Natural photos of the neighborhood /Fotos Naturales del vecindario

Hello everyone, friends of the #photographylovers community. I have been walking for some time through the quiet streets of the town where I live. This is my first time posting in this beautiful community. I am Reyna Flores, @lcampesina.

During my daily walks around Villa de Cura, I am always struck by how old the houses and rural homes are, and then suddenly you see a newer construction right next to one of them. Everything is mixed together, and in the middle of it all, nature is looking for its own space.

For me, learning about the plants we have around us is not just a way to pass the time; it is a way to reconnect with the earth and with the stories of the people in the neighborhood.

Every tree that stands strong on the sidewalks of our town has a story: the story of the people who planted and cared for it. In this case, Mr. Pablo López and Mrs. Lucrecia. Sadly, I did not have the chance to meet them while they were alive.

Observing the vegetation around me

Walking around here is like taking a plant class, but with real plants—the ones you see growing along the streets. In a single yard, or in front of an old house, you can find treasures: fruit trees that have been there for many years.

This week, I wanted to join a community initiative and share a few things that caught my attention. Before talking about my favorite plant, I would like to show you a couple of discoveries I made in the same traditional house in the area.

In one of the oldest houses along the route, I found three giants in a single yard: a breadfruit tree, a caimito tree, and a soursop tree.

The Caimito Tree That Produces Delicious Fruit

The caimito tree (Chrysophyllum cainito) that I saw in this yard must be about 70 years old. It is impressive to see: the green leaves and the fruits with their white, sweet, and delicious pulp. When it is not fully ripe, it leaves your mouth feeling a little dry, but when it is perfectly ripe, it is truly delicious. The owners of the house told me that this tree produces around 500 or 600 fruits every six months. That is quite a harvest!

The soursop tree (Annona muricata) is right there as well. In my family, we have always used its leaves to make tea when someone feels nervous or anxious. The fruit gives us energy and fiber, and the leaves are highly valued by local people as a way to help the body get through everyday life.

My Favorite Plant and Why

Now that we have reached the part of the walk I enjoyed the most, let me introduce you to my favorite: the Breadfruit Tree—also called the Breadfruit Tree or Breadfruit.

The tree I photographed is about 65 years old. I really like its leaves: they are enormous and have an unusual, lobed shape. The fruits also have a unique appearance. It is an imposing tree, one of those that give the streets of Villa de Cura their character, while providing cool shade in the intense midday heat.

Besides being beautiful, this tree plays an important role in its surroundings: it helps keep the environment cooler, protects the soil during heavy rains, and provides shelter for neighborhood birds. For me, choosing it as my favorite was easy: it represents abundance, living history, and the possibility of having food in our own homes.

Its Contribution to Health and Nutrition

Breadfruit is a truly valuable fruit. Ripe or boiled breadfruit provides energy to get through the day, whether working in the fields or at home, and it also provides vitamins.

In our communities, people say that eating the cooked fruit or the seeds regularly helps give you more strength and vitality. It is even considered a food that gives men strength.

Eating what our own yards produce is the best way to take care of ourselves and eat well.

Did Our Elders Use It?

The use of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is closely linked to the history of food in tropical regions. Traditionally, its fruits have been cooked, roasted, or fried and used as a substitute for potatoes or cassava in the diets of many rural families.

In the past, when access to other grains or flours was limited, having a breadfruit tree in the yard guaranteed food for the entire family. In addition, the wood from mature trees was used for simple projects, and the milky sap was used as a natural sealant.

An Interesting Fact

What surprised me most while researching this tree is its flowering: what we see as a single breadfruit is actually a structure called a syncarp.

This means that it does not develop from a single flower, but from the union of hundreds of small flowers grouped together. It is a fascinating adaptation that allows the tree to concentrate a large amount of water, carbohydrates, and nutrients into one compact and heavy structure.

Thank You

Thank you very much to everyone who joined me on this walk through the streets of Villa de Cura. I took all the images in this post directly with my mobile phone during my walk through this area that I love so much.

I would also like to invite my friends on the platform, @encuentro and @enraizar, to participate in this community initiative. Go ahead and show us the vegetation growing near your homes!

I wish you all an excellent weekend. See you soon.

Best wishes,
@lcampesina

References and Credits

Photographs:
Source: Original photographs taken with a mobile phone tecno Spak Go 2024 by @lcampesina

Traducción con IA Perplexity 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥 Sources consulted and scientific references:

• Artocarpus altilis (Breadfruit):

• Ecos del Bosque – Artocarpus altilis Information Sheet: Details about taxonomy (Moraceae family), carbohydrate-rich composition, seeds, growth habit, and basic food use in tropical regions.

• Chrysophyllum cainito (Caimito):

• UES Environmental Subunit – Chrysophyllum cainito Information Sheet: Information about its origin, use as a fruit and food, and traditional popular history.

• Annona muricata (Soursop):

• Tua Saúde – Soursop Leaf Tea: Benefits and Properties: Technical information about alkaloids (annonain and asimilobine), flavonoids, the sedative and anxiolytic properties of leaf tea on the nervous system, and its antioxidant action against free radicals.

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Special thanks:

• To the residents of the Villa de Cura area for allowing me to photograph their traditional yards, each with more than half a century of history. Especially the López Cusati family.
• To the community for promoting photography initiatives.

#spanish #nature #botany #hive