Tag: Nature’s delights

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The White Ghost

The White Ghost! Words that one usually associates with paranormal beings, dark nights, the other world and so on. There is yet another kind of white ghost that is visible to the naked eye and tangible to touch.


Do I hear your ‘what’ and ‘where’???


Without any further ado let me not increase the suspense. A tree called Sterculia urens is commonly referred to as the White Ghost simply because of its shiny white trunk. In fact, its said that this is the only tree that can be identified in the dark because of the colour of its trunk. 


Gir, Sasan Gir, Trees



I am told that it is commonly seen in Tadoba but I encountered it in the forest at Sasan Gir. We were there to see the King but the White Ghost was the one that held my attention. It gave tantalising glimpses in a distance as we cruised around in our Gypsy (a vehicle by Maruti Suzuki). Now you saw it and now you don’t. It had disappeared behind a mass of Teak trees. Sanctuary rules forbade us from getting off the Gypsy to go closer to investigate. The closest we could manage was at a distance of about 50m but the image has stayed with since.


Trees, Gir, Gumtree



My amateurish images on the point on shoot camera do no justice to the stunning trunk texture. The totally bare branches had a pannicles of inflorescence at its end. Some trees had extensive branching resembling a dancer with multiple outstretched arms.


Our guide called it the Gum Tree and I have since learnt that the gum karaya exuded by this tree is used as a thickener, stabliser and emulsifier in foodstuffs. Roasted seeds are eaten. 


I had seen one tree of this type on the Sinhagad slope but that trunk was not as dramatic as the one at Gir. I am told that the tree trunk changes colour, a fact that I have yet to verify.

Gir, Tadoba, sterculia urens, gumtree,
Fruit and leaf of Sterculia urens (this image from the tree at Sinhagad)

In his book ‘Deshi Vruksha’ , Prof SD Mahajan has described this tree in detail. Belonging to the Sterculiaceae family, its flowers don’t look like flowers, fruit does not look like a fruit either.

The bark of this tree changes colour from white to copper tinges, flaky and green when its leafless. Pradip Krishen’s ‘Jungle Trees of Central India’ has a wonderful collation of images of this magical bark!


Trees called Shivan (Marathi name for Gmelina arborea), Kinhai (Albezia procera) and Arjun (Terminalia arjuna) also have dramatic yellowish white trunks.



Have you seen this magnificent tree? Do you know of any other beautiful tree? 

Take care and Happy  Tree Spotting!
🙂

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X is for eXtreme, eXcellent, eXtraordinary

We are almost at the end of the April 2015 AtoZ Blogging Challenge and the letter X is almost always eXtra challenging!! I am writing about gardens in Pune and I think the tedkis (hills) of Pune some of which have reserve forests on the top are truly unique to this city. 
These tekdis offer all of the adjectives in the title of this post: 

eXtraordinary: Pune is blessed with two rivers and importantly also has many hills located right inside the city limits. They can justly be called as the lungs of the city! We have the Vetal Tekdi (which is the highest), Hanuman Tekdi (which has the Gokhale Smarak Stambh), Parvati temple which is atop the Parvati hill, the Parvati Pachgaon forest area, the Tukai Tekdi and Durga Tekdi. The changing landscape over the seasons is a visual treat!

Poster

eXcellent: the hills are excellent places to exercise – for a walk, jog or even train for long treks in the Himalayas. In fact, March and April are months when one commonly sees many walking up and down the hills with huge backpacks, as they gear up for their outings in June or July… The tekdis are also home to some indigenous tree species that are either uncommon or are simply not seen in the city. Some of the trees are Ganer (Cochlospermum religiosum ), Bartondi (Morinda pubescens), Salai (Boswellia serrata), many species of the Capparis Genus. Regular walkers very commonly sight Peacocks on their morning walks on the Vetal tekdi as also a variety of birds…  What bliss… 


Acacia sp

Alangium salvifolium
Gardenia turgida
Dichrostachys cinerea
Dolichondrone falcata
Evolvulus alsinoides
Flower of Watakaka volubilis

eXtreme: They are an example of extremes of human intervention. Some hillocks have been almost flattened as they have been razed to make way for buildings and concrete jungles all under the name of development. Simultaneously, other hills have been ‘saved’ by peoples movements and resistance to the same ‘development’.  There are umpteen examples of organisations who have taken up ‘greening’ of the hills or who spend their Sunday mornings cleaning up the waste or folks who daily take up some water to water new plantations! 


Pune, hills, plantations
 Morning walkers fill up such bottles and carry them up to water saplings to help them survive the harsh summer heat

The most surprising part of these tekdis is that despite their obvious presence, a large number of people are simply unaware of this wonderful natural beauty. I know of people who have lived over five decades in Pune and still have not gone to any of the our tekdis… 

The tekdis should be a must-visit place in the itinerary of every nature lover visiting Pune. 
Cheers!


PS: Location Map here. 

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V is for Vartak Udyan

We are the end of another week and almost at the end of the April 2015 AtoZ blogging challenge. I am writing about gardens in my city and I have been pleasantly surprised. Each one has something unique and the gardens seemed quite popular with families and health enthusiasts. Just proves the point of open spaces in an urban environment. 


The Late Dr VD Vartak Udyan in Shaniwar Peth, Pune is located on the banks of the River Mutha. Dr Vartak was an eminent botanist whose vast body of work in the field of plant taxonomy has inspired hundreds of students. Two plant species have been named after in him, an honour which ensures we always remember his contribution. A plaque at the park entrance lists Dr Vartak’s achievements in the botanical world!

Pune, botanists, garden
Late Dr V D Vartak Udyan

The park itself has a surprising layout and just as one thinks it is a small patch of land, a track opens up and runs along the river for some distance. Its an interesting space to enjoy the evenings. The garden has a small open air amphi theatre with a small stage and seating that overlooks the river and the Sambhaji Park on the opposite bank. This would be wonderful sight for botanical discussions or a musical program… The duranta and money plant were used to create interesting shades of green.

Duranta and money plant carpet

The park has a small waterfall and like the Saras Baug, this garden too had piped music! 


Dr VD Vartak, PMC gardens
Piped music for the plants

I spotted a Neer Phanas, Bauhinia, Peepal (Ficus religiosa) and Silver Oak (Grevillea robusta) among others. Some exercise equipment has been installed here and some youth were making the most of this free opportunity to get a cardio workout! 


An excellent space by the river!


Info:
Entry: Free
Timing: 6AM to 10AM and 4PM to 8PM
Drinking Water: Available
Location Map here. 

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