Indian Date Palm

The Sylvester Palm Phoenix sylvestrs is found growing wild outside the city.It is also called the Toddy Palm. In this season, the trees are full of orange drupes, which are relished by birds. Ten years ago you could have seen mud pots tied to the top of the trees to collect the sap, from which a toddy was brewed. There is a proverb in Kannada, "Don't drink buttermilk under a Sylvester palm"! People would then take you for a drunk.  These days, people prefer the cheap branded liquors, and the toddy brewing has vanished.
The sap is also used to make a delicious sugar called taler gud.Making this sugar is a major cottage industry of Bangla Desh.
You can see some glimpses of our wonderful world at Our World Tuesday.

Day lily for Floral Friday

The Daylily, Hemerocallis is a much coveted plant in these parts. My daylily has bloomed now, and the flowers have an unusual colour.
My thanks to Nixblog for the wonderful meme which shows flowers from different parts of the world.

Waterworld Wednesday

These pictures were taken last year, just after the monsoon season. The water was cool and delicious.
You can see more pictures of water at Kim's Waterworld Wednesday.

Our World Tuesday

Workmen are laying out new storm water drains in preparation to the coming monsoons. These drains are designed to harvest the rain water so that the water table will come up.
You can see glimpses of our world at Our World Tuesday meme.

Flowers from Bhutan

 Bhutan is a tiny Himalayan kingdom, which has the distinction of being rated the happiest place in the world. The people there are friendly and gentle, and the country is extremely beautiful. My daughter , who visited the happy place last week, sent me these pictures of flowers. I don't know the names of most of these flowers.

 The pink flowers below are the Rhododendrons, which are the native os the Himalayas. They make jams and drinks from these flowers, which have medicinal properties.

 The azalia is similar to the rhododendron, but is a bush.

The blue Himalayan Iris carpets the slopes of the hills in this season.
No wonder, the Bhutanese people have the highest Happiness Quotient in the world!
To see more pictures of flowers from all over the world, go to Nixblog.

Our World Tuesday

The Bangalore-Mysore highway is a busy one with all sorts of vehicles transporting humans, animals and goods.
For more glimpses of our world, click here.

Today's Flowers

 The fruit of the Bird'Nest Anthurium with a Football lily.

Rain lilies are appearing in nooks and crannies after the recent tropical storm .
You can see some beautiful flowers here.

Weekend Reflections

 The beetle looked perfectly black when he was still, but....

 when he opened his wings, the left wing looked an iridescent green....

and the right wing had a metallic blue tinge.
My thanks to James for Weekend Reflections.

Floral Friday- Ruellia

These short plants are quite floriferous throughout the year. Their tiny seeds disperse everywhere, and they are in danger of becoming weeds!
To view more flower pictures, go to Nixblhttp://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.comog.

Coconut- the Multi-faceted Tree

 It was with mixed feelings that I saw this volunteer coconut sprouting among my ferns, yesterday. While I felt wonder and joy at seeing this wonderful palm come uninvited to my garden, I was also worried about its water needs and  space requirements.

 The sapling had sprouted from a coconut which must have fallen from my neighbour's coconut tree. I sometimes complain about the heavy fronds those trees shed in my garden, damaging my plants, but never send a fruit in my direction!

 In the searing heat of summer, coconut water is a very popular drink- more so than the fizzy bottled drinks.

The plaited coconut leaves are used as thatch in the cottages in the countryside. Rope made from coconut fibre is used by gardeners and in factories. Coconut oil is supposed to prevent your hair from greying. It is also used in most beauty products. In fact, the uses of coconut tree are innumerable. For gardeners, cocopeat, made from the husk of the coconut is invaluable. No wonder that people hesitate to cut their coconut trees.I think I shall give this sapling away to somebody with a big garden.
You can see many facets of our world here.

Today's Flower- Football Lily

 The Football lily Scadoxus multiflorus is also called Blood Lily and Fireball Lily. Some people say that its botanical name is Haemanthus multiflorus, but not being a botanist, I accept both the scientific names.

Last week's pre-monsoon storm seems to have triggered the flowering apperatus in the Football lily bulbs hiding in corners in my garden, and they are bursting int bloom everywhere. There are football -sized red globes everywhere.
The lily's sudden appearance brings a sense of wonder and joy in the heart of the beholder.
This is my contribution to Today's Flowers. Unfortunately, I have not been able to link with the meme.

Floral Friday- Couroupita

Couroupita or the Cannon-ball tree is a native of India . The tree is huge, and the flowers have a curious shape and an overpowering scent. This tree is associated with the penance of Buddha, and is sacred to the Buddhists and the Hindus. The fruits are round, and look like cannon balls, giving the tree its colloquial name.
Many parts of the tree are used in Ayurvedic medicine.
My thanks to Nick for hosting the meme Floral Friday.

Bird on an Island

This bird seems to have it good!You can see some fantastic bird pictures at Pine river review.

Our World- Mandala

 The Mandala is used by Hindus, Buddhists and other eastern religions to establish a sacred space. Mandala, in Sanskrit, means a circle. Usually, mandalas are squares, containing a circle. In the Mandala drawn above, there is a square in a rectangle.

 This Mandala represents Nature, which is considered sacred.Offerings of coconut and rice are kept near the Mandala.

 In Hindu temples, Mandalas are drawn with coloured rangoli powder . Every day, they are swept away, and new ones are drawn.

The Mandala represents the Universe symbolically. It helps concentration , and is an aid to meditation.
You can see loads of pictures from all over the world, and learn about different cultures at Our World Tuesday.