Smile of Earth- 32

Bunches of friendship…

Palo verde

Yellow is the warm colour of summer. It is a colour of happiness and energy! In India spring festivals like Vasant (Basant) Panchami is associated with yellow flowers, signifying the heralding of spring.
Aren’t these flowers, with their striking radiant yellow colour, a pleasing treat to our eyes?
Palo verde (Parkinsonia florida) is a shrubby tree adapted to desert-like conditions and grown in places where water is scarce. Its striking yellow blossoms, resembling tiny golden stars, grace the tree in spring.
Golden shower tree (Cassia fistula) or Indian laburnum, when in full bloom, is a sight to behold! It is a native of Indian subcontinent and grows well in regions of south-east Asia.
Kangaroo paw plants (Anigozanthos flavidus) are native to Australia and the mass of yellow flowers make these plants very suitable for landscaping.
The Peacock flower plant (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a very popular tropical flowering shrub seen all over the world. Yellow flowers appear in clusters as long erect racemes.
Yellow flowers symbolise friendship.
This post is dedicated to a sweet friendship that can never be forgotten…

Golden shower flowers (Kani konna)

Kangaroo paw flowers

Peacock flower (Rajamalli)

Friends in my garden- 74

Rock Pigeon

Landing on my terrace

Rock pigeon or Rock dove (Columba livia) is a dove species, distributed almost all over the world, having established in cities around the world.
The plumage is generally pale grey overall, with two bold black wing bars and iridescent, purple-green on neck. There can be subtle variations in this pattern.
The city dwelling rock pigeons eat a variety of seeds, peanuts, popcorn, and many other food items from humans and insects also. They forage on the ground in groups or individually.
These birds are common visitors on my terrace and not much afraid of this friend. They generally fly on to a favourite perch, groom themselves, have a drink, bath and then fly off to nearby tall apartment buildings.
Once upon a time, pigeons were the long-distance messengers. Pigeons have a ‘homing instinct’ and even when blindfolded they can find their way home from hundreds of miles away. They have better eyesight than humans and have been trained by the U. S. Coast Guard to spot orange life jackets of people lost at sea.

On a favourite perch on my terrace

Its grooming time

Alert and watchful!

Landscape- 22

Rocky beach

This beach of Pacific Grove in Monterey, California, really rocks!
The turbulent sea with crashing waves is a sight to behold! The shallow waters (tidal pools) on the rocky intertidal shore are packed with many sea critters like hermit crabs, sea anemones, starfish, mussels etc. The easy access is very inviting, for kids and adults alike to closely observe the local underwater wildlife.
Pacific Grove is considered a relaxing getaway for anyone, who loves to enjoy the strong sea breeze and panoramic sea view.
The birds that we see here are the California brown pelicans. They were, a sort of, having a playtime flying against and along with the wind currents, going around and round.

Patterns and Shapes in Nature- 17

Pattern on a Pineapple

Pineapple shows very interesting pattern on the skin of its fruits. The scales or diamond-shaped markings follow an amazing pattern that is mathematically described.
I will not go into the math of it. However, I can give a hint of these numerical facts exhibited by this juicy tropical fruit.
Some research gave me the following information.
Pineapple skin is an example of a Fractal seen in nature. A pineapple’s growth follows fractal laws.
Further, it is said that the pattern on pineapple skin follows Fibonacci sequence of numbers!
We can identify three sets of parallel spirals of scaly projections running up the side of a typical pineapple: one set of 5 spirals ascending at a shallow angle to the right, a second set of 8 spirals rising at a steeper angle to the left, and a third set of 13 spirals rising very steeply to the right. 5, 8 and 13 — part of a Fibonacci sequence…. Oh my !
I leave it at that! Let us enjoy this lovely pattern.

