Bracts (Wordless Wednesday)
Spotlight (Wordless Wednesday)
Canopy (ThursdayTreeLove)
Rain Trees are fairly common avenue trees in Pune. I have been told that these were planted specifically because their canopies give good shade and they grow very fast. Many have massive trunks that cover the entire footpath forcing pedestrians to walk onto the road. Some would take five people holding hands to ’embrace’ the tree!
I have always seen these huge trees from the ground up. Recently I saw their canopies almost at an eye level from the sixth floor of a building. The foliage looked absolutely amazing — almost like green waves rolling in towards a beach!
Okkk that maybe a slight exaggeration but indeed the canopies are really beautiful.
Rain Tree (Albizia saman) is an exotic species in Pune and is found very commonly. It bears fragrant pink flowers that resemble Shireesh (Albizia lebbeck). This is but natural as the two are ‘cousins’ – botanically speaking.
Some of the older neighbourhoods in the city boast such Rain Tree-lined roads and the street below get bathed in the filtered sunlight thus staying fairly cool. Looking up, one can see a beautiful netted canopy created by the multiple branches and subbranches which glitters in the sun.
I am joining Parul in her bimonthly ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world.
Better still, join in with your trees.
🙂
Passion Flower (Wordless Wednesday)
Pencil And Brush (Wordless Wednesday)
Survivor (ThursdayTreeLove)
Going through old travel photos is a wonderful way to relive the experience. Often the albums throw up surprises – like identifying a flower or tree ..
A relook at my Andaman trip album threw up a few images of trees that have survived the all-destructive Tsunami that hit the region in 2004.
On Ross Island, we saw this ancient Tree with an incredible root structure. It reminded me of the giant Silk Cotton tree in the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru.
If you zoom into the photo, you can see what may be a strangling Ficus growing on one of the branches.
An amazing tree that has stood the test of time and Nature’s Fury.
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world.
Better still, if you have a photo of a tree that has caught your eye, then do join us in this bimonthly tree fiesta!
Stay healthy and happy folks!
Wall Art (Wordless Wednesday)
Network (Wordless Wednesday)
Monsoon Magic (Wordless Wednesday)
The Sentinel (ThursdayTreeLove)
The hills in Pune are one of the prized gifts of Nature to this city. They offer a wonderful vantage point up above the homes and offices and factories below. Some parts of this land is held by the Forest Department, some of it is privately held and most have no proper internal roads other than one to reach the top.
Lack of easy access has been a boon of sorts as it has kept the area free for flora and fauna. Some of the trees growing are not seen in the city. Conversely, some trees that flourish in the city and elsewhere seem to struggle on the hills. A unique geology may be a contributory factor.
One such example is some of the Ficus species especially Ficus benghalensis and Ficus religiosa. Among us bonsai growers in India, Ficus is a very forgiving species – grows rapidly, does not grumble on hard pruning or wiring or root pruning and is happy in pots.
Naturally, I expected the Ficus to flourish when planted out in the open. Yet it just about seems to survive on the hills, never really achieving the grand size that one associates with Ficus trees. The Vetal tekdi has a great Peepal near one of the Maruti temples and a huge Ficus bengalensis near the ARAI entrance – both pretty old. All other planted Ficus are just about six feet tall with not much branching or foliage or trunk girth.
Happily, some days back I spotted this one – a Peepal – that has achieved a reasonable height and size. From its spot on the Vetal Tekdi, it seems to be watching over Pune and Punekars – a sentinel as it were..
Stay happy tree, hope to see you grow big and tall!
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some fantastic trees around the world. If you have a tree that caught your eye, then do join in!