Birds...

Red-whiskered bulbul

This snap clicked from Wayanad, Kalpetta near to home on 19th May 2017 in Nikon D3300, AF-P NIKKOR 70-300 mm 1:4, 5-6.3G ED.

The red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), or crested bulbul, is a passerine bird found in Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves. It feeds on fruits and small insects. Red-whiskered bulbuls perch conspicuously on trees and have a loud three or four note call. They are very common in hill forests and urban gardens within its range.

Verditer flycatcher

This snap clicked from Wayanad, Kalpetta near to my home on 22nd April 2017 in Nikon D3300, AF-P NIKKOR 70-300 mm 1:4, 5-6.3G ED.

The verditer flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) is an Old World flycatcher widespread in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, especially in the Lower Himalaya ranging across Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. This species is named after its distinctive shade of copper-sulphate blue and has a dark patch between the eyes and above the bill base. The adult males are intense blue on all areas of the body, except for the black eye-patch and grey vent. Adult females and sub-adults are lighter blue.The verditer flycatcher is also interesting among the flycatchers in that they forage above the canopy level and perching on electric wires or exposed tree top branches. This species was earlier placed in the genus Muscicapa and it has been suggested that it is closer to the Niltava flycatchers.

Flying Egret

Clicked from Avalahalli (Near to KR Puram, Bangalore) on 23rd June 2017 in Nikon D3300, AF-P NIKKOR 70-300 mm 1:4, 5-6.3G ED.

An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season.

Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which also contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word "aigrette" that means both "silver heron" and "brush", referring to the long filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season.
Several of the egrets have been reclassified from one genus to another in recent years: the great egret, for example, has been classified as a member of either Casmerodius, Egretta or Ardea.

In the 19th and early part of the 20th century, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless plume hunting, since hat makers in Europe and the United States demanded large numbers of egret plumes, leading to breeding birds being killed in many places around the world.

Several Egretta species, including the eastern reef egret, the reddish egret, and the western reef egret have two distinct colours, one of which is entirely white. The little blue heron has all-white juvenile plumage.

Courtesy: Wikipedia for write-ups and description for each photo 

Butterflies...

These snaps were clicked from Avalahalli (Near to KR Puram, Bangalore) on 23rd June 2017 in Nikon D3300, AF-P NIKKOR 70-300 mm 1:4, 5-6.3G ED.

Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea, which contains at least one former group, the skippers (formerly the superfamily "Hesperioidea") and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth-butterflies (formerly the superfamily "Hedyloidea"). Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene, which was about 56 million years ago.

Flowers.

These frames I have captured from the Green Paradise, Wayanad.
Some famous quotes about the flowers……
“The earth laughs in flowers.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I will be the gladdest thing under the sun! I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.” ― Edna St. Vincent Millay
“I must have flowers, always, and always.” ― Claude Monet

 

Lantana Camara (Kongini Poovu)
 

Lantana camara is called as Kongini Poovu(Ari Poovu) in Malayalam. Lantana camara, also known as Spanish Flag or West Indian Lantana, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to the American tropics.It has been introduced into other parts of the world as an ornamental plant and is considered an invasive species in many tropical and sub-tropical areas.
 

L. camara is sometimes known as "Red (Yellow, Wild) Sage", despite its classification in a separate family from sage (Lamiaceae), and a different order from sagebrush (Asterales).
 

The native range of Lantana camara includes Mexico, Central America, the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, Colombia, and Venezuela. It is believed to be indigenous to the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States. It has become naturalized in tropical and warm regions worldwide. In the Kenyan highlands it grows in many areas that receive even minimal amounts of rainfall. It can be seen in the wild and along footpaths, deserted fields, and farms. West Indian Lantana has been naturalized in the United States, particularly in the Atlantic coastal plains, from Florida to Georgia, where the climate is close to its native climate, with high heat and humidity.
 

It was introduced into the Philippines from Hawaii through the Makiling Forestry School (now the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources), as part of botanical academic exchanges between the United States and the Philippines. It escaped into the wild and has become naturalized in the islands. It is referred to by a number of common names including coronitas ('coronet'), utot-utot ('fart [flower]'), and baho-baho ('smelly [flower]'), the last two referring to its distinctive pungent odor. It has also become a major weed in Sri Lanka after escaping from the Royal Botanic gardens of Sri Lanka in 1926.  

