Chalice of Gold

The large flowers of the Chalice vine Solandra grandiflora are cream coloured when they open.
They turn an attractive gold colour the next day.

My thanks to Lisa for Macro Monday.

Flowers for Today

The bright yellow of this flower lifts the gloom on an overcast day. I have not been able to find its botanial name.
The Rabbit Ears Ruttya fruticosa is new addition to my garden. It is a native of East Africa, where it is called Jammy Mouth. It attracts butterflies. It has a curious shape and is full of nectar. One of its petals has a prominent black marking.
The Chocolate Plant Pseuderanthemum elatum has leaves the colour of milk chocolate. It is flowering in all sorts of nooks in my garden.
The Oxalis triangularis was a present from my friend Kanak. Its deep burgandy leaves contrast with its pale pink flowers.
This Golden Duranta has uncommon pale violet flowers which fall in cascades.

You can see loads of flowers from all parts of the world at Today's Flowers.

Weekend Reflections

The doorway to the sanctum sanctorum of this temple in a remote village, is covered in beaten silver.My thanks to James for his wonderful meme , Weekend Reflections.

The Green Tiger of Mysore

The Lalbagh gardens in Bangalore was started by Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali, who ruled Mysore 250 years ago. It is now one of the best botanical gardens in India, housing a large number of rare native and exotic plants.
A warrior par excellence, Tipu Sultan was a nightmare to the expansionist British East India Company. He was nicknamed 'the Tiger of Mysore'. His legendary sword has a solid gold hilt, and a wootz steel blade which could bend extraordinarily. The blade had tiger stripes built into the matrix of the material.
Tipu Sultan imposed a novel punishment upon petty criminals- they had to plant and look after trees till they grew to a stipulated height. His 230 year old palace in Bangalore is situated on a tree lined street.
He introduced many varieties of fruits and vegetables brought from foreign lands, and encouraged farmers to grow them. The tradition continues, and we enjoy fresh veggies every day now.

You can read more about Tipu Sultan in an interesting article by S.Tahsin Ahmed here.

I thank the team of My world.

Alpinia blossom

This beauty appears once a year on the plant, which is quite striking with its yellow and green leaves. It is called Shell Ginger, as the flowers resemble shells.

Tis is my contribution to Macro Monday.

Today's Flowers

The American Elder bush has white, lace-like flowerheads. They later produce small dark berries.
The Zimbabwe creeper Podrenea brycei has lovely mauve trumpet flowers. They look like the flowers of the Garlic vine.
The Butterfly Pea has unusual deep blue flowers.
The Rondelatia odorata is called the Fragrant Panama Rose, although it has neither fragrance, nor any resemblance to a rose.

To view what is flowering in different corners of the earth, click on Today's Flowers.

Skywatch Friday

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master- gardener of his soul, the director of his life.

- James Allen
The art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.

- Henry Ellis

My thanks fo the Skywatch team. You can see fabulous images of the skies from all over the world here.

Watery Wednesday- Goldfish

Goldfish in a temple pond.

To view more images of water, click on Watery Wednesday.

My World Today

This is a coffee planter's house in Coorg. twenty years ago, it used to be resounding with the happy cries of children and dogs.

To see some fabulous pictures of our world today, please click here.

Macro Monday

This blue butterfly was resting in my garden. It may be the Blue Tiger, but I am not sure of its name. My thanks to Lisa at Macro Monday.

Today's Flowers- Pholidata Imbricata

The Rattlesnake Orchid Pholidata imbricata is now flowering in my garden. The tiny cream flowers are arranged two by two as in a string of pearls.
I got the bulb from the estate of a friend in the Western Ghats. You can see this plant with its pseudobulbs attached to many trees in the jungle. I have just tied it with a string and hung it from my guava tree, where it pirouettes gracefully in the wind.
This orchid is called 'Mara Bale' in Kannada, and is very useful for healing cuts and scratches in the jungle.I thank the team of the wonderful meme Today's Flowers.

Weekend Reflection

The village pond is bordered by coconut groves , mango orchards and rice fields.It looks so idyllic. But the young men of the village want to live in the city.

You can see fantastic photos from all over the world at James' Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday

The pink flowers of the Coral vine Antigonon brings some cheer on a grey day.

My thanks to the team of Skywatch Friday.

It's Raining Butterflies!

Whenever there is a lull in the monsoon rains, the butterflies come out . The male Eggfly butterfly Hypolymnas bolina has made my bean patch his territory. He chases away any other butterfly which ventures there.
The Common Evening Brown Melanitis leda ia not a common visitor to my garden.
This Plain Tiger Danaus chrysippus has damaged its wing, probably in a fight with another butterfly. But the broken wing does not seem to affect its speed.

Rain Drenched

Cleome likes to get wet in the rain. Unlike other flowers, these spider- like flowers stand upright after a heavy downpour. If you click on the image, you can see the taindrops clinging to the flowers.

My thanks to 2sweetnsaxy for hosting Watery Wednesday.

My World Today- Butterflies

Suddenly, there are butterflies everywhere! This is the Common Lime butterfly.
This butterfly is a rapid flier.

To see fabulous shots from all over the world, click on My World, hosted by Sylvia , Klaus, Sandy, Wren and the Fishing Guy.

Macro Monday - In the Pink

Allamanda flowers come in all sorts of colours now. The pink one shows the star deep inside it perfectly. My thanks to Lisa for hosting Macro Monday.

Today's Flowers

This is the flower of the Spiral ginger, which is also called the Insulin Plant. It is claimed that eating a leaf of this plant daily would regulate insulin production in the body.
Although The Pride of India blooms are over in most of the trees now, I found this flower in a tree yesterday.
This pink frangipani , planted as a roadside tree is full of flowers now.
The purple passion flower
Butterflies seem to love Pentas blooms.

My thanks to Santilli, Denise, Pupo and Sandy Carlson for hosting Today's Flowers, which brings joy to all who see it.

Weekend Reflections

The chillies are small and round, but are they hot!

My thanks to James at Weekend Reflections, where you can see fabulous images from all over the world.

Skywatch Friday

Tiruchendur does not get the monsoon rains now, and so the sky is clear there.

My thanks to the team of Skywatch Friday, where you can see some fantastic sky pictures.

Watery Wednesday- Disappointment

Monsoon is the season of disappointments to children.

My thanks to 2sweetnsaxy for her wonderful meme. You can see terrific images of water at Watery Wednesday.

The Still Hunter

The Common MormonPapilio polytes is a beautiful and frequent visitor to my garden. Unfortunately, it did not know the lurking danger among the plants.
The Signature Spider Argiope anasuja hangs head down in its web. The web has a zig zag cross woven from its white silk. The spider keeps pairs of its legs together to make itself look unlike a spider. It lurks among the leaves silently, and catches many flying insects in its web.
Although I am happy that the spider eliminates so many pests, I am not happy when she catches butterflies.

My thanks toSylvia, Klaus, Sandy, Wren and the Fishing Guy . You can see fabulous images from all over the world at My World.

Macro Monday

Hibiscus looks as beautiful from far as from near.

My thanks to Lisa at Lisa's Chaos.

Today's Flowers

The Golden Chalice vine is putting out more and more of its bugle like flowers every day.
These upright bracts of Heliconia look like dangerous weapons.
The swet Angelonia has fragrant pink flowers....
which is echoed by the pink Allamanda flowers.
Hamelia blooms look like little sparks of fire. It is aptly named 'Firebush'.

To see more flowers blooming in gardens all over the world, click on Today's Flowers.