A khatta-meetha take on life around me through my presbiopic eyes!
This is actually a backdated post.. I was unable to post here due to issues with the host or server or WordPress or whatever. Then there have been issues with leaving comments on the posts.
Sigh!
🙁
I had a wonderful opportunity to see trees in their winter glory when I joined my husband on his golf trip. These are images from a golf course in South Carolina, USA.
Click here to read the original post and for a virtual walk around the Tree (Golf) Course!!
Todays post features trees differently.. Rather I am just sharing images of a unique experience that I was lucky to have last month.
The Chicago Botanic Garden has an annual light festival called Lightscape around Christmas and we were to visit. Our tickets were for a 9PM entry hence cold was certainly what I expected but beyond that I really did not know what to look forward to.
But what I experienced was totally mind blowing. Again, a phone camera is totally inadequate to capture the ambience but I that does not stop me from sharing the images. I am sure some of our TTL bloggers from the US would have this or seen similar winter light displays.
Getting back to the garden, we entered via a lit up archway and then walked on an about 1.25 mile-trail (about 2.01 kms) trail. Different artists had decorated each area in different themes using different lights, music and even other special effects like lasers, music, fire (all with due safety precautions!).
Coming as I do from a tropical region, walking at below 0Deg C at night was daunting. But our hosts ensured we were warmly and securely clad which made the walk totally enjoyable and memorable. The entire visit was an grand surreal, multisensory experience.
It was not a walk meant to identify trees. Rather I could appreciate their shapes and growth patterns which were high-lighted by the various lights.
The moon held its own in the night sky despite the (artificial) million lights glittering below and we could spot its reflection in the lake as well.
Here is my humble attempt to capture memories of my visit.
I heavily recommend a visit to this garden at any time of the year and the Christmas light show if possible (I am told tickets get sold out in November itself).
Image credit to Rajendra Sonarikar.
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from aorund the world. Better still, join in.
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“Looking out over the lake, I felt enveloped in the most peaceful, loving utopia.” – Laurie Kahn
My daughter sent me this image as she was struck by the beauty of the blue lake and the tree growing in it. It was impossible to identify the tree, or what made its branches look white. Was it hosting some birds? Or had its leaves turned white for some reason?
The lake itself was still and beautiful and the tree seemed happy to grow in the middle of the water.
All that mattered was the feeling of calm afforded by the view.
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!
At the end of a two hour long walk the cool shade of this Ficus was most welcoming. As I focused my phone camera towards the hill and temple atop, the tree formed a lovely ‘frame’ to the photo.
Most temples have a Ficus growing in their courtyard – usually Ficus religiosa or Ficus benghalensis. This seems to be a Ficus racemosa. All Ficus belong to the Moraceae family and are quite easy to identify.
We hiked in the Bopdev Ghat area of Pune and the place is mostly devoid of trees. There are several hills around and being the monsoon, we could see almost all shades of green. A sight for sore eyes indeed! The few trees that did grow markedly stood out from a distance.
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!
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I am happy to share that this is my 100th TTL post! I was looking for a special tree for this one but soon realised that each tree is special in its own way.
Hence I settled for a tree from a walk down memory lane. Not mine but my husbands.
Last month, we finally could visit the town where his spent his childhood holidays. Both of us were apprehensive as there were reports that the town had become quite rundown and not worth visiting. But he was not disappointed. To some extent, it felt as if the township was stuck in time. The houses, the lanes, the play ground, guest house and so on were unchanged.. Just older. This meant that my husband could locate every place that he enjoyed years ago. Days spent with grandparents are precious and forever continue to remain bathed in a golden glow.
Here is a tree that was growing near the pool where the kids learnt to swim. It is a Clusea rosea (aka Pitch Apple) of the Clusiaceae family. The tree is also called the Autograph tree because anything scribbled on the leaf with a finger nail remains till the leaf falls off. This species is native to the Carribean.
The leaves reminded me of Magnolia but the flowers were different
The plant can grow as an epiphyte which can explain the supporting roots that grew at the trunk base.
I was happy to meet a new species which made the visit special for me as well. The pool and garden where this tree grew were a special part of his childhood and I was happy to be part of it now albeit via a tree growing there.
Which trees are a part of your childhood memories? A huge Mango tree growing next to our building is a distinct memory from my school days. Sadly no photos of it. What about you?
Thank you all for visiting and commenting my TTL posts. I big shoutout to Parul as well for this fantastic bloghop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
These cute pink ball like flowers can be quite misleading. They look like Touch Me Not flowers but the leaves do not respond to touch. Further, this is a shrubby plant whereas the Touch Me Not is mostly a ground hugging herb.
With no further suspense, let me share that this plant is Mimosa hamata – a ‘cousin’ of the famous Touch Me Not. Both belong to the Mimosaceae family and to the Mimosa genus. It is common on the hills of Pune and the pretty flowers demand attention from afar. They are not fragrant and the plant has hooked prickles which means one has to be careful when trying to take photographs!
We meet several such plant cousins. The Jasmines are all ‘related’ if I may say so.. They belong to the same Genus. Which other cousins have you met?
🙂
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!
“Love the trees until their leaves fall off and then encourage them to try again next year” – Chadd Sugg
Like my previous TTL post, this is another solitary tree on a plateau! After the first rains, the sky was absolutely clear and blue and I simply could not walk past without capturing the striking beauty of this tree against the sky.
I think it is a Khair (Acasia genus but I havent got down to a specific ID) and belongs to the Mimosaceae family. It is deciduous and is just about breaking into new leaf right now.
Here are its blossoms..
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| Dont they remind you of the Diwali Fuljhadi ?? |
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
“Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong”
Winston Churchill
This tree grows alone by the edge of a quarry… I have seen it for at least a decade and I am fascinated by the shape of its trunk. Its obviously endured some trauma – either natural (wind etc) or human but it stands strong as ever.
Let me leave you to enjoy the tree and hopefully my image will convey the beauty of the spot it grows at.
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!
Moha is known all over by its botanical name of Madhuca longifolia and belongs to the Sapotaceae family.Just like Fall Foliage of the West, this tree puts up a spectacular show in spring when it bursts into new leaf. The book Jungle Trees of Central India by Pradip Krishen has two full pages devoted just to the spring reds of the Moha.
Yet another lovely bloom is the Bakul or Maulsari . Its flowers have a divine fragrance and in fact the tree is blooming right now in Pune! Its flowers face downwards as for Moha. Bakul goes by the botanical name Mimusops elengii and belongs to the Sapotaceae family.
Here are some others..
Durangi Babool or Dichrostachys cinerea of the Mimosaceae family.
Wrightia species of the Apocyanceae family.
Flowers of the Custard Apple or Annoa squamosa also face downwards as do those of the Hirwa Chafa or Artabotrys hexapetalus. Both these belong to the Annonaceae family.
Update: Brugmansia , Fuschia and Adansonia digitata also deserve a mention in this post!
Alana has told us that Lenten Rose, Columbine also have downward facing flowers!
Have you noticed downward facing flowers on trees/shrubs/creepers?
I have always wondered why this is a feature of some plants? Does it have something to do with their pollination or seed dispersal?
Any ideas folks?
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