Description from Wikipedia- Courtesy  

The Petal

This snap I have clicked on May 1, 2009 from my sister’s house in Calicut. The object is a petal of Ixora coccinea flower. Ixora coccinea (or Jungle Geranium, Flame of the Woods, and Jungle Flame) is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family. It is a common flowering shrub native to Southern India and Sri Lanka. It has become one of the most popular flowering shrubs in South Florida gardens and landscapes. Its name derives from an Indian deity. In Malayalam it is called Chethi Poovu. Mainly petals of this flower used for offering to the God in all most all temples in India. It has been reported to possess a number of medicinal properties. It has traditionally been used for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery. However the claims of Ayurveda have to be validated by suitable experimental models. The present study was therefore undertaken to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of I. coccinea for its antidiarrheal potential against several experimental models of diarrhea in albino Wistar rats. Here, we report the effects of aqueous extracts of flowers of I. coccinea in the castor oil induced diarrhea model. The gastrointestinal transit rate was expressed as the percentage of the longest distance traversed by charcoal divided by the total length of the small intestine. Weight and volume of intestinal content induced by castor oil were studied by the enteropooling method. Loperamide was used as a positive control. The plant-extract showed significant (P<0.001) inhibitor activity against castor oil induced diarrhea and castor oil induced enteropooling in rats at the dose of 400 mg/kg. There was also significant reduction in gastrointestinal motility in the charcoal meal test. Results obtained in this study substantiate the antidiarrheal effect of the aqueous extract and its use by traditional practitioners in the treatment of diarrhea.

Mountain Mist

I feel Mountain Mist will be the best suitable Title for this post. Wayanad is known for its lovely mist clad hill stations, sprawling spice plantations, luxuriant forests and rich cultural traditions. These snaps I have clicked on 20th August 2011, it was around 5’o clock evening full of mist and I was not able to drive due to heavy mist (fog). All the vehicles slowly started parking near to the view point, only red indicators were visible at that time. About half an hour I spent watching the chilled weather of Green Paradise.



The distance from the mean sea level and the amount of forest cover creates a pleasant climate in the region. Generally the year is divided into four seasons; cold weather (December to February) hot weather (March to May) South West monsoon (June to September) and North East monsoon (October to November). During the hot weather the temperature goes up to a maximum of 35 °C (95 °F) and during the cold weather the temperature goes down to 07 °C (45 °F). The greater temperature variation in the last 5–6 years is in the range of 18 °C (64 °F) to 28 °C (82 °F). The average rainfall is 2,500 millimetres (98 in) per year.



Lakkidi: One of the highest locations in Wayanad, Lakkidi also commands a picturesque scenery. It is about 58 kms. north east of Kozhikode and five kms. south of Vythiri. Lakkidi, the gate way of Wayanad, lies atop Thamarassery, a ghat pass at an elevation of 700 m. above mean sea level.The lofty mountain peaks, the gurging stream, luxuriant vegetation and the bird's eye view of the deep valley on the south, with its winding roads, are breath taking. The 12 kms.long journey from Adivaram to Lakkidi through ghat road with nine hairpin bends amidst thick forests, is a fascinating experience.

Ulsoor Lake

Halasuru Lake one of the biggest lakes in Bangalore, is located on the eastern side of the city. It derives its name from the name of the locality it is situated, namely, Ulsoor, close to M G Road, Bangalore. It is spread over 50 ha (123.6 acres)) and has several islands. Even though the lake is dated to Kempegowdas’ time, the present lake was created by Sir Lewin Bentham Bowring, the then Commissioner of Bangalore.

These snaps I have clicked on 25th January 2009

The village of Halasuru is said to have been gifted to Kempe Gowda I (1513–1569), the founder of Bangalore, by the Vijayanagar emperors. The Ulsoor Lake was built by his successor, Kempe Gowda II, and is the only surviving tank built by the Gowda kings in Bangalore. The first British military station was set up in Halasuru in 1807

There used to be a jackfruit orchard near the Ulsoor Lake, and the Kannada name for jackfruit being ‘Halasina Hannu’ the area came to be known as Halasuru. During the British rule, the name was anglicised to 'Ulsoor', but in 2004, the neighbourhood was officially renamed 'Halasuru'.

