Reflecting couples

Painted storks at Ranganthittu.
My thanks t James for his wonderful meme Weekend Reflections.

Floral Friday

 I don't know the name of this flower which I saw in a garden. Can somebody tell me its name?

The damask rose has a wonderful scent. It is traditionally used to prepare itr or attar, a Persian perfume.
You can see many flowers and contribute your own flower pictures here.

Our World Tuesday- Grains of Health

 Besides rice and wheat, farmers in this part of the world grow different types of lesser grains called millet. Millets need much less water than rice to grow, and they are full of fibre and anti oxidants. They are real health foods, as they are invariably grown organically.

 Unfortunately, people have given up eating millets, as it is more fashionable to eat rice. Recently, some farmers had organized an exhibition of millets and organically grown fruit and vegetables.

A millet field does not need as much care lavished on it as a rice field .
A millet called Ragi is becoming popular now with health enthusiasts.
This is my contribution to Our World Tuesday, a wonderfully informative and fun meme.

Today's Flowers- Brugmansia

Brugmansia is also called Dhatura here. Arrriving centuries earlier from the tropical Americas, it has naturalized itself here, in tropical Asia. You can see wild white Dhatura flowers in empty plots and fields. The re are pink, golden and purple varieties of Bugmansia too, which are used  as hedges by villagers, as stray cattle and sheep do not eat this plant.
I thank the team of Today's Flowers, where you can see beautiful flowers from all over the world.

Our World- Wild Flowers of the Western Ghats

 The Western Ghats are a series of mountain ranges on the west coast of India. The place is one of the bio diversity hotspots of the world. The Gloriosa superba lily is endemic to the region.

 This is a ginger which is found only in the deep rainforests of this region.

 Many wildflowers like the one above,have no names. They appear only during the monsoons.

 Begonias are found on the slopes of the mountains.

The Globba ginger is another ginger native to the region.
I thank the team of Our World Tuesday and ABC Wednesday for their wonderful memes.

Today's Flowers

The drought we are reeling under does not seem to affect the bougainvillea.They are blooming brightly everywhere.

The Queen's Tears Russelia looks fragile, but it is quite a hardy plant , able to withstand long periods of drought

This light mauve bougainvillea looks prettier than its picture.
This is my contribution to Today's Flowers.

Floral Friday- Billbergia Rosea

 The Billbergia rosea had put out its huge inflorescence in a forgotten corner of my garden when I saw it.

The inflorescence had large pink bracts, and pearl-grey and jade green flowers.

I thought such an exotic and beautiful flowerdeserved a better place than the rocky corner in my garden. I uprooted the whole plant and kept it in a shiny brass pot at the entrance of my home.
I thank Nick for his meme Floral Friday, where you can see beautiful flowers.

Our World - Veneration

 The Buddhist prayer flags of Bhutan venerate the five elements of nature.

 Vinca major is a flower that is commonly found in the Himalayan foothills.
This is my contribution to Our World Tuesday  and ABC Wednesday.

I thank the team of Our World Tuesday and Mrs.Nesbitt of ABC Wednesday.

Today's Flowers

 Fragrant Panama Rose, Rondelatia odorata is, in contrast to its name, has no smell.

This is my contribution to Today's Flowers. Many times Mr.Linky does not accept my flowers:( I hope he does today!
                                        

Weekend Reflections- Reflecting Storks

The Painted Storks at Rangan Thittu island in the river Cauvery seemed to be recollecting their reflections of the river .
You can see more reflections at James' Weekend Reflections.

Flowers from Barbados

 The Pride of Barbados Caesalpinia pulcherrima is usually orange or yellow. I came across this pink flowering dwarf poinciana in a garden in Mysore. These plants need very little water and survive harsh summers. They flower throughout the year and attract butterflies and bees.The seedpods are food for some catterpillars.

The sweet little flowers of the Jacquemontia pentathos are an attractive sky blue colour. Like the Caesalpinia, this is also a native of Barbados, naturalized here.
My thanks to Nick for hosting his delightful meme Floral Friday.

Our World -A Conclave of Cranes and Crocs

 The river Cauvery  has a small island called Rangan Thittu, which is the nesting place for many birds from distant lands. Last Sunday, we visited the place and saw some birds which had not yet gone back to their northern homelands. The Open-billed Cranes were not scared of our boat as we rowed silently towards them.

The crocodile came alongside our boat for some time. I saw some more crocs sunning themselves on rocks, but they were too far away.

You can see great pictures from all over the world at Our World Tuesday

Beautiful birds can be seen here..

Shell Ginger

 Shell ginger, Alpinia zerumbet, is so called because of the shape of its flowerbuds. The flowers are delicate looking, white and yellow, with red stripes inside. The foliage is green or variegated.

In spite of the water shortage, the Shell ginger is flowering in my garden.Bless it!
The leaves of this plant are used to wrap a rice and coconut cake which is steamed. The leaves are also used to make herbal tea. Some parts of the plant are reported to be effective against the HIV virus.
You can see loads of lovely flowers at Floral Friday.