It seems odd talking about summer when so many of you are freezing and shoveling snow up north, but even though we are slightly north of the equator we tend to have more southern hemisphere weather patterns.
The temperature may not vary much here in Panama, but on the Pacific side we definitely have seasons. We have been easing into summer for the last couple weeks and even though we had some rain last night, today definitely feels like summer. It’s clear and sunny, and the trade winds are really blowing hard. The power was even out for a few hours, I imagine because of the wind.
The trees and plants reflect the new season as well. Many trees that are usually green are bursting out with flowers, and some seasonal fruits will become available soon.
I went out riding my bike this morning, which is another story. Whew! Riding against that wind is like climbing a steep hill so even though I didn’t ride many miles, I felt like I got quite a workout. I figure it would be a good day to stay closer to home though, and to see what is going on in the neighborhood.
I love mangoes! I had my first trees in Florida and it was fascinating to watch them flower and fruit. I had beehives there too. The bees loved the mango flowers and gave me the best honey of the year at that time. It’s better here in Panama though because we don’t have to worry about frost when the trees are blooming, and you can count on fruit at the end of our summer. The trees thrive too, and many of them are huge and decades old.
I love bananas also. Nothing says tropical living like bananas in the yard, and the flowers still look odd and exotic to me. They flower and fruit at any time of year, but right now we have one beginning to flower in our yard.
The flower bud is coming from the center of the tree and going off to the right
The bougainvillea are also at their best in the summer, full of flowers and color. I spotted this one that is already blooming.
This type has both pink and white flowers on the same plant
I couldn’t resist taking a couple photos of my favorite things, Volcan Baru and the huge tree.
So, that is pretty much what is going on in the neighborhood these days. I know there will be more interesting flowers coming, and some trees that are going to be spectacular when they bloom. Summer is not my favorite season, especially when it gets so dry that everything turns brown and brush fires are common, but I will enjoy the good things it brings as well.
Another good thing is the iguanas tend to roam and look for water so you see them more often. This young one has been visiting our yard and hanging out in the guanabana tree.
The Panama Adventure 
Oh, my favorite! papaya with a spritz of lime (but very expensive in Alaska), yum and you say fruit year-round? Chiriquí here I come, see you soon!
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Yes, there is papaya year around here and they are way better than anything I had in the US. There are many varieties of lemons and limes too, and you’d have a great time trying them all.
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You’ll have to give me a more extensive yard tour when I come to David for our February RNed (retired nurse exploration day). I’ve never heard of a guanabana tree. So it fruits? What do they taste like?
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I’d never heard of it either before I came here, but the fruit is very popular with the Panamanians. They also make tea out of the leaves. Many say it is very good for you and will even cure cancer. The smell and taste for me is just sort of “off”, not bad but not something I wanted to eat either. Now I’m more used to it so it’s OK in smoothies with other fruit. I got a suggestion though to try the juice with lime juice and a bit of sweetener, so maybe I’ll like that.
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Hi Kris,
We always have water pans out for any animals that happen by. I love to see them drinking from it. I know water is hard to find in the desert.
We are a bit from summer here but it’s not too bad lately. Lots of rain and in the low 50’s. We have very dark clouds almost everyday but I know we could be much worse off than we are here. In fact it’s an improvement of a few days ago when I walked out of work and it was hailing. Then we had snow overnight – just a dusting. That’s gone now. We can hardly have a winter here without a dusting of snow but, thank goodness, no shovel needed.
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I enjoy having water out too. In Florida I had ponds in the back yard which was even more fun.
Hail? snow? Yuck! I hope the sun shines on you a bit to brighten things up.
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Hola Kris,
Here in north Texas we have had winter twice already, a couple of days each time. Today we hit 70’s again but wow, have we got wind! We will probably have winter a couple more times before monsoon spring but so far it hasn’t been bad. LOTS of sunshine.
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I’m glad the weather is being kind to you for the most part. It’s another nice day here, but another windy one. It’s better than yesterday though thank goodness. There are still people up in the mountains waiting for their power to be restored.
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I saw a post about a single tree near Dolega cutting power to everything north of there. The first thought that I had was the guys that JUST finished trimming the trees throughout our zip code before the winds arrived. I can hear chainsaws in the distance sometimes so they are still working.
Gotta remember, the original paradise of Eden didn’t have electricity either …
🙂
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I heard that there were many trees down and in Boquete area late yesterday there were still people waiting to have their power restored. They trim trees away from the power lines here too but that doesn’t prevent everything. The winds are still blowing today, but in the mountains it’s worse and some areas have been getting rain too.
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