Lal Bagh

These snaps I have clicked on 23rd January 2009 a Flower show day
Lal Bagh is a well known botanical garden in Bangalore, India The garden was commissioned by the ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali. It has a famous glass house which hosts yearly flower show. It also has an aquarium and a lake, and is one of the tourist attractions in Bangalore.

Lal Bagh is a 240 acre (971,000 sq.m. - almost 1 km².) garden and is located in south Bangalore. It holds a number of flower shows, especially on the Republic Day (26th January). The garden has over 1,000 species of flora. The garden also has trees that are over 100 years old.

The garden surrounds one of the towers erected by the founder of Bangalore, Kempe Gowda. The park has some rare species of plants brought from Persia, Afghanistan and France. With an intricate watering system for irrigation, this garden is aesthetically designed, with lawns, flowerbeds, lotus pools and fountains. Most of the centuries old trees are labeled for easy identification. The Lal Bagh Rock, one of the oldest rock formations on earth, dating back to 3000 million years, is another attraction that brings the crowds.

The Lal Bagh Gardens are based on the design of the Mughal Gardens that once stood at Sira, at a distance of 120 km from Bengaluru on the main NH4 at Tumkur District in Karnataka. This is amply supported by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) and other historical records. At that time, Sira was the head-quarters of the strategically important southernmost Mughal "suba" (province) of the Deccan before the British Raj.

Lal Bagh remains open daily from 6.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. throughout the year. For the benefit of joggers, tourists and fitness enthusiasts, entry is free from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. At other times, a fee of Rs.10/- is charged. Entry for school children and the disabled is free all day

Flower shows are conducted every year to educate people about the variety of flora and develop public interest in plant conservation and cultivation.

Cocoa

These snaps I have clicked near to my sweet home, Wayanad, Kerala, on 2nd Feb 2009

The word "cocoa" is derivative of "cacao". "Cocoa" can often also refer to the drink commonly known as hot chocolate; to cocoa powder, the dry powder made by grinding cocoa seeds and removing the cocoa butter from the dark, bitter cocoa solids; or to a mixture of cocoa powder and cocoa butter
The cacao tree is native to the Americas. It may have originated in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America where today, examples of wild cacao still can be found. However, it may have had a larger range in the past, evidence for which may be obscured because of its cultivation in these areas long before, as well as after, the Spanish arrived. It was first cultivated by the Olmecs at least 1500 BC in Central America.

Immature cocoa pods have a variety of colors, but most often are green, red, or purple, and as they mature their color tends towards yellow or orange, particularly in their creases. The pods on a tree do not ripen together; harvesting needs to be done periodically through the year. The ripe and near-ripe pods, as judged by their color, are harvested from the trunk and branches of the cocoa tree with a curved knife on a long pole. Care must be used when cutting the stem of the pod to avoid injuring the junction of the stem with the tree, as this is where future flowers and pods will emerge. The pods (or the seeds extracted from them) are transported to the fermentation area on the plantation.

Hope this helps you to know about Cocoa fruit and its role in yummy chocolates

Mahe River

Mahe River is also known as Mayyazhipuzha, is a river in South India. It flows through the state of Kerala and the coastal exclave of Mahe in Pondicherry. Mahe a small town surrounded on all sides by Kerala and is officially a part of Puducherry (Pondicherry). The official name of Mahe is Mayyazhi in the local Malayalam language. The original name of Mahe, Mayyazhi, means "eyebrow of the sea". The Kannur District surrounds Mahe on three sides. Formerly a French colony, Mahe now forms a municipality in Mahe district of the Union Territory of Puducherry (based on the east coast).
This photo I have taken on 21st March 2009, on the way to Thalasseri

Sundown

Bangalore: These snaps I have clicked on 13th December 2008 between 17:28 and 17:45 from Lingarajapuram, Bangalore. It was on a fine Saturday evening. I just thought of clicking sunset, but I was not sure that it will be success with my small Sony digital camera (H10).

The night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies with the dying sun. Francis William Bourdillion.

Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation