré airport and Ray picked us up we did some shopping and then headed here to Búcaro. Along the mountain route I noticed some men chopping branches off the trees along the road. I asked Ray about it since it looked like they were cutting them down completely starting with the branches and then I presumed the tree would be dead and they use it for firewood or something.
Ray explained the concept of the living fences here in Panama.

They take a certain type of tree and cut branchs off it, these branches are them stuck in the ground surrounding the fields and they quickly take root. These then become the "posts" for holding the wire and then the cattle cannot get out. This area here in Azuero Peninsula  had long been a cattle ranching area. The ranchers have taken a lot of the trees down in what used to be a dry jungle.

These are established fences that have been recently trimmed

 

In this one you see the new growth and some new "posts" ready to be inserted to replace old ones

These ones have not been trimmed this year (maybe longer) but they still look like young ones.

This one is new growth this year on a well established and maintained fence. 

Are they not beautiful? They also can provide shade to the cattle in the heat when they het longer. I honestly don't know what they survive on in this heat...everything looks so brown. The ranchers do bring hay out to them and water is brought out too if they don't have access.

Such beautiful animals.They didn't let me get too close.

The country side here is very brown right now. Rains are coming slowly. We had a little shower last night again. Of course that means more bugs! LOL

Today there was a very strange smell around the front of the house... like skunk. I asked Mita, who is here cleaning the house for us, what it was and if they have skunks here. (Funny trying to explain a skunk in another language). While this was going on I grabbed Colby who was outside just in case. Mita came to investigate the smell too and she thinks it was one of the wild mountain cats that are here. Marcy had told us about them...so now I am worried about all the cats in case there is one around. I also think if might have been a cockroach because after finding one the other day I read some info and they send out smells when threatened and Colby seemed very intent in the area I grabbed him from and was NOT A HAPPY CAT when I made him come inside LOL.

This was the cucaracha I found the other night. We were out on the patio and Diabilito started to chase something around the flower beds..I thought it was a lizard or gecko so I chased him off only to discover I had saved the life of the biggest cockroach EVAH!! LOL

I would say it was about 3 inches long. Quite beautiful!

These Giant Brazilian Cockroaches live in the undergrowth and eat decaying leaves etc. Quite harmless and do not come inside...which is just as well because who would look after the cats as we evacuated to Canada? LOL (Just kidding Marcy and Ray...we would take the cats with us lol)

More adventures coming soon...there is an Agricultural fair in Chitré and we are going with David and his lovely girlfriend Joli tomorrow.
We had a lovely lunch with them last on Sunday at Casa Iguana and this is a pic of them. I could listen to his stories all day. He certainly has led the life of an adventurer.

David and Joli ... such a lovely couple.

His Iguana babies are starting to hatch so I will hopefully get some photos of them soon..he has about 400 eggs!

Thanks for dropping by, sorry I have not posted in a few days. Lots more to share! Stay tuned!

Sue and her Sidekick