The train to Tuticorin travers through Thunbergias...
and tangy yellow Tabebuias.
It tarries not in tiger territory, but rests near the travellers palm..
for a tad of toddy in a tidy leaf cup.
It terminates at high tide at the trading town of Tuticorin.
Wandering minstrels were a common sight all over India 10 years ago. I saw this Baul with his stringed instrument at a temple in Assam last summer. He has become too old to wander. So he sits on the temple steps and sings . 
The Blue Mormon Papilio polymnestor, is the second largest butterfly in India, next to the Southern Birdwing. They seem to be proliferating this year- I see the huge sky- blue shapes flitting about everywhere. This fellow was taking rest in my garden. His wingspan was around 6 inches from tip to tip.
The red mussaenda has very bright bracts, but does not flower profusely.
The Lobster claw heliconia has bright bracts concealing small flowers.
Ixora is a native of the rain forests of the Western Ghats. It never stints on flowers.
Ruttya has unusual black lips.
My Thunbergia mysorensis has started putting out long ropes of flowers.
Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.
The rain bearing clouds have retreated now, and the wispy white clouds in the blue sky gives some shade occasionally, to the hard working farmer.
Welcome to ABC Wednesday, to the world of S. Today, I am going to speak about the significance of some names. Strelitzia reginae was found suitable for the suzerain.....
who sustained herself by sampling syrops from a Golden Chalice, Solandra grandiflora.
Sanchezia , certainly is named for a scientist.
Sanseveria honours the Sans,the mother-in-law in Hindi.
The Sage is from the Himalayas, like the great sage Sakyamuni Buddha, who gave us the sutras for surmounting suffering.
Rice, Oryza sativa, is the grass which supports more than half of the human population on this planet. It was domesticated more than 5000 years ago, in South Asia. Now it is the staple food of China, Thailand, Myenmar and most of India. Besides being the main food, rice is also associated with prosperity and fertility, and so is used by the Hindus at festivals. Rice is showered on the newly weds during the wedding ceremony. 
Sadly, the rice fields near cities are being gobbled up by the builders. Since rice is a labour intensive crop, farmers find it increasingly difficult to get farm labour. 
The Blue Sage from the Himalayas adds a welcome blue tinge to my garden now.
The dwarf Canna indica is very popular in many gardens here.
The sky blue Plumbago blooms reflect the clear blue skies.
The red Powder Puff is blooming in many gardens here.
This Cassia is a short tree with double coloured blooms.
The sea at Murdeshwar is a rather greenish blue, which contrasts with the bright blue of the tropical sky. My thanks to the team of Skywatch Friday. You can see fantastic skywatch pictures here.
She was the child of the rainforest, a dryad, and a ravishing beauty.
Reared by the raven and the rhinao, she refused to read the 3R's nd grew up to be a radiant beauty.
A rambling rajah fell in love with her and re-located her to his royal residence in Rangoon. Refusing all nourishment, she relinquished her mortal coils.
The regretful royal buried her by the rapids of the river Ramganga.
Came the rainy season, and a rare flower reared up from her resting place. The reincarnation was renamed Reinwardtia.
The fishing village of Murdeshwar on the Arabian Sea, has now become a favoureded tourist spot. You can see the fishermen's boats docked here.
The white sands on the beach , and the warm sea water are great attractions to visitors.
For the fishermen in their tiny boats, the sea is their 'father', who provides sustenance.
I could capture some of the lovely wild flowers when I visited some places in the mountainous regions of the Western Ghats last weekend. The Gloriosa superba lily is the queen of the tropical wild flowers. It is called Agnishikha, fire flower- locally. Its tuber is used in Ayurveda medicine.
The intense blue of the Snake weed makes the flowers stand out in the undergrowth of the jungle clearing. The plant is used to treat snake bites. It resembles the Porterweed which is a familiar sight in the plains.
Beautiful white flowers of the Wild Tobacco Lobelia nicoteanefolia were dotting the jungle landscape . This is also a poisonous plant. The leaves are used for the treatment of asthma and bronchitis.
I could not find the names of these two wild flowers.
This is my contribution to Flowers for Today. You can see beautiful flowers from the far corners of the world here.
Stairs are climbed step by step.
Early morning at Horanad in the Western Ghats. The clouds cover the dense tropical forests, which are dwindling at an alarming rate.
"What is a quisqualis?" asked the quiz master.
Can it be a quadruped carrying a quintal?"
Sringeri , in the Western Ghats is famous for the temple to Sharada, the goddess of Knowledge. There is an ancient monastery here, established by Adi Shankaracharya 1800 years ago. It is a prominent seat of Hindu philosophy. 
The monastery is on the banks of the river Tunga, which is full of fish. People do not fish here out of respect for the monks.
The skies of Malwa were the same clear blue as the water last month. Our skies here are perpetually grey. I am looking forward to the trip to the Western Ghats this weekend organised by the Ladies Club. I hope the skies there are colourful.
The Peacock peeked into TiPu's Palace.
The pretty palace did not pander to his vanity. Off he went to Peking....
perchance, he saw a pretty picture in Hong Kong.
The pastel coloured palace in in Mysore piqued him.
The poor man's palm- thatched palace won the prize!
