Tree Course (ThursdayTreeLove)

Here is yet another wonderful Tree Course.. oops.. I mean Golf Course .. from Pune.

Enjoying the trees at the course is one of the main reasons for me to accompany my husband for Golf.

You see see more images here.

This row of Ficus is the star attraction IMO. One of them has fallen but continues to flourish.

Please click here to see more images of this Golf Course.

In case you face difficulties in leaving your comments, please click here. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in.

Cousins (ThursdayTreeLove)

 I had a different tree in mind for todays post but I just read Parul’s TTL 132 post and decided to share some plants from my home balcony garden. 

To be more specific, three plants that are so called ‘cousins’. 

They belong to the same Genus of Malpighia but the specific epithet is different. Hence they are different species. I am growing them to be Bonsai and they do grow as trees in Nature. 

They all belong to the family Malpighiaceae and you can see the distinct flower similarity. The frilly flowers are very pretty but not fragrant. The three plants I am sharing all have simple opposite leaves. 

Click here to read detailed post.

Barbados Cherry or Malpighia glabra flowers.
Flowers of the Frooti.
Flowers of the Malpighia coccigera or Hawthorn

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop.

In case you face difficulties in comments, please click here to share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you. Thank you!!

Monsoon Fruit (ThursdayTreeLove)

As the mango season ends, its time for yet another fruit to capture our food senses! The Jamun or Syzygium cumini of the Myrtaceae family is available in plenty in June-July as the Alphonso harvest comes to an end.

The tree has just finished flowering and that is how it finds a place in my TTL post. The unique flowers are hidden among the glossy green leaves.

Jamun fruits are typically sold on hand carts in Pune

The fruit is delicate and crushes easily. Monsoon showers bring down some fruit that then colours it purple. Expert tree climbers are required to pluck the fruit from the trees. The fruit has a sharp taste and stains the mouth when eaten. It will also stain clothes if one is clumsy when eating!

Jamun is not among my favourite fruit but those who do like it are its dedicated fans!

Have you seen the Jamun tree? Do you like Jamuns?

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over for some wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

Despite my best efforts at trying to resolve commenting issues on this blog, some of you, dear readers, may find it difficult to share your thoughts. Please click here to leave your comments . I would love to hear from you. Thank you for your patience!

Xmas


I am participating in the April AtoZ Blogging challenge and my theme is Plants featured on Indian Stamps. This is my eight attempt at the AtoZ. 

My theme is inspired by an online talk by Daniel L Nikrent of Cornell University, USA held by Maharashtra Vriksha Samvardhini about Parasitic Flowering Plants featured on Stamps

I am not a stamp collector nor a fan of stamps. Hence almost all my posts are purely based on research on the internet. I have tried to cross check the info before posting here. Please do share correct info and links to the same in case of discrepancy. 

India Post has a very strong network reaching deep deep into the interiors of the country and I depended on it for news from home when we were posted in far away places.  In this age of smartphones, Internet, how many of us really write letters – snail mail as they are now called? Despite this , I find that new stamps are being issued and we have stamps on diverse topics including Armed Forces, Films, Personalities, Wildlife, Handlooms, Handicrafts, Food and so on.. It is amazing!

X . This alphabet has again been a bit of a stretch but I am sure you will love this stamp. And the tree! 

🙂

Xmas is a much loved festival all around the world. I love the Xmas trees and in fact we visited the US in winter 2021, just to see the lovely decorations and celebrations. 

Fir (Genus Abies), Spruce (Genus Picea) and Pine (Genus Pinus) are common conifers used as Xmas trees. This article describes some popular species used.

Here are some of the wonderful trees we saw.

At Myrtle Beach Airport
At Washington Dulles Airport

So its but natural to find this beautiful festival represented on our stamp. India Post’s Season Greetings stamp with a decorated Xmas tree was issued in 2016 of denomination 10 INR.

Post of India, GODL-India https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf, via Wikimedia Commons
Post of India, GODL-India https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf, via Wikimedia Commons

The India Postage Stamps website  has a complete catalogue of stamps. Please click the link to see many many wonderful stamps.

