Welcome! We are with the 2018 April AtoZ Blogging challenge and its my fifth attempt. For those who missed it, here is the link to my Theme Reveal post. Do the alphabets still stand for the same things we learnt about in Nursery school? Its day seven and the alphabet is G.
G is for Goat. That is what I distinctly remember being taught. But then, goats eat grass. And grass was one of my theme ideas. So I sort of took the liberty and replaced the goat with grass. 🙂
Grasses belong the Poaceae family which a very large and very economically important family of the plant kingdom. Important because this family provides the staple foods that we eat, material for construction etc. Grasses are found almost everywhere and are generally annual or perennial in nature. My teacher cautioned me that grasses can be properly identified only when they grow flowers and that too using a hand lens or under a microscope. Which means, many of the grasses I have seen will remain unnamed..
Not to worry folks, this will not be a botanical post. Here are some of the beautiful grass flowers.
And do watch out for them the next time you go out for your walk!
Oplismenes
Lophopogon sp
Chloris sp
Chrysopogon sp
Apluda sp
Themeda sp
Pennisetum sp
Setaria sp
This is just a glimpse into the great world of grasses..
Tomorrow is our first holiday of the blogathon. We return on the 9th with the alphabet H.
Its that time of the year again… winter is almost forgotten as the burning sun makes its presence felt. Grass and herbs dried out from last year, crunch under the feet as one tries to keep a brisk pace on the morning walk on the tekdi. The eyes scan the usual favourites hoping to spot blooms and I am not disappointed.
Shirish beckons with its sweet fragrance and fresh foliage. Yellow rattling pods from last year still hang from the branches and the tree stands out from a distance.
and the Neem is happy showing off its tiny flowers too…
These yellow flowers stand out on the bare plateau, amid the ashes of the burnt grass..
The small Capparis blossoms cloak the shrubby tree in a white coat!
The Ganer and Waras are still painting the tekdi golden and cream amid the fading pink of the Gliricidia.
Waras flower
The white tufts of the Dregea volubilis line the pathways even as I wait for the Kusumb to blush red as it realises its branches are bare.
The lucky ones may even spot the Peacock!
Its March on the tekdi and the trees are beckoning… Where are you??
Out on the streets, the trees are bedecked in their floral glory The golden blaze of the Tabebuia easily overshadows its pink cousin. This even as the Jacaranda casts a soothing blue haze over the horizon and blue carpet at your feet. New leaves of the Moha blush as its blossoms look down upon earthlings. The Mango is in full bloom … Does it foretell a sweet May?
Many a times have I seen this tree growing on the median of the NH4 from Pune towards Satara. It seems to be a very old tree considering its size despite the heavy traffic on both sides of the road. I am really happy that whoever built this road chose to retain the tree during road construction – or could it be that it grew after the road was ready?
Whatever the case may be, considering its strategic location, the plant must have seen thousands and thousands of folks pass by, possibly travelling on a holiday, for work, some happy, some not so happy… If it could communicate with us, it would have some wonderful stories to share.
This one seems to be a Ficus species. The almost perfect dome shaped canopy must offer cooling shade but its not a place were one can stop to rest!!
I have spotted many such trees at other spots on this highway and other highways as well— a central witness to the progress of the region…
This post is part of Parul‘s #ThursdayTreeLove34. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world!
Our trip to Sundarbans was booked so long in advance that we managed to log three more destinations in the intervening period! There was no scope for travel fatigue as Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide kept interest levels high and if possible even increased them. Yet there was an underlying element of doubt as the area is the home of the swimming tigers.. the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Nurturing these doubts would serve no purpose if I was to enjoy my holiday so I buried them as much as I could as we embarked on the journey in the wee hours of the D-Day. From Kolkata city we travelled to Godkhali – the place where we were to board our boat. The young bus driver treated this drive like a Formula 1 training session, overtaking everything and everyone in sight. This meant close encounters with cattle, villagers and other vehicles irrespective of their direction of motion. The road was infested with buses and rickety three wheeled vehicles that had passengers stuffed inside, hanging outside and even on top! With our destination only 10 kms away, Murphy made his presence felt in the form of a burst tyre. The aforesaid young man showed equal speed and proved his mettle by making quick work of replacing the troublesome auto component – faster than our group leader could summon the rickshaws to take us the final few kilometers…
The jetty at Godkhali is rather unassuming considering that it is the main sourcing point for the islands in the Sundarbans delta. After a quick settling in at our resort we took off for our first glimpse of the jungle.
