Travel Bug – Page 3 – Spice of Life!

09/04/202209/04/2022

Haridra

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!

Haridra is known to all of us possibly by another name which is Haldi or Turmeric which comes from the Curcuma longa plant of the Zingerberacae family. Its tuber is dried and then processed to make the turmeric powder that is an all-important spice in Indian cuisine. It also has tremendous medicinal value.

Turmeric leaves are used to wrap various foods like fish, coconut etc and then steamed .This is quite a delicacy and I heavily recommend tasting a turmeric leaf wrapped dish whenever you get the opportunity. Patoli is a sweet dish prepared using these leaves.

India Post released a stamp featuring Turmeric in 1997 of denomination of 5INR.

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

Here is another beautiful one of the Himalayan Mini Sunflower of denomination 5INR.

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.

We come on the second weekend of the challenge. So we meet again on Monday 11th April for some more beautiful plants on stamps.

08/04/202205/04/2022

Guggulu

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.

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

Do visit tomorrow for some more beautiful plants on stamps.

Till then, Take Care and Stay Happy!

07/04/202205/04/2022

Ficus religiosa

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.

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

Do visit tomorrow for some more beautiful plants on stamps.

06/04/202205/04/2022

Esmeralda cathcartii

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 and the focus is on plants.

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.

Esmeralda cathcartii is a beautiful orchid that grows in East Himalayas and Assam among other places. Belonging to the Orchidaceae family, it grows at a height of 600-2000m. Its inflorescence has 3-6 long lasting flowers that are very fragrant. The plant is an epiphyte.

The stamp was issued in 2016 for a denomination of 5 INR. It is part of a set of 6 commemorative postage stamps on Orchids.

https://postagestamps.gov.in/Stampsofyear.aspx?uid=2016

Other ‘E’ plants that have been featured on India Post stamps are Emblica officinalis (Amla) in 2003, Echinops niveus (Snow White Globe Thistle) in 2013, Erythrina variegata (Indian Coral Tree) in 1993.

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

Do visit tomorrow for some more beautiful plants on stamps.

Till then, Take Care and Stay Happy!

10/03/202210/03/2022

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!***

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!!

27/01/202224/02/2022

Multisensory Experience (ThursdayTreeLove)

Todays post features trees differently.. Rather I am just sharing images of a unique experience that I was lucky to have last month.

The Chicago Botanic Garden has an annual light festival called Lightscape around Christmas and we were to visit. Our tickets were for a 9PM entry hence cold was certainly what I expected but beyond that I really did not know what to look forward to.

But what I experienced was totally mind blowing. Again, a phone camera is totally inadequate to capture the ambience but I that does not stop me from sharing the images. I am sure some of our TTL bloggers from the US would have this or seen similar winter light displays.

Getting back to the garden, we entered via a lit up archway and then walked on an about 1.25 mile-trail (about 2.01 kms) trail. Different artists had decorated each area in different themes using different lights, music and even other special effects like lasers, music, fire (all with due safety precautions!).

Coming as I do from a tropical region, walking at below 0Deg C at night was daunting. But our hosts ensured we were warmly and securely clad which made the walk totally enjoyable and memorable. The entire visit was an grand surreal, multisensory experience.

It was not a walk meant to identify trees. Rather I could appreciate their shapes and growth patterns which were high-lighted by the various lights.

The moon held its own in the night sky despite the (artificial) million lights glittering below and we could spot its reflection in the lake as well.

Here is my humble attempt to capture memories of my visit.
I heavily recommend a visit to this garden at any time of the year and the Christmas light show if possible (I am told tickets get sold out in November itself).

Image credit to Rajendra Sonarikar.

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

Lot of my blog visitors have faced difficulties in commenting. If you are unable to comment belw, Please leave your thoughts here. Thank you! I would love to hear from you. 🙏🏻

23/12/202124/12/2021

Calm (ThursdayTreeLove)

“Looking out over the lake, I felt enveloped in the most peaceful, loving utopia.” – Laurie Kahn

My daughter sent me this image as she was struck by the beauty of the blue lake and the tree growing in it. It was impossible to identify the tree, or what made its branches look white. Was it hosting some birds? Or had its leaves turned white for some reason?

The lake itself was still and beautiful and the tree seemed happy to grow in the middle of the water.

All that mattered was the feeling of calm afforded by the view.

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

28/10/202128/10/2021

Wall Cover (ThursdayTreeLove)

This Y shaped plant was just as attractive as the beautiful castle in Krakow. Moving closer I found it to be full of lovely flowers and bees! After going around to view treasures in the museum, I made a beeline to capture this Hedera helix (that was its botanical name) in my camera.

This is a climber of the Araliaceae family with pretty palmate leaves . It is grown to cover walls and fences. In this location it seems to have been trained to grow in a specific pattern, but the species is said to be potentially invasive.

Here in Pune, Ficus pumila and the Curtain Creeper (Tarlmounia elliptica) are commonly used to cover walls. The Hedera helix is uncommon in my city and I remember its unique shape and flowers as vividly as the wonderful exhibits from the castle.

What plants have you noticed as wall covers? Have you seen the Ivy?

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

21/10/202128/10/2021

Tree Boulevard (ThursdayTreeLove)

Due to issues with WordPress, I could not put up this post here on Thursday. Hence I had written about my tree on Blogger .. I am still unable to upload images here..

So Click here to read about the the Unter der Linden and see the images.. it is an arterial road in Berlin named after a tree .. namely The Linden.

Lindens belong to the Malvaceae family (Hibiscus family). The trees I saw had heart shaped leaves with toothed margin.

Our guide said she hated to park under a Linden as the car would be full of sticky substance the next morning! My research showed that it was not plant exudate to blame but the Aphids that infest the plant!

Click here to see my images of Unter der Linden.

I have always wondered what factors guide species choice when roadside plantation is done.

In his book Trees of Delhi, the author Pradip Krishen, discusses why particular species may have been chosen to line avenues in Lutyens Delhi. Apparently evergreen species which do not grow very tall (size and shape of trees) were a factor.

New York streets are said to have predominantly male Gingko trees.

But I am not sure how many cities have roads named for trees growing there!

A big Yay for Unter den Linden!!

What have you noticed about the species lining trees in your city? Do you know of other streets named after trees?

Update: I now know of a road named after the Cypress!!

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

11/03/202123/09/2021

Wander Into Nature (ThursdayTreeLove)

And Nature, the old nurse, took

The Child upon her knee,

Saying: ‘Here is a story -book

Thy Father has written for thee.’

‘Come, wander with me’, she said,

‘Into regions yet untrod;

And read what is still unread

In the manuscripts of God.’

Longfellow The Fiftieth Birthday of Agassiz

I came across these words recently on the first page of a book I am reading and they immediately reminded me of the Bhorgiri trek we took a few years ago. It was one of my first experiences of walking out in Nature and being the monsoon the experience was fantastic. One that I have craved for again and again. To feel free and to experience Nature as it is meant to be.

Here are a few images from that wonderful outing.