A khatta-meetha take on life around me through my presbiopic eyes!
Rains continuing into October is a surprise for us folks in Pune. Of course it means we are spared the October heat.
An added surprise is this unexpected bloom on my Mogra.
It usually flowers from April onwards , and the last blooms are by end of June.
A lively surprise indeed!
Following up on an earlier geometry in nature post, here I have this amazing leaf that seems to be a circle formed by lines radiating from one point!
“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower” – Albert Camus
Looking at Autumn or Fall colours is a right on top of my Tree Travel wish lists.. I have always just got a glimpse of the glorious foliage never really catching the plants in their full Fall Glory.
As the above quote says, each leaf dons a spectacular unique colour that truly makes it look like a flower.
Here are a few images from my travels.. I am looking forward to the day when I can see the Fall Colours with my own eyes.. sigh…. Till then, I look forward to the TTL posts from around the world in the next couple of month..
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!
What do you first see in this image? I know you will say trees.. we are on ThursdayTreeLove after all!! And you are right!!
Normally I would have admired the clouds or the view but this time the yellow blaze caught my eye. So much so that I walked an extra 500m to reach this tree.
There grew a row of Peltophorum pterocarpum and all were in bloom. Their blazing yellow flowers were the head turners that day. This tree belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family and is known as Copper Pod Tree. It is a common avenue tree in Pune and its dense green foliage is made up of pretty feather like leaves . Its fragrant flowers give way to rusty red pods hence the local name Copper Pod tree. The Peltophorum looks wonderful in bloom as well as when full of these coppery pods.
As I said, this is mostly an avenue tree which means one cannot really sit under its dense cool shade or enjoy its fragrance … It is all in a days work for the Peltophorum to lay out a yellow carpet for morning walkers..
Have you seen this majestic tree and enjoyed the fragrance of its blooms?
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!
Its finally rained in Pune and my Ochna is welcoming it whole heartedly!
Here are its blooms .. used my phone-friendly macro lens after a long time!
I am sure you loved these flowers as much as I enjoyed sharing with you.
I am joining Natasha in her Wordless Wednesday blog hop.
A visit to the Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Botanical Garden in Kolkata was at the end of our trip to the Sunderbans. It was a botanically wondrous trip to say the least! The Garden itself is huge and home to unique trees like the famous Banyan.
Here is another tree that I met for the first and only time! A beautiful red brush like structure beckoned me from a distance and located as it was amid leaves had me immediately thinking of the Shaving Brush tree (Pseudobombax ellipticum) which does grow in Pune. However when I went closer, the tree looked different especially its leaves. It was end of January and the digitate glossy green leaves suggested a different ID.
Luckily for me, the placard saved me the trouble and I could freely admire the Pachira aquatica without any stress of identification. It belongs to the Bombacaceae family just like the Shaving Brush Tree which explained the similarity in the flowers. Also known as Malabar Chestnut tree it is an introduced species in India. I loved its flowers which are nothing like those used for table decorations or bouquets.
Have you seen this wonderful tree? When in Kolkata please do make time for the botanical garden!
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove Blog hop. Do head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
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| From a distance.. looks like the rising Sun on the horizon! |
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| Walking closer to the tree |
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| Overlooking its huge canopy |
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| Brilliant |
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| Another view |
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| Beautiful Flowers |
Gulmohor belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family and is known all over the world by its botanical name of Delonix regia. The tree is an exotic species in India but is very common in all over the country especially as an avenue tree. It has a shallow root system which means trees tend to fall after a spell of heavy rains.
Some objections to this species (as its not indigenous) is that our birds do not nest on it; birds, insects and animals do not eat its fruit or nectar as food.
However I feel that its foliage gives us much needed oxygen and cooling shade.
What do you think?
Either way, May is the most glorious month for the Gulmohor!
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
Thank You!
Due to the Covid19 lockdown, stores were open only for a couple of hours in Pune. 10am to Noon. People had to stand in a queue in designated spots to buy their needs.
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| Every shop had such circles marked out where customers had to queue up.. |
April is a pretty hot time of the year for us. Which means, this wait would have been really hot and trying if it were not for these wonderful trees by the roadside.
It did not matter if the trees were exotic, indigenous, flowering, fruiting, … they gave a welcome cooling shade for the folks below waiting patiently for their turn.
Thanks to the folks who planted these trees maybe two or three decades ago and we can now reap the benefits!
“One generation plants the trees, another gets the shade”- Chinese Proverb
I am sure all of you must have noticed and enjoyed the trees in your lane or your society in the lockdown period!
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
Stay home folks and stay safe!
