P for Path

 A romantic path in Ooty.

 A path to light.

 A Himalayan path

This is my personal contribution to ABC Wednesday, the pride of memes started by the popular Mrs.Nesbitt, and carried on pleasantly by Roger. Thank you both!

Today's Flowers-after the rain

 Alpinia Galangal, Rasna, has beautiful shell like flowers . The rhizomes of this ginger are used in medicine and also in cooking.

 Pachystachis lutea comes in many colours.

 The pink water lilies in my frog pond are putting out flowers every day. But the flower size has become small. Should I remove some of the leaves?

 I seem to have lost this purple passionflower in the drought during summer. I miss these fragrant flowers.These are flowers from my garden. You can view many more flowers at Today's Flowers.

O for Ooty

 Ooty is a hill station in the Nilgiri mountains. The cool weather, misty mornings and the warm friendliness of the locals make it a popular holiday destination.

 The cottage style hotel has beautiful and extensive gardens.

 The Botanical Garden of Ooty has this 17th century gun at the entrance.

 Wild flowers dot the landscape.

 A church built by the British.

Ooty is surrounded by tea gardens, where you can see women plucking the leaves. The tea flower and fruit can also be seen.
Many thanks to Mrs.Nesbitt and Roger for Hosting this not-Ordinary meme- ABCWednesday.

Today's Flowers - Azalea, Alstroemeria etc.

 Azalea indica is a cousin of the Rhododendron. It flowers in profusion in the Nilgiris.

 A mixed border of Cosmos adds colour to the garden.

 Abutilon with its beautiful flowers

The Peruvian lily Alstroemeria comes in many hues.
You can see more beautiful flowers in Today's Flowers.

Natural gardens of the Nilgiris

The Nilgiris are a mountain range belonging to the Western Ghats. Both tropical and temperate plants thrive in the cool climate here.

 The natural garden of Sim's Park was developed along the contours of a hilly terrain in 1874 by the Englishmen J.D.Sims and Major Murray.  This park cum botanical garden has some unusual plants.

 Rangasamy Pillar is a beautiful stone outcrop.

 The Todas , the original inhabitants of the Nilgiris, are Nature worshippers. They lived in homes like these, some years ago. This is their temple.

 This bird seemed fearless.

 My thanks to Mrs Nesbitt and Roger of ABCWednesday.abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com

Flowers from the Nilgiris

 Last week, we had been to the Nilgiris for a holiday. The chilly air of the mountains are conducive to the growth of  beautiful temperate tegion flowers in the tropics. Fuschia is one such flower, which refuses to bloom in my garden.

 Tree Dahliahs were blooming on hedges.

 Another Fuchsia.

 Daylilies and Pansies were blooming in profusion in the parks.

 You can see what else is blooming in different parts of the world at Today's Flowers.

Love of Lepidoptera

 The Lemon Emigrant belongs to the Pieridae sect.

 The Common Cerulean belongs to Lycanidae sect.

 Euthalia aconthea likes to savour fallen fruit.

 The Red Eye Skipper belongs to the Hespiridae sect.

 The Lime Butterfly loves the scent of lemon grass.
The name Lepidoptera is derived from the Greek words "Lepido" for scales and "Ptera" for wings. It refers to the flat scales that cover the body and wings of adult butterflies and moths.  The colourful scales which cover the wings play an important role in recognition, and courtship. It also helps in camouflage to escape from predators.

I am linking to ABCWednesday started by the lovely Mrs.Nesbitt and carried on by the learned Roger and others.