Drive Along the Border and Sabal Palm

Drive Along the Border

Sabal Palm

July 20, 2015

As we drive down the border wall, we came upon a sign that shows the sentiments of some of the people in this area.  Many people were against the border wall for many different reasons, but I feel that one of the most important is the fauna.  I drive along the border wall very frequently and have seen coyotes and turtles walking along the border wall trying to get to the other side.  This wall has had a negative impact on the fauna in this area.

     

                          

                           Windmill Grass

Ricinus 

   

In front of the border wall sign, we were able to see some of the plants that grow along the Rio Grande River.  I learned the name of the grass we see in many places and about a new plant.  The grass is called Windmill grass which was present and prevalent in this area.  Ricinus was also present.  This plant is also called a tick plant.  Castor oil is made from this plant.

 We then made our way to Sabal Palm Sanctuary.  I loved this picture.  It looks like you're going into Jurassic Park.  In fact, it is a patch of Sabal Palms that make their presence known.  The slant of the palms make them look as if they will fall and make for an interesting view.

                                                                         

We were educated on the Sabal palm and the reason why we still have a significant patch in Brownsville.  Mr. Rabb built his plantation on land that had a vast amount of Sabal palms.  Many acres of palms were cut down to make room for farming, but he had the foresight to leave a patch of Sabal Palms and allowed this special ecosystem to continue. 

                 

   

We also learned that the river boundary was not definite.  The rain would change the direction of the river thus changing the boundary.  At this time, there was an agreement that if someone from the United States gained land due to the boundary change, they would pay the prior owners of the land in the Mexican side for the land they had gained. This agreement was reciprocal.