Puttenahalli Lake – Fight for nature survival

Puttenahalli Lake – A beautiful lake now crowded with multi-floored building from almost 4 sides. Usha, one of the great nature lovers is fighting high to save the lake.. and I personally believe she will, if we are going to help us as well. Some of the pictures here from lake and a mini-forest nearby.

Common Coot and the love

Shikra - Female. People have spotted it commonly there

Juv. Bronzed Winged Jacana

Through this blog, I will request more people to visit this lake and try to put a sense of importance of nature in people around.

Spotted Billed Ducks

Grebe Family

Great tit

Brahminy Kite - At flight

Asian Paradise Flycatcher

Pale billed Flowerpecker

Magpie Robin

Small Minivet

Some small creatures and butterflies…

Glassy Tiger

Palmfly

Luna Moth

The Baronet

Common Four-ring

Bamboo Treebrown

Common Castor

Common Rose

Jewel Bug

My attention to write is clear. I just want to tell, there is an amazing life existing because of a small lake which people like us want to finish. So, please have little concern and have a visit of lake. Important links: More picture sets:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10150412527131281.408683.569911280&type=1 (Vaibhav and Deepu)

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10150325638368878.355992.587058877&type=1 (Deepa)

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.206795052721777.47299.100001738515620&type=1 (Sushil)

http://puttenahallilake.blogspot.com/2010/07/puttenahalli-lake-is-ready-and-waiting.html – By Usha.

Nrityagram Dance Village – The best

It was Mohan(one of our bangalorecaptured blogger) and he had invited us at his home. A beautiful home with lots of Flora and Fauna. Plan was to celebrate the birthday at Nrityagram Dance Village – a killer place to watch classical dance. Informally photography was prohibited inside the classroom which makes sense. Some of the beauty outside the place, I am even adding some of the pictures taken at Mohan’s Land.

Pea Blue

Great tit

Loten's Sunbird

Old Asset

Symbol of Dance Village

At her home - Purple Sunbird

The Baronet

Black Rumped Woodpecker

Patterned Flower

Grass Demon

China Rose

RedGarden!

I happen to reach lalbagh at the slightest excuse and every time end up walking around with a child like joy of having reached a toyshop! It opens up a pandoras box of opportunities to enjoy nature in its various forms, shapes, hues and colors…Some photos which i had taken here during my various visits have been attached below.

Bright and Sunny morning!

 

The lone companion

 

Panoramic lalbagh

 

Serendipity strikes! I was capturing the Tortoise and lo behold the indian pond heron comes into the frame!

 

Spotted Owlet

 

Purple swamphen

 

Pheasant tailed Jacana

 

Squirrel and its arch enemy - The rat snake

 

Black Kite

 

The forbidden fruit!

 

 

Cubbon Park – Flora and Fauna

Cubbon Park is in the center of the city. Expecting it to provide a flora and fauna of jungle kind is not possible. I roam around 2- days near this park and I believe it has lot of potential. Here I am  going to post some of the pictures near Cubbon Park.

Beautiful Central Library

chocolate pansy - butterfly

Rose Garden at the back of Library - Hybrid Rose

Hybrid Red Rose

Flowers

Gaint Beautiful trees

magpie robin - juv

Chestnut Bob - The Skippers Butterfly

Seasonal flowers come on the roadside

Part 3 – Lalbagh Show Rocks…

After two awesome posts by Prathima and Priyanka, there is not much to write about Lalbagh flower show. But on the base line, I will say everyone should see it, specially for children and one who has interest in nature.

Tailed jay on Zinnia flower

Common Grass Yellow on Zinnia flower

Moving forward, I can see the crowd and excitement in people towards flower show.

One more flavor of Peruvian Lily. A true color of nature and this species exists in 90-120 colors across the globe.

Here is the red color flavor of the same.

Red Flavor of Peruvian Lily. A true color of nature and this species exists in 90-120 colors across the globe.

Cineraria - Exists in 50 different species

One more flavour of Cineraria

The forever flowers of Lalbagh(I mean when season allow) are Grand Crinum Lily and Orange Cosmos.

