Seagrape Tree Nature Friday

 

Above is the giant Seagrape tree in our back yard. Way back in 1990's he found a 20-inch piece of sea grape, like a piece of driftwood. It had one leaf and 2 or 3 roots hanging off and it floated past him while wade fishing in the Manatee River. He brought it home and I scoffed as he planted it and now here, we are wanting it GONE but that would cost THOUSANDS. Who Knew it would grow so big. It was not a problem until we reach OLD AGE. A few weeks ago, he trimmed it with chain saw while I held cell phone ready to punch 911, and as I was dragging the limbs to the curb for pick up I said. Hey

Look at these two, they would make great walking sticks.

And they do, they are also good for warding off bad dogs that live next door.

We need one taller one to be proper for using for walking.

Below is a photo from a 2010 post, the year the leaves were all blown off and we thought the tree would die, and even though I crossed my fingers, it came back.

Just for fun, I googled sticks for sale and wow, who know you can sell STICKS and we chopped these down and dragged to the curb.

Joining Rosy and Sunny for Nature Friday at Adventures of the LLB Gang (llbinourbackyard.blogspot.com)

Natures Neon

Sunbeams and Seagrapes

I love neon colors... and nature had really delightful ones in my back yard this week.

A TV can insult your intelligence, but nothing rubs it in like a computer.

A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.

The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Coccoloba uvifera -Seagrape

These photos are of our Coccoloba uvifera -Seagrape tree. Bob brought home a root with 2 leaves and planted it 25 years ago and now it is about 26 feet tall and takes up about 20 plus feet of the back yard.

Whatever happened to preparations A through G?

So what is the speed of dark?

Why is carrot more orange than an orange?

The tree is supposed to have edible grapes, big pretty purple ones. Ours has never had grapes. I got so excited when I found 4 leaves with the grapes starting. Tiny little pods that opened into tiny flowers and then grapes.. CLICK HERE to see a former post that shows purple grapes in the wild.

The problem is, something has eaten all of them. these are the only ones left.

no idea what ate them, but stripped them to sticks.

Seagrape AGAIn part TWO

GOTCHA! you thought I would show you all the different COLORS.... sorry! I got Snap Happy with one leaf. EVERY single ONE of these photos is the same leaf,

NUFF SAID!!!!

Seagrape AGAIN

Today's post and the one to follow started with these two leaves floating in the pool.

MadSnapper lifted them out and spent many moments deciding why and how to photograph them AGAIN.
If you have no clue what a Seagrape Tree is, CLICK HERE for the other 4 post I have done in the past. Bobby Appleseed brought a deal limb home and planted it about 20 years ago.

This monster tree resides in about 1/4 of our back yard.  As you can tell by the edges of the leaves SOMETHING has been a munchin on them.  I love the lacy look so it matters not to me. Also, there are 3 trillion leaves on this tree.

I had a big IDEA to get one of every color, ALL seven colors,  of the leaves that were on the ground....
 to be continued

Faces of Seagrape Part Two

 The faces of he Seagrape change with the light. Above a new leaf with sun from the front. Below a new leaf with the sun behind it.

 Above is a rare shot, taken in January 2 years ago when the cold caused all the leaves to fall off, this has only happened twice in 20 years to our tree. (carvers like to use the wood, it is easy to carve with)

 Common sight in February, the leaves fall to the ground, but the new growth is already there, and most of the time it is covered in leaves year round. They are hardy plants and love salt water. They are habitats for many birds and snake and small mice.

April leaves on the ground and in the middle, new leaves in center of old leaves about to fall off, enlarge for details.

The Many Faces of The Seagrape

 The seagrape in our back yard is about 40 feet high, Bob brought it home about 20 years ago. While fishing a dead looking root floated past him and he brought it home and planted it. I scoffed and said "it will never grow, it is dead". if you follow me you KNOW I have said this before and it always grows.

