Coffee

Coffea canephora (Coffea robusta) is most largely cultivated plantation crop in Wayanad. Coffee based farming system is a notable feature of Wayanad. Coffee in Wayanad shares 33.65 per cent of the total cropped area in the district and 78 per cent of the coffee area in the state.
The fruits, coffee cherries or coffee berries, most commonly contain two stones with their flat sides together. In a crop of coffee, a small percentage of cherries contain a single bean, instead of the usual two. This is called a peaberry. As coffee is one of the world's most widely consumed beverages, coffee beans are a major cash crop, and an important export product for some countries. Coffee powder is prepared from roasted seeds, called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. Coffee beans are found in coffee cherries. Coffee can have a stimulating effect on humans due to its caffeine content. It is one of the most-consumed beverages in the world. These photos I have clicked from my estate, Lakshmi Gardens, Kalpetta, Wayanad.
The traditional method of planting coffee is to put 20 seeds in each hole at the beginning of the rainy season; half are eliminated naturally. A more effective method of growing coffee, used in Brazil, is to raise seedlings in nurseries that are then planted outside at six to twelve months. Coffee is often intercropped with food crops, such as corn, beans, or rice during the first few years of cultivation. There is some controversy over whether the caffeine in coffee causes headaches or helps relieve headaches. In a 2000 controlled study by the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, revealed that adults who took ibuprofen, an over the counter pain killer, combined with caffeine or one cup of coffee had increased effectiveness against tension headaches. The study did not recommend that the caffeine and ibuprofen combination was effective against migraine headaches. A
Johns Hopkins controlled study has linked drinking coffee with addictive withdrawal headaches, even with those who drink coffee in moderation. A 2009 Norwegian University of Science and Technology controlled study claims that heavy coffee drinkers, four cups a day, are more likely to suffer occasional headaches than persons who have low coffee or caffeine consumption. The stimulant effect of coffee is due to its caffeine content. The caffeine content of a cup of coffee varies depending mainly on the brewing method, and also on the variety of bean.

The Chain Tree

The Chain Tree
Nearer to the gateway of wayanad we can see the big chain tree.The story says like this: An Adivasi (tribal) named Karinthandan, who discovered the route to Wayanad through the difficult mountain terrain. A British colonialist killed Karinthandan in order to get the credit for finding the route through the jungle. People believe that Karinthandan’s ghost had been haunting later travellers. It was calmed only after a priest chained the spirit to this banyan tree. There is a small temple near to this tree, people believes that the God of that temple protects them from the troublesome spirit of Karinthandan.

This place is called Lakkidi, blessed with a fantastic view and great weather. It is the border of Wayanad district. Lakkidi is a popular halt for tourists on their way to Ootty and Mysore/Banglore.
I have painted this picture in the year 2003 January for Wayanad Flower Show 2003, in the water color media, and clicked this snap in 2009.

Once this story has been telecasted by Asianet, a popular Malayalam television channel.

Team Work

Team Work

These types of ant are usually called Weaver ants, Red ants or Green ants and seen in coffee, coco, mango trees, jack fruit trees etc. This photo I have clicked on 15th Feb 2009, from a coco plant near to my house, they are looking so brighter in the sun light because of the peculiar red color and the transparent sort of body with some fluids inside.
Weaver ants are known for their unique nest building behavior where workers construct nests by weaving together leaves using larval silk. Colonies can be extremely large consisting of more than a hundred nests spanning numerous trees and contain more than half a million workers. Like many other ant species, weaver ants prey on small insects and supplement their diet with carbohydrate-rich honeydew excreted by small insects.
Construction without destruction
The weaver ant's ability to build capacious nests from living leaves has undeniably contributed to their ecological success. The first phase in nest construction involves workers surveying potential nesting leaves by pulling on the edges with their mandibles. When a few ants have successfully bent a leaf onto itself or drawn its edge toward another, other workers nearby join the effort.