Our boat which was to be our home for the next 3 days boasted of a kitchen and toilet (I give it 4 stars considering its location) with sufficient space for everyone in our group to get a ring side view of the forest without stepping on each others toes!
ALERT: LONG POST
The Sundarbans archipelago comprises several islands crisscrossed by rivers and channels of sea water. The resulting saline and brackish conditions are ideal for the mangrove trees. (Rather they seem to be the only species growing there along with mangrove associates.) Elsewhere, we always explore the jungle by walking or driving through it, for example Tadoba, but walking among the trees of Sundarbans is not permitted for our safety. Which means the magnificent flora can be viewed only from the boat. While the trees are not tall, yet, in most parts, the Sun barely reaches the jungle floor. It is impossible to see beyond a few meters of the tree line along the sticky shore. The jungle floor seemed to be booby-trapped with several pointy branches poking upwards. These were the ‘breathing roots’, some of which were sharp and pointy while others were rounded. Walking through these was extremely tricky and could be painful as well, something we experienced at the Interpretation Centre. While there are dire reports of islands lost to rising sea levels, we saw some new ones that have risen up over the past decade and still rising. This was due to silt deposition.
Breathing Roots
The Forest Department has created watch towers and information zones on different islands. Besides introducing visitors to this ecosystem, it is a unique way to sensitise visitors to the difficulties faced by the locals in their interaction with the jungle. Besides the tricky ground, they also face a threat from crocodiles and of course the secretive and much dreaded Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT). We did glimpse a couple of the 17 footer crocs but the RBT eluded us… I am sure we must have been spotted by one of them considering that we spent over 20 hours chugging along the coast. More about the RBT later.
Canopy walk at the Interpretation Centre
Our resort boasted of ecofriendly credentials which meant no paper or plastic or thermacole. It offered almost all creature comforts except perhaps running hot water but I guess being environment friendly meant some sacrifices 😉 Practically it meant being served tea in the good old glass crockery (which evoked a thoroughly pampered feeling) and the tastiest of preparations made from locally grown fresh vegetables. The Nolen Gurer Payesh had us licking our lips and scraping the bottom of the bowl The efficient and ever smiling staff took pride in their work and seemed really happy.
Cottages at the resort
We spent two entire days on the boat. Actually three if you add up two half days as well. Our day began early at 6 am as we boarded our mist-shrouded boat – the northerly winds were the cause said Mr Paul the resort manager. We spent the entire day on board, returning only at dusk. Our guides Nabho and Krishna joined us here. Both were very knowledgeable about fauna and flora. IMHO , info about the latter is often ignored by most naturalist guides but these two were a pleasant surprise. Seeing my interest in trees, they specifically pointed out special species, their distinguishing features etc using the correct scientific terminology.
Getting back to our boat safaris… The resort staff had a detachment on the boat who had breakfast ready for us even before hunger pangs could take our minds away from the Black capped / Collared Kingfisher or many of their feathered brethren who obliged us with prolonged sightings. Now I was quite prepared for something like sandwiches but I was in for a shock. A very tasty shock I must admit. The breakfast was Alu Paratha, Puri, Omlette, Cut Fruit with the most delicious honey from the very forest we were enjoying…. Considering our location, hats off to the team! Naturally we did full justice and lunch was a bigger surprise with a choice of two nonvegetarian preparations! However the humble tomato chutney was the star – so much so that we got copy of its recipe when we said goodbye!
