The World of Tropical Flowers

 Tropical flowers are in bloom almost all through the year. I wonder at their vigour. The red Clerodendrum is a climber , and it is so invasive! But cheerful!

 Thunbergias are also in bloom through the year. This purple King's Mantle is elegant and attractive.

This hibiscus took a month's rest , and now it is back in business.
All these are from my garden.
My thanks to the team of Our World Tuesday, who are like the tropical flowers who bring cheer throughout the year!

Flowers in my garden

 Black-eyed Suaan is a wildflower whichis flowering in my garden now.

 Ixora  is blooming profusely after its qne month rest.

 The Crown of Thorns started blooming at the end of December, welcoming the New Year.

Tanner's Cassia blooms throughout the year.
My thanks to the team of Our World Tuesday where you can see what is happening in other parts of the world.

Our World Tuesday- Garden Flowers in Winter

These are some of the flowers blooming in the gardens in my neighbourhood.
To see interesting features from the world over, please go here.

Antidote

This is a wildflower called Velvet Bean. The creeper has now hundreds of these purple floral garlands. But beware! If you touch the creeper,  you will start scratching yourself for hours!

The velvetty, brown haired beans are even more dangerous. They are called Mad Beans in Kenya because of their scratchiness.

 The vine has completely covered a roadside tree.
The plant has many medicinal uses in Ayurveda and Siddha forms of medicine. Its leaves are used for treating cobra bite, as well as Parkinson's disease.

Our World Tuesdayhttp://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com has many beautiful pictures and intersting stories.

Our World- Munnar Flowers

Munnar in Kerala is a beautiful hill station nestling among tea plantations. The tea gardens were started by the British in the 18th century- now they have been sold to local firms. Munnar has a cool climate and people have pretty gardens. These were some of the flowers in the garden of the hotel where we stayed. I don't know the name of the flower on top.

 Bright nasturtiums are surrounded by bees.

 Bell shaped Abutilon.

 Azelias which do not flower in my garden were flowering profusely...

Thanks for visiting my blog. Please go to Our World Tuesday to see interesting blogs.

Magical Matheran

 Matheran is a village in the hills near Mumbai where no motor vehicles are allowed. You can go there by a mountain train, or walk up five kilometres . There are horses to ride and plenty of walking to do .

 Suddenly, in the middle of a forest, you might come across a colonial bungalow with a large garden like the one above.

Charming cottages offer bed and breakfast.

 And if your shoes wear out with all that walking, there are street vendors selling beautiful sandals.
Matheran is a place you are sure to breath pure, unpolluted air. It is also a place where you get delicious food!

Wild Forget-me-nots dot the jungle paths.
You can read about other parts of the world at http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com

What killed the dinosaurs?

 The mighty dinosaurs who roamed the earth majestically for thousands of years, were suddenly wiped out around 65 million years ago. Scientists and geologists now believe that an enormous lava emission in the Indian plate must have filled the atmosphere with noxious gases which killed the dinosaurs.  An asteroid hit the earth in the same period, accelerating the extinction of the dinosaurs. We saw the lava basalt which caused such havoc so many million years ago at Mahabaleshwar.

A basalt formation called 'Elephant's Head' at Mahabaleshwar.

 Deccan Traps- the lava basalt in the form of terraces. Traps means steps in Swedish.

A memorial to Colonel Lodwick, an English officer, who  was the first European to discover Mahabaleshwar.
We enjoyed eating fresh strawberries with cream at Mahabaleshwar, which is gamous for its strawberry gardens.
My thanks to the team of Our World Tuesday where you can see many interesting things happening around the world.