Today's Flower= Bromeliad

This bromeliad has flowered in my garden for the first time. I think it is a Quesnelia- is it?
My thanks to the team of Today's Flowers, where you can enjoy flowers from different regions of the world. 

Flowers for Friday

 Welcome to Floral Friday! Today I am showing some flowers from Ooty. Pansies have a cheerful face.

 Canna indica  bicolour.

 Montbretia.

 These grew in large bushes. I don't know the name.

The bright face of Abutilon.
You can see flowers from all over the world at Nick's Floral Friday.

K for Kurinji

 Once in twelve years, the blue Kurinji Strobilanthes kunthiana flowers en masse in the grasslands of the Western Ghats. Last week, we had gone to see the mass flowering.

 Our young guide, Santosh, whose school had a holiday, took us through tea gardens, and up rocky outcrops, to the patch of the hill where the fragrant Kurinji flowers were blooming.

 The flowers attracted swarms of bees and butterflies, which , in turn, attracted frogs. It was thrilling to see the whole hillside covered with these wild flowers. The plants will dry up and die afterflowering , and new seedlings will come up after ten months, which will flower together after 12 years!
The Todas, natives of Nilgiris consider these flowers sacred, and have taboos about destroying the plants. But the whole region is now being converted to tea plantations, and the Kurinji is in the endangered list.
 Another K flower is the Kopsia fruticosa called Shrub Vinca, which flowers throughout the year, every year.

My thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and Roger of ABC Wednesday and Michelle of Rambling Woods.

Ooty Botanical Gardens

 The Government Botanical Gardens at Ooty was established in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale. At first vegetables were grown here for the consumption of the Europeans who lived in Ooty. Later, a garden expert called William McIvor was brought here . He stayed for ten years and converted the slopes of Doddabetta hill into beautiful garden filled with temperate and tropical plants.

 During World War I, Italian prisoners of War stationed here made a beautiful Italian garden full of flowers.

 An intriguing pathway leads to the Raj Bhavan.

 Magnolia trees were full of flowers last week.

This is a Toda dwelling converted into a shop for selling handmade shawls and medicinal herbs and oils. Todas are the original inhabitants of Ooty.
My thanks to the team of Our World Tuesday where you can see many interesting pictures and articles.

The Beauty of Cyclamen

 Living in the tropical latitudes, we never get to see the beauteous cyclamen. It was a  treat for the eyes to see them flowering in the Botanical Gardens at Ooty.

Cyclamen is a native of the Mediterranean region. Since Ooty is at a height, these flowers are seen to be blooming there throughout the year.
I thank the team of Today's Flowers where you can see flowers which you may not be able to see in your region. 

Flowers from Nilgiris

 The Botanical Gardens at Ooty in the Nilgiris has flowers from both tropical and temperate lands. When I visited the garden last Tuesday, I was overwhelmed by the variety and beauty of the flowers there. The Melastoma shown above, is a tropical plant.

 Azelias, which we never get to see in our hot climes, is blooming profusely there.

The Peruvian lily Alstroemeria  has many colours.
Thisis my contribution to Nick's Floral Friday.

J for Joy

 The Common Jay Graphium doson brings joy wherever it goes. Some of these butterflies are green, and some are blue.

Justicia carnea is also known as Jacobinia canea. It blooms constantly, easy to propagate, and loves to stay in the shade. A jazzy flower!
I am linking to ABC Wednesday  and Michelle's Nature Notes.

Flowers of September

 Ipomea horsfalliae  is resplendant with its hot pink flowers in many gardens now.

The Crucifix orchid is also blooming profusely in my garden now.

 For the first time, the ordinary ginger is showing its flowers.

 This hibiscus stays open for two days, unlike other hibiscus blooms which close after one day.

The Cosmos sulphurous attracts plenty of bees.
To see more flowers from all over the world, please click on Today's Flowers.

I for ...

 This Iris is called the Walking Iris.

 I came across these Ipomea flowers in the jungle.

 The Ixora is named after the Indian god Ishwara.

The 'ibiscus is beautiful whatever shade it is.

 Thank you Mrs.Nesbitt and Roger for hosting ABC Wednesday.

I am also linking to Michelle's Nature Notes at Rambling Woods.

Our World - Onam Festival

The Onam festival was celebrated a few days ago by the people of Kerala state. Flower carpets were made in houses, and special festival food was cooked.The children in many schools made flower designs.

 Little girls dressed in their finery, danced round the flower carpets.

 Onam festival is a festival to welcome Mahabali, a mythical king of Kerala, who is believed to come to the Earth every year on this day, to see whether his people are happy .

 My thanks to the team of Our World Tuesday, where you can learn about many cultures from all over the world.

Today's Flowers- Water lilies

 These are the two different hues of water lilies blooming in my frog pond.

It is wonderful to see that Today's Flowers has resumed thanks to Denise.You can see lots of beautiful flowers if you click on the link.

H for.....

 The Heron had his halcyon days when he hid himself by the haystack.

 But he hated the heady fragrance of the Hoya on the stone wall....

 and the perfume of the Hedychium did nothing to humor him.

 He was happiest neat the herbs and the Heliconia of bright hues, where he hoped to find some hasty meals.

Heartily thanking Mrs.Nesbitt and Roger for ABC Wednesday, I  hasten to hop on .

I am also linking to Michelle's Rambling Woods.