This is a climbing woody vine with heart-shaped wrinkled leaves. It is a perennial and forms underground tubers and large rootstocks. I saw photos of the large roots in Phytoimages. It is a smothering vine and can cover other plants. It is also very pretty and can be used to cover fences or climb trellises. The one photographed is growing on a Madre de Cacao tree.
This tree fruits year round. Many Filipinos of a certain age have childhood memories of eating the fruit straight from the tree! We planted several of these non-native (though naturalized) trees as a year-round food source for birds and bats.
It is a small, spreading tree. According to some websites it can be grown in pots.
This is growing by the old bridge. It is a vine. The leaves and stems are fuzzy and velvety. The bigger branches are reddish-brown. It is related to Uvaria rufa, which we also have in the farm.
According to a comment on Co’s Digital Flora of the Philippines Facebook group, there is a “typical flower form of Uvaria“. I was able to correctly guess that this plant is an Uvaria by seeing a photo of a different Uvaria species on Facebook. As we learned in our Permaculture course, it’s all about recognizing patterns!
I was unable to find additional information about this plant in my books or online.
Yes!! Those are the words you want to hear from your celebrity veterinarian friend who has his own TV show. I sent Doc Nielsen Donato a message asking if he knew of any healthy and friendly horse for sale or adoption. At that point, I was getting desperate and was considering just buying a horse so Takoy would have a companion. I had sent messages looking for a horse to adopt to all the other people I knew who had some kind of connection with horses when I thought of asking Doc Nielsen. Less than two weeks after I sent a message to Doc Nielsen, I adopted TWO beautiful horses! Woo hoo, way to go Doc Nielsen!!
Boo Boo is a 4-year old female Thoroughbred. She is blind in one eye.
Boo Boo greeting Takoy for the first time
Tara is a 10-year old female Thoroughbred. She very curious and bossy.
Tara and Takoy
We kept Tara and Boo Boo inside the paddock at first to get them used to their new surroundings. After one week, they seemed ok and we tried letting them out for a few hours in the morning. Unlike Takoy who stays on the paths, these two made their own paths through the swathes of long grass! We were worried that they might suddenly spook and bolt or try to run away.
In the afternoon, I decided to let them out again. I swung the paddock gate open, and then EARTHQUAKE! There was a 5.7 magnitude earthquake! The ground was shaking and the roof of their house was rattling! Tara and Boo Boo ran back into the paddock! What a relief to see them running back inside instead of running away!
Inspecting the grass that was cut down for the compost pile.
I am so happy with how things worked out! We were able to help a fellow horse-owner, Takoy has two beautiful companions, the three of them can run around in a little herd, Tara and Boo Boo have a new lease on life, and I adopted and didn’t shop!
Tonji and Sylvia's Wildlife Refuge 