A spread fit for a king!
Again I digress.
Our boat had sitting space in the front and back each with its own advantages. The best spot was to sit cross legged at the bow which gave an eye level view of the banks but I did not take advantage of it as much as I should have. Nabho and Krishna pointed out an Avicennia or Brugeira or Rhizophora but distinguishing them from a distance needed an experienced eye. Instead of their fruits or flowers it was the tree roots that were most eyecatching. As I said before, the silt laden sticky bank seemed to have become a spiky zone due to the breathing roots whereas others created an interesting circular maze at the trunk base. Some trees seemed to wear a striped skirt (formed by their stilt roots) while others had huge buttressed trunks – all aimed to give better support and improve oxygen intake from the saline water. The twice daily high tide created massive sand shifts which meant the trees needed stronger anchors than trees growing elsewhere. This is just one of the adaptation of these amazing trees. We saw some Tiger Palms and the source of their name is a no brainer – its leaf morphology and colour perfectly match with the RBT stripes making it an ideal place for the cat to hide in.
Tiger Palms growing along the bank
Some islands had trees with garlands and Nabho told us it was prayer and offerings to Bonbibi before someone ventured into the forest. The Goddess would protect them from tigers and other dangers. Hindus and Muslims worship her and it is faith that helps them survive in this adverse landscape as they are expected to enter the forest with ‘Khali Haat’ and ‘Pobitra Mann’. We were told that locals never utter the word Tiger because it is believed that to say its name is to call it. The danger is so real that women fast for the entire duration their husbands are out in the forest or in the boat and this can extend for many days.
A local troupe performed the legend of the Bonbibi
A bit about the RBT. This secretive cat has adapted to walking and hunting among mangrove roots and is a good swimmer. This obviously means we had a good chance of spotting the RBT both on the shore and in the water. In other jungles of our country, a water body is the ideal place to spot a tiger but in the Sundarbans, the high tide takes water deep inside the islands. The RBT has adapted to surviving on salty water which eliminated thirst as a reason to come to the water side. We could see the tiger only if it wanted to show itself to us! We passed by several small channels that went deep into the island and I am sure, we would have encountered a tiger if we had ventured into it. However that would need a smaller boat – the kind used by fisherman plus strict rules forbade us from entering inside. For various reasons, the Sundarbans tiger is known to attack humans so I guess somewhere deep inside I was secretly happy at not sighting the great cat. Even if meant seeing gleeful smiles when answering in the negative to the perennial question on our return “Did you see the tiger?”
Forbidden lanes…
We were lucky that our boat safari timing matched that of the low tide and wildlife activity. Fauna can be best seen once the bank opens up and hence hopes were high. The elusive Jungle Cat was glimpsed twice. Huge swarms of bees buzzed around our boat but flew off without a bite! Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Monitor Lizards also found time to take a peek at us! Everytime our boat neared the sunbathing crocs, they would slip back into the water… The thought of having a powerful 17 footer croc (or even a RBT) swimming close by our basic boat ensured no one tried to dip their hands into the water….
A mammoth Estuarine Crocodile Image Credit Rahul Rao , Director at Foliage Outdoors, Pune
The water glittered in various shades of green with the occasional brown tinges. In the period of the low tide we sailed almost in the centre of the channels as any move towards the bank could sometimes get the boat grounded. Combined with the sand shifting we did face that situation a couple of times and recovery was by pushing the boat out with long bamboos.. Our boat did not boast of modern marine technology and the team relied on its inborn navigation skill and sixth sense. However at the day progressed and the tide came up and swallowed the banks and trees and in some cases the entire the island too. In fact, the leaves till the high tide mark were markedly different from those higher up on the tree trunk.