Grand Crinum Lily - Always in Lalbagh

Wasps at Orange Cosmos

Some of the flowers specially for Flower show.

Flower show special

Flower show special

A seasonal flower - Seen at lalbagh and Cubbon Park - Don't know the name

Red Rose embedded with Yellow Rose

Marigold growing up 🙂

China Rose - evergreen beauty 🙂

Celosia - A siiky Feel

🙂

Sultan's Balsam - Lots of flavors.

I am not done but considering pictures, I am stopping here. For more, you can visit : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150349715871281.394368.569911280&type=1 (My facebook album)

Lalbagh flower show

Garden city kick started annual Independence Day flower show on 5^th of August. Main attractions of the show are the replica of the Lotus Temple of New Delhi and the wheel of Konark Temple, Orissa. The show will end on August 15^th.

Florist giving final touches to the Lotus temple replica

Beautiful Lotus temple replica made of 2,00,000 carnations, 75,000 roses, tuberoses and over 10,000 ornamental leaves

Glass house is filled with lots of beautiful flowers like Roses, Cosmos, Impatiens basin, group of annuals, Candytuft, Statice, Torenia, Dahlias and many others.

Pink Dahlia with a caterpillar

Sunflower

Yellow and Pink roses

Flowers were arranged in artistic way in the form of Butterfly, Wheels etc. Indian flag made using 4kgand 500 grands of rice grabs your attention.

Yellow Butterfly

Bee taking the charm of nature

Dwarf Powder Puff

Many stalls have been put up where you can buy manures, jute items, jewellery, books etc. There is an exhibition of different spices, vegetables, fruits with information regarding export etc, this is organized by Department of Horticulture.

Cubbon Park at night

For the people living in Bangalore, its almost rare that someone has not passed by Cubbon park. A wide spreaded forest area, located in the heart of the city. There are small big trees all around, contributing to the name of the city as Garden City. Roads running all around and across the park. There are 5 entrances to this big forest area.

During night, its gets a beautiful look with lights on. Intentionally or unintentionally I always try to divert my route through this place to have some cool fresh air.

In the central part, there is a round shaped grass land, roads running around. Especially Sunday evening is a good time to see a huge crowd there. Mostly the families with kids, spending time together, sitting, relaxing on the grass, playing some games etc.

District Library:

The red color building is a good attraction obviously for the people landing there for the first time. I never got a chance to go inside this District Library. Needless to menton, the building draws attention for its rich architecture. In the night, the red color of the building gets more brighter with the focusing of bright light on it.

A closer view of the building.

Flowers at Lalbagh

I felt it very ashamed that there is no public website or information place where I can get to know about the flowers of Lalbagh. I have here given a try to name some of it. Flowers are, no doubt, the most beautiful gift that nature has created for us. Lalbagh is known for it’s flower variety.

My All time Fav - Lotus

One of the most lovely looking flower – Grand Crinum Lily.

Grand Crinum Lily

A big attraction for all the bees and butterflies. Here goes the Orange Cosmos:

Bee coming on Orange Cosmos

One of the best flowers for viewer at Lalbagh, covering the road at both the way.

Sultan's Balsam

You can see at the starting of the Lalbagh gate, many flowers belong to Sunflower family. Here are one called Black-Eyed Susan.

Black-Eyed Susan - Guess the direction of Sun 🙂

Some more flowers are waiting for you to take your attention. Not all of them you will see throughout the year.

Decorative Dahlia

What else, the post will not finish and I will keep on posting the flowers of Lalbagh. In this post, I have not written the interesting facts about these flower. So, I will soon post Part 2, where we will have some more insight. At last, known by everyone, Lalbagh has a dedicated Rose Garden. Some of the flowers from Rose garden for you :).

Hybrid Rose

Amber Flush - Hybrid Rose

One more to add :). This flower got a beautiful fragrance. A small boy came near me and told look at the fragrance. It was WOW :).

