Wall Art (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!
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.
Red (Wordless Wednesday)
Steps (Wordless Wednesday)
Sea Change (ThursdayTreeLove)
These trees caught my eye in the peak of summer because it seemed as if their bare branches had intertwined to create a black and white painting! This effect continued even as I walked closer to the trees.
This was on 23rd May 2018.
Just a few days and a couple of showers later, both had undergone a sea change.. Here are the same two trees on the 18th June 2018.
Surprisingly the two-toned effect continues even once trees are full of leaves. One had lighter green leaves and the one had dark green foliage.
The strangest part is that I have walked on this spot for so many years in all seasons, but it was only last month that I noticed the colours. The trees are beautiful both with and without foliage.
Nature’s beauty is all around us at all times of the year. We only have to look.
I am joining Parul in her #ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some amazing trees from around the world.
PS. Tree ID: The lighter coloured tree is a Dalbergia sp and the one with the dark bark is a species of Accacia.
Summer Cooler (ThursdayTreeLove)
Pune is blessed to have several hills located right inside the city itself. They are its lungs as it were and are the pride and joy of the locals. Most of the trees growing here are the deciduous type and the hot scorching months of summer see them reduced to their bare branches.
One of the only trees giving respite from the brown and golden shades is the Morinda pubescens locally called Bartondi of the Rubiaceae family. It is an evergreen tree and its green velvety leaves are a sight for sore eyes! May is also the month when this tree blossoms and the small star-shaped whitish flowers announce the tree’s presence long before one can spot it!
The fruit is peculiar and seems to have many facets!
Yet another give-away is the rough crocodile bark that the tree sports.
Despite their fragrance, thankfully, these flowers are not woven into garlands. Thankful because it avoids irresponsible stripping of the tree. This is a great summer cooler especially on the morning walks during summer!
Its among my favourite indigenous species.
Do you have a favourite tree? Or more than one favourite?
🙂
Stay happy folks!
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world!
Cannon Ball Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)
This beautiful tree with glorious fragrant flowers growing out of its main trunk goes by the unlikely common name “Cannon Ball Tree”. This is due to its large round fruit resembling cannon balls. Its botanical name is Couroupita guianensis and the species has been introduced in India. The tree belongs to the Lecythidaceae family.
The flowers are uniquely shaped almost like a Shivalinga. Hence the tree also goes by the common name Kailaspati. When plucked, the highly fragrant pretty flower stays fresh in a bowl of water for a day.
In sharp contrast, the fruit is filled with a foul smelling substance. If you look closely, some fruit are visible and seem to be strung on the trunk. If one of them falls on someone’s head, it can cause an injury!
Kailaspati is native to the Amazon rainforest but seems to be happy in India considering its gregarious flowering and fruiting! It grows to be quite tall and is an imposing sight!
I am joining Parul‘s #ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world!