Our safari took us in deep waters where three or more rivers joined. This created a vast expanse of water wherein the bank was almost invisible! Though close to the Bay of Bengal, the roar of the ocean was inaudible. The tide rose and fell silently as if to let the fauna have their say. Most of the time it was just our boat MB Dakshin Rai. Its rhythmic put-put combined with the gentle sway and cool breeze under a warm sun was hypnotic and especially conducive to dozing off…. until there was a sudden frisson of excitement of spotting someone! ……
Peregrine Falcon? Croc? Dolphin? Pugmarks? Tiger? were the anxious queries as all binocs turned to one direction. Cameras clicked furiously till the object of attention decided he had enough of us! The Kingfishers including the Brown Winged were the most obliging and tourist friendly I must say!
Black Capped Kingfisher Image Credit Rahul Rao, Director at Foliage Outdoors, Pune
And how can I forget the Lesser Whistling Ducks who gave us a glorious farewell.. I think there must have been thousands of them along with Northern Pintails and Northern Shovellers swimming in tandem as if escorting our boat out…
Lesser Whistling Ducks Image Credit Rahul Rao, Director at Foliage Outdoors, Pune
Before I forget, most of these only live in pure environments – and their presence is a positive statement about the condition of that ecosystem.
It is a sheer joy to visit and appreciate India’s huge ecological diversity. There were no colourful flowers in Sundarbans, nor did we see the RBT nor could I walk in the forest. From all reports the jungle is a dangerous place. Yet the Sundarbans was simultaneously mysterious, attractive, enticing and chilling. Bewitching indeed!
‘…This is a land half-submerged at high tide: it is only in falling that the water gives birth to the forest, To look upon this strange parturition, midwived by the moon is the know why the name “tide country” is not just right but necessary…..’
The Ram Mandir in Pune’s Tulshibag is a heritage site and it was constructed during the peak of the Peshwa rule. It was completed in 1761. The temple has stood the test of time and despite huge changes in its surroundings.
Beautiful as the temple is, it was the Muchkunda tree growing in the courtyard that caught my eye.. It has a magnificently gnarled trunk (is that possible) and its roots seemed to have surfaced and uprooted some of the surrounding tiles. I have no idea if the Muchkunda is as old as the temple but it has certainly seen many a monsoons…
Muchkunda or Pterospermum acerifolium belongs to the Sterculiaceae family and is also called Kanak Champa in some parts of India. It can be easily recognised by its typical peltate leaves and flowers that are intensely fragrant and look like a peeled banana!
Notice the leaf shape and the flowers. This image of a Muchkunda located elsewhere
Restoration works at the site have included creating a base of stones around the tree but I am not sure I really like that grey structure. Here are some more images
The newly restored temple and the Muchkunda Tree
Looking up!
Research has revealed that the Pterospermum acerifolium has some mythological importance as well. You can read about it here and here.
If you ever get a chance to visit the Tulshibag in Pune, do not forget to admire the magnificent Muchkunda.
I am participating in Parul’s #ThursdayTreeLove31. It is a photo feature posted on the second and fourth Thursday of every month. Head over there to see some amazing trees from around the world!
This tree was the first thing that caught my eye when I visited South Carolina. I was intrigued by the filament like structures growing on its branches and general ghostly appearance. The season was spring so I was expecting tender shoots or even flowers but this white ‘mane’ totally stumped me. As usual, I had a short list of common trees I was likely to see but this did not fit any description….
My sister in law informed me that these hanging filaments were Spanish Moss. Google helped with more information. Tillandsia usneoides is its botanical name belonging to the Bromeliaceae family and is found commonly growing on oak trees. Since my post is about trees, I shall not go into details about Tillandsia but you can look it up here.
Aha.. that took care of the mystery! What I was seeing was an Oak and what I thought as its leaves was actually another epiphytic plant growing on it.
Here is a close up where the Oak leaves are visible.
To this day, the Spanish Moss-festooned oak remains one of the most dramatic trees I have seen.
I am participating in Parul’s #ThursdayTreeLove29. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world.