Colnect is a comprehensive portal for Stamp collectors. It gives detailed information about every listed stamp.  Click here for detailed info about Stamps – what is a stamp, types, formats, water marks, perforations and much more.  

You can catch up with my previous posts here. We meet tomorrow for yet another beautiful plant and its stamp! 

Linking this post with Parul‘s wonderful ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in.

If you face difficulties in commenting, please click here to share your thoughts. Thanks!!

Lagerstroemia speciosa


I am participating in the April AtoZ Blogging challenge and my theme is Plants featured on Indian Stamps. This is my eight attempt at the AtoZ. 

My theme is inspired by an online talk by Daniel L Nikrent of Cornell University, USA held by Maharashtra Vriksha Samvardhini about Parasitic Flowering Plants featured on Stamps

I am not a stamp collector nor a fan of stamps. Hence almost all my posts are purely based on research on the internet. I have tried to cross check the info before posting here. Please do share correct info and links to the same in case of discrepancy. 

India Post has a very strong network reaching deep deep into the interiors of the country and I depended on it for news from home when we were posted in far away places.  In this age of smartphones, Internet, how many of us really write letters – snail mail as they are now called? Despite this , I find that new stamps are being issued and we have stamps on diverse topics including Armed Forces, Films, Personalities, Wildlife, Handlooms, Handicrafts, Food and so on.. It is amazing!

Lagerstromia speciosa or Tamhan (aka Jarul) of the Lythraceae family is the state flower of Maharashtra. This native tree is now seen often in gardens and roadsides. The flowers look spectacular with their frilly petals and are a pleasure to watch in the blazing summer. It is the state flower of my state Maharashtra. Its leaves turn a beautiful red before they fall.

Here is the Tamhan from my image collection.

Leaves turn red before they fall

This is  the stamp issued in 1993 is of denomination of 1 INR.

Post of India, GODL-India https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf, via Wikimedia Commons

The India Postage Stamps website  has a complete catalogue of stamps. Please click the link to see many many wonderful stamps.

Colnect is a comprehensive portal for Stamp collectors. It gives detailed information about every listed stamp.  Click here for detailed info about Stamps – what is a stamp, types, formats, water marks, perforations and much more.  

You can catch up with my previous posts on my 2022AtoZ here.

In addition to the AtoZ, with this post, I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in! I think I am over the commenting issues but if you still face difficulties in sharing your thoughts, please click here to do so. Thanks!!

Stay Healthy! Stay Happy!

Feast (ThursdayTreeLove)

Thisis a wonderful Ficus growing on my regula walk route. It’s full of fruit and birds are having a feast!

Ficus is a genus of the Moraceae family. Many Ficus varieties grow in Pune and around India. Either as roadside trees or in gardens and in temples.

Have you seen birds feasting on a Ficus? It’s a great place for birders to see different bird varieties.

I would love to hear from you. If you face issues in commenting below, pleas click here to share your thoughts.

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world.

Campus Trees ( ThursdayTreeLove)

Here are some trees that I saw at the Stanford University campus.. the famous Ivy League institution. They added to the intense academic and intellectual aura of the campus and had me in total awe!

Scroll down for a glimpse of some of the beautiful trees.

Possibly a Pine. The quadruple trunk was fascinating!
An Oak in fiery russet foliage

This is just a glimpse. The vast campus would have many treasures from the plant kingdom making it the ideal place to study and research.

The dramatic white trunk and golden leaves were eye catching. Is it a Sycamore ???

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

I would love to hear from you. In case you face difficulties in commenting, please click here. Thanks!!

Root Pearls (ThursdayTreeLove)

We almost missed this tree as we walked a quaint street in Annapolis. It was a cold day in early Dec 2021 and my husband spotted these unique roots.

I am unable to identify the tree but its lovely ‘root pearls’ ensure I won’t ever forget it!

What do you think? Have you seen this tree?

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop.

I would love to hear from you. In case you face difficulties in commenting, please share your thoughts here.