Feathered Friends from Far and Near- 6

Common Myna

A summer scene

Caught ya!…with an early mantis 🙂

Common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis), also spelt as mynah, can be identified by the brown plumage, black head, and the yellow patch behind the eyes. The beak and legs are also yellow.
These birds are very noisy with shrill chattering sound and moves in groups. Being aggressive, they drive away other birds. Mynas inhabit open agricultural fields and farmlands as well as open areas in cities.
Common mynas are believed to pair and keep the partner for life. They build their nests in holes in trees; and in towns they prefer spaces available in the walls of buildings.
In India these elegant birds are regarded as symbols of undying love.
Myna is known for its popularity as a pet thanks to its ability to mimic sounds. Mynas can mimic human speech, complex songs, and a range of other sounds.

Eventide- 32

Sunset from Albany Shoreline

Albany ‘Bulb’ in San Francisco Bay area is a former landfill site for construction debris, which is now transformed into a public park. Now, it is a place of recreation for public.
There is a loop trail in the area that is frequented by nature lovers. There are many pieces of work of art, created from construction debris, along this trail. These are sure to lift the spirit of the visitors.
An evening spent on the shoreline of Albany Bulb was worth it, with a golden sunset as a bonus. These are the pictures captured on the shoreline of ‘The bulb’

Adorable Critters- 2

California ground squirrel

California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) or just Ground squirrels inhabit grassy areas like parks and open grasslands.
These squirrels can be identified by the mottled dorsal fur and the lining of whitish fur around the eyes.
They live in underground burrows, forming a tunnel system and form colonies of up to 20 or more animals. Each tunnel system has several openings with soil and pebbles scattered around the openings. Any disturbance, these cute critters will quickly withdraw into the burrows.
I spotted a shy one hiding among the wild oats. The clicking sound of the camera made it run for cover. After a long and silent wait one squirrel appeared and started feeding on the grass grains in an open area. Could get a few reasonable shots before it escaped my ‘shooting’!
Ground squirrels are considered as pests as they damage crops and farm produce.

Smile of Earth- 31

Crape Myrtle

Crape myrtle, also spelt as Crepe myrtle, belongs to the genus Lagerstroemia. The common name is derived from the crepe paper-like petals and the bark and foliage that are similar to the myrtle plant.
Different varieties of this woody plant bear beautiful attractive flowers in profusion of purple, lilac, pink, white or orangish-red colours. The flowers bloom during summer and last for a long time.
The plants are shrubby or sometimes medium sized trees. These ornamental plants can be seen lining the streets and are a visual treat with attractive flowers.
Lagerstroemia indica is a species native to India, as suggested by the species name.
Lagerstroemia speciosa or the giant crepe-myrtle is also called Queen’s crepe-myrtle, or Pride of India. It is native to tropical southern Asia.
Crape myrtle is found to have certain applications in indigenous medicines. A paste of the flowers is applied externally to heal cuts and wounds. The root is astringent, detoxicant and diuretic.

Friends in my garden- 73

Indian Crows

House crow

Crows are definitely our friends, most often seen in the backyard near kitchen or on nearby trees waiting for any food crumbs that come their way. They are famous for cleaning our yards, foraging for and feeding on dead lizards, rats and the like.
There are two types of crows, seen in the vicinity of our houses.
The house crow (Corvus splendens), also known as the Indian grey-necked crow is a common bird. It is distinguished by the grey plumage around its neck.
The Indian jungle crow (Corvus culminatus) is the other species found across the Indian subcontinent. It is readily distinguishable from the house crow due to the absence of any grey plumage. This glossy all-black crow has a heavy black bill.
Crows are very smart and intelligent! It is observed that they can use sticks as tools to dig out worms. Crows live in large and close-knitted groups, are very much social in nature, and defend their territories together. They also care for their younger ones.
Hindus believe that crows are the link between the worlds of the living and the dead.
These pictures were captured on my terrace and backyard.

House crow- calling out

Indian jungle crow

Indian jungle crow- Curious!

Landscape- 21

Sri Lankan landscape

Sri Lanka is verdant and much like Southern India. The hilly terrain and ample rainfall gives rise to beautiful waterfalls.
We could see many of these waterfalls when we travelled from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Along the road, viewpoints are provided to enjoy this natural beauty. At certain places a short trek could take us closer to some of the falls.
The morning mist added allure to the landscape as you can see in these pictures. The journey along the beautiful tea plantations provided soothing and refreshing scenery all around. Here you have views of four different falls.