Boy posing from a super fragrance flower

Some of the trees flowering now in Bangalore…

As you go around the city, don’t forget to see the flowers of spring and summer, in all their glory…..here they are:

Albizia saman, the Rain Tree:

Tabebuia argentea (or Tacoma argentea), the Golden Bell or Trumpet:

Couroupita guianensis, the Cannonball tree (Nagalinga):

The flower has a faint and lovely smell:

 

Milletia ovalifolia, Moulmein Rosewood:

Grevillea robusta, Silver Oak:

Ceiba pentandra, a variety of Silk-Cotton:

In this tree,the silk-cotton has burst through the pods:

This one’s the flower of the Bombax (or Ceiba) malabaricum:

Kigelia pinnata, the Sausage tree:

The flowers and leaves look like this:

and the fruits look like this:

Anthocephalus cadamba, the Kadamba:

Cassia fistula, the Indian Laburnum, or Golden Shower :

Butea monosperma , the Flame of the Forest (Palash):

Saraca asoca, the Sita Ashoka:

Tabebuia rosea, the Pink Poui:

Delonix regia, the Mayflower (Gulmohar):

Carea arborea (I don’t know the common name):

Erythrina indica, the Indian Coral Tree:

Jacaranda mimosaefolia, the Jacaranda:

Firmiana colorata, Coloured Sterculia (this is not a very common tree though)

Plumeria species, Frangipani:

Colvillea racemosa, Colville’s Glory:

Spathodea campanulata, the African Tulip:

Here’s a closer shot:

Dillenia indica,the Elephant Apple:

Peltophorum pterocarpum ,the Copper Pod or Copper Shield Bearer:

In this picture, the yellow flowers that carpet the ground have not yet appeared, but you can see why the tree gets its common name:

Here, the yellow flowers have appeared:

Brassaia actinophylla, the Umbrella (or Octopus) Tree:

Check out my Nature Guru (S.Karthikeyan)’s list

here

and

here

Mark the majesty of the trees, which absorb carbon dioxide, and release oxygen into the air….

Enjoy the serial flowering (flowering of different trees all through the year) that was made possible by the botanist,

Gustav Krumbiegel

 

Sometimes, just the emerging new leaves look as beautiful as flowers….

See these leaves of a tree of the Terminalia species!

The best lists of all are Karthik’s,

here

and

here

Cubbon Park…Flowering Trees, and Birds…

Cubbon Park

was just a short walk away for the first eight years of my life in Bangalore….and I was, of course, just a walker and a cyclist, never a birder or naturalist. And recently, having seen the bird species deplete almost before my eyes and Lalbagh, I have never felt that there could be a lot of varieties of birds in the Park.

When

Shreeram

asked me if I’d like to go with him and Radha to document some of the flowering trees of Bangalore, I agreed, and never thought of birds at all.

But the birds gave us a surprise….I realize that familiarity must have bred contempt (and ignorance) as I never thought I’d see so many birds today.

But the minute we stepped into the Park, a Spangled Drongo alighted on a Tabebuia argentea tree, and set off a bonus birding session….later, a mixed party of Ashy Drongos, Chestnut-tailed Starlings, added to by Spotted Doves, Rose-ringed Parakeets, and Common Mynahs, staged a spectacle that had us watching spellbound, our cameras switched off for the most part.

I’ve posted my SMS and account

here

and here’s the bird list…when we were not looking for birds at all….. an hour and a half of trees…with the birds being a great plus!

Barbet, Small Green
Barbet, Coppersmith
Cormorant, Little
Crow, House
Crow, Jungle
Dove, Spotted
Drongo, Ashy
Drongo, Black
Drongo, Spangled
Flowerpecker, Pale-billed
Flycatcher, Asian Paradise
Kite, Brahminy
Kite, Black
Mynah, Common
Mynah, Jungle
Oriole, Eurasian Golden
Robin, Oriental Magpie
Sparrow, House (yes, they were there, gearing up for March 20!)
Starling, Chestnut-tailed
Sunbird, Purple-rumped
Tit, Great
Waterhen, White-breasted

Perhaps…we should do the second Sunday outing to Cubbon Park instead of Lalbagh 🙂

Here’s a quick pic of the

Spangled Drongo

that I took…..

It’s such a beautiful bird…