Permaculture in the Colombian tropical dry forest

I’ve been recording in pics my journey living and implementing permaculture in one of the last patches of tropical dry forests in Colombia. I want to start a photo journal to share this magical place and our crazy permie adventures. Hope you enjoy :)

Here is a first batch:

Batch 2 :)

3 :)

Cuatro

Cinco :)

That's a beautiful place, Andrés. Is the forest deciduous like the tropical dry forests in Mexico? Does it get hot in the dry season?

Phil Stevens wrote:That's a beautiful place, Andrés. Is the forest deciduous like the tropical dry forests in Mexico? Does it get hot in the dry season?

Indeed! Everyday I’m in awe with it and all the life it fosters. Here is a short doc of one of our partner reserves:  

Our specific forest usually has four different seasons but even within our country they change a lot from one place to another: a mild dry season, followed by a mild wet season, followed by a harsh dry period that gets abruptly interrupted by very intense storms. We get about a meter and a half of annual rainfall, most of it during the latter. Depending on the duration of the dry season the native trees do loose their leaves but they haven’t this year due to La Niña. And yep! When it’s dry it’s also very hot!! Back in 2016 we broke the record as the hottest place in the country for a few weeks. Some trees require this stress to flower and seed like the gorgeous Chicala (attaching some pics). I could talk for days about this place that I’m totally in love with, its vast diversity and amount of edges, both in space and seasonal, makes it amazing for life just to explode!

Encountered  these guys on a quick stroll :o

More :)

Quick update :)

It is gorgeous! Thank you for sharing your place.

More :)

I read a book about planting trees and the streams began to flow again. I think it was based on events in Columbia perhaps. Sorry, I don’t recall the title right now. Thanks for the inspirational pictures.

Currently cruising your pictures while drinking a cup of this coffee from Antioquia.

I wanna visit!

Beau Davidson wrote:Currently cruising your pictures while drinking a cup of this coffee from Antioquia.

I wanna visit!

our coffee plants have just flowered for the first time! Soonish well have some permie Colombian coffee!!

Also just stumbled with this little guy who was wondering too close to the chicken coop. I’d never seen a little guy so big!

Andrés Bernal wrote:

Beau Davidson wrote:Currently cruising your pictures while drinking a cup of this coffee from Antioquia.

I wanna visit!

our coffee plants have just flowered for the first time! Soonish well have some permie Colombian coffee!!

Also just stumbled with this little guy who was wondering too close to the chicken coop. I’d never seen a little guy so big!

Aaaaaah, I wish I could grow coffee.  I have grown coffee as a houseplant.  

We are starting yaupon holly, which is my region's only native source of caffeine . . .

Mantises are so cool.

Fawn came to say hi

Another surprise visit :)

Yikes.  What's up snaggletooth.

I want to stay on my side of the fence :)

Sunset rays :)

Zone 5 tropical dry forest valley

Hello Andrés.
Last year I was in Colombia visiting my niece.
I saw a leguminous tree with large pods and large beans that I think were used for food, like garden beans but bigger.
I don't speak Spanish so I wan't sure what they were telling me, and I got neither a picture nor a name of the tree, and I did not get to taste the beans.
Is there such a tree that you are familiar with?

Ellen Lewis wrote:Hello Andrés.
Last year I was in Colombia visiting my niece.
I saw a leguminous tree with large pods and large beans that I think were used for food, like garden beans but bigger.
I don't speak Spanish so I wan't sure what they were telling me, and I got neither a picture nor a name of the tree, and I did not get to taste the beans.
Is there such a tree that you are familiar with?

There's a whole bunch, the tastier are ice cream beans (guamas), we have 4 different sub-species.  Theres also carob (algarroba) which can be usesd as cocoa replacement.

Here s a pic of guamas:



Theres also tamarindo which is a little acid but sooo good too!

Definitely not tamarindo or inga or carob. Looked like garden beans, both the pod and the seed.

Ellen Lewis wrote:Definitely not tamarindo or inga or carob. Looked like garden beans, both the pod and the seed.

maaaaybe guampana... Artocarpus altili

Cool! I didn't see any breadfruit. Of course, there are lots of things I didn't see. I don't think I'll go again, but it was a wonderful visit.

A beautiful documentary about the magic of nature in Colombia (you can activate english subs):

Hey

Lived in Colombia for just over a year. Staggering beauty & diversity. Amazing place & amazing people. Thanks for the photos of some spectacular vistas.

Steve

Andre, did you make the film above?

I clicked to watch, saw the length and hoped the time was listed in minutes.

Then the credits began to roll... Wait, what? That's it? It really grabbed me, I wanted the HOUR!

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:Andre, did you make the film above?

I clicked to watch, saw the length and hoped the time was listed in minutes.

Then the credits began to roll... Wait, what? That's it? It really grabbed me, I wanted the HOUR!

I didnt make the movie but I love it Full movie should be available there! maybe open at youtube?

Will do, thanks Andre.

Its finally been raining a lot after a really intense 2 year drought!

A university did a biodiversity study here :)

¡Felicidades!
Look at those chupaflores, the diversity!
Thanks for sharing :)

Pristine tropical dry forest:

View of the valley:

River that goes through the land:

Zones 5 and 4 we've been protecting and recovering the last decade: