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!
Symmetry (Wordless Wednesday)
Monsoon Magic (Wordless Wednesday)
Middle Path (ThursdayTreeLove)
My walks have been taking me on a different route, the change being dictated by the incessant rains that render my usual path too slushy for a comfortable walk. These trees growing along the edge of the cut face of the hillside always caught my eye. Their roots seem to have bored into the stone in a bid to stay alive, support life.
The road we walk upon has been built by breaking up the slope of the hill. Each time it rains, there is extensive erosion and I wonder how long the trees will continue to live in this habitat. The hills of Pune are under a constant threat that goes under the name of development.
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| Clinging on |
The trees have survived through vagaries of nature but can it withstand the onslaught of plans created by Man?
Of course we need roads but we also need our hills and trees.
A golden middle path has to be found.
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop.
Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world.
Better still, join in!
PS: This tree is the Boswellia serrata of the Burseraceae family.