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.
 |
| 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!
Life Support (Wordless Wednesday)
Blazing! (WordlessWednesday)
Curves and Lines (ThursdayTreeLove)
This tree has literally got my attention each and every time I pass by. So much so that I have to be cautioned to pay attention to traffic as it is located on my cycle route!
It is a Palm and quite and old one I think. For some reason, it has this twisted trunk. I can only speculate why this may have happened. Some storm perhaps. Or maybe there used to be some other structure there and the tree for some reason chose to grow around it…
Whatever maybe the case, its curves and lines are striking! Agree?
I am joining Parul in her #ThursdayTreeLove38 blog hop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world. Better still, join in!