Leaves are thick and heart-shaped from 3 to 10 inches, these photos were taken in the month of April. New growth comes out and the old turns orange and then drops to the ground. (another story)

What did the grape say when the elephant stepped on it? Nothing.
It just let out a little wine.

What kind of tree do fingers grow on?
A palm tree.

Coccoloba uvifera

Yesterdays answer to what is this plant, is Seagrape (coccoloba uvifera) some call it Hopwood or Horsewood and they can grow 40 to 50 feet.

 Range: Florida, Bahamas, West Indies, Central and South America. Coastal dune plant, vital to erosion control and as a wind and salt break. Can be grown inland, where they may reach 50 ft.

The fruit is edible, rinse and eat or make jelly or jam from them. I have never tasted one, since I was afraid to try it when I saw these.

A duck walks into a bar and asks, "Got any grapes?"

The bartender, confused, tells the duck no. The duck thanks him and leaves.

The next day, the duck returns and asks, "Got any grapes?"

Again, the bartender tells him, "No -- the bar does not serve grapes, has never served grapes and, furthermore, will never serve grapes." The duck thanks him and leaves.

The next day, the duck returns, but before he can say anything, the bartender yells, "Listen, duck! This is a bar! We do not serve grapes! If you ask for grapes again, I will nail your stupid duck beak to the bar!"

The duck is silent for a moment, and then asks, "Got any nails?"

Confused, the bartender says no.

"Good!" says the duck. "Got any grapes?"

Visitor to The Pineapple

I will spare you the latest and greatest photo of the pineapple today, but here is the Visitor.....

He/She comes to visit the pineapple plant several times a day, and sits on the same dead end of the leaf. No idea why.

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito. – Unknown

The seagrape that appeared to be dead sticks, now has new growth.

To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking. – Goethe

John 1:1-3

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Accidental Jungle part 3

One day, 15 years ago, my husband found a small green shoot in our side yard. He dug it up and said this looks like it might be something, a bird must have dropped it. He planted it in a paper cup, it was about 3 inches high. Later he transplanted into the pot you see below.
The small plant grew and grew until it needed more space, he put it in a five gallon bucket. Our dog Max tried his best to kill it by eating he leaves, but it thrived and in its bucket because we had no place to plant it. Our hibiscus bush that we named Charley Brown Christmas tree because Max had eaten everything green from its stalks, finally gave up and died completely. Bob dug it up and put the little green bush there. We had no idea what it was. One day when it became an adult bush, flowers pushed out all over it and began several years of a real Christmas tree. It blooms year round and is what we see from our bedroom window. I stand and stare at it every time I walk in our bedroom.

The flowers up close are marvelous in detail. Very small, about the size of a quarter, but blazing magenta in color.

One day we were in Jones Nursery, I was taking photos of all his flowers, yes I did have his permission. I found a plant that looked kind of sort of like the one we had at home. I said, Mr. Jones, we have one of these at home but the flower is half the size. The birds brought it to us. What is this. He said this one is a giant Powder Puff Bush, yours is a miniature.

Of course we bought it and never thought to find out if it was the flower that was giant or the bush. The flowers are 3 times the size of the gift from the bird and the Bush gets as big as a school bus. Bob spends many happy hours each summer, hacking it back so it does not come inside the house.
The picture below was taken when it was not quite grown. I have seen them at Jungle Gardens and theirs are 40 feet tall, so we keep hacking.

We have been accidentally growing our jungle for 20 years come this October. The first year in the house, Bob comes home with a dead root, with one tiny little green shoot on it. He said I think this is a seagrape, I am going to plant it and see what happens. Did we think to look around at the river and see that Seagrapes are TREES? We totally love it to death, one of our favorites. it to has to be hacked back yearly, but who cares? bob does the work, not me. After all HE planted it.

During the summer months we have beautiful green leaves, and it to is the size of a very large bus.

In the spring, no fall, the leaves turn beautiful colors and drop off and the new growth comes for the summer. From dead root to 25 foot tree and

we love every leaf that falls. Maybe NOT, on the leaf falling part.