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Friday, July 24, 2009

Blommig Fredag/ Views From The Wild



Welcome to another Blooming Friday! This week my blooms are from
the wild. I just got back from my hometown and the journey through
the jungle is a plant-lover's delight. There were many bright and
eye-catching blooms but I only got some from the edge of the jungle.
The first photo is a kind of balsam commonly seen on roadsides here.
The blooms are in this colour only.





One stretch of the road had these beauties! What a sight it
was to see Glory lilies blooming like this!



Here's another view. Of course, the jungle wouldn't be complete
without the ubiquitous Lantana.





A view of the area. An endless stretch of green.





Closer to the road this is how it looks like.




A kind of grasshopper that I photographed for the first time.
From a distance I thought the red portion belonged to a red-
bodied swallowtail. A closer look revealed this amazing insect
as colourful as a bloom.

The plant that it's (perched) on has medicinal properties. I don't
know the botanical name but even as children we knew about its
healing touch.We would crush these leaves and rub the rough paste
on our cuts and grazes. That took care of our play-time wounds!





I hope you've enjoyed these views from my part of the world. For
more Blooming Friday posts please visit Katarina at Roses and Stuff.

26 comments:

Stephanie said...

Hello Kanak! I can see that you have had a good time at your hometown. The scenery is beautiful. Lantana grows in the wild and yet so precious because of their colourful clusters of flowers. Nowadays nursery gardeners have grafted lantanas in pom-pom shape in different hues. They are reaally creatively done and attractive ;-)

lotusleaf said...

Hi Kanak! I missed your posts all these days. Glad you had a good time in your hometown. I have seen glory lilies growing wild in Goa. The insect is very pretty.

Arboarkticum said...

Looking at your posts is a little bit like going away on a holiday trip... makes you forget the cold and rainy weather outside our Nordic windows...

Lillebeth said...

It i s so facinating to sit here in the north and be able to look att your pictures from the jungle. So different and so beautiful! Thank you!

James David said...

hi, you have a very beautiful garden and garden details. Truly wonderful to know all your garden experiences.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kanak, I have missed you. What pretty pictures you have shared of such a lush area - unlike anything I have seen. All the blooms are amazing but that colorful insect is really unique! Have a nice weekend.

anemonen said...

Lovely endeed. Love the photos.

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

So lush and beautiful Kanak, lovely photos.

Greetings from Vaxholm/ Tyra

islandgal246 said...

Kanak whoooo what a treat for the eyes! This is another exciting post as usual. Those gloriosas are gorgeous. I have never seen them in the wild. The views spectacular! What a strange character that grasshopper is. Lovely and refreshing post. Have a great weekend!

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

Such a multicolored grasshopper!! That white stripe just below the eyes is very catchy. The area is very green.
~ bangchik

tina said...

I sure recognized the balsam. I have it growing in my garden. We call it touch me not. Mine is orange speckled. That grasshopper looks positively evil! Welcome back.

Prospero said...

I really like your endless stretch of green photo.

easygardener said...

It is very interesting to see your countryside views. Everything looks very lush and green. The Glory Lily looks very beautiful.

Susie said...

Oh I always enjoy the views from your world Kanak. That grasshopper is really neat looking when enlarged.

Unknown said...

Hi Steph! Thanks for your comment about the scenery...the kind of grafting you've mentioned is something I haven't seen around here. Maybe we'll catch up!!!

Hi Padma, thank you so much! Glad to know about these blooms in the wild in Goa! They look spectacular!

Hi Arboarkticum, I wish I could send you plenty of sunshine!! Despite the rain, the scene must be really beautiful!

Lillebeth...hello! Very happy to read your words....

Hi James, thanks!! But these are not from the garden. I'll soon be posting garden pictures. Thank you for stopping by.

Hi Mildred, I missed visiting you too! But going to the interior areas of the state also means that internet service is erratic. It's better to be back home and blog away...happily!!!

Hi @nemonen, thank you so much!!

Hello Tyra, so happy to see you! Thanks a ton!!

Hi Helen! So glad to know how you felt about the post! I've got more amazing insects waiting in line:) There'll be more posts about them.

Hi Bangchik, with the recent rains the jungle has turned a beautiful green. It doesn't always look this way. Thank you for stopping by.

Thanks Tina. Good to know about the other colour...the orange must be pretty! As for the insect, what a signal it's sending out to its would-be predators!

Hi Prospero....thank you so much!

Hi EG, so glad to read your comment about the countryside.

Hi Susie, thanks. Although I took a few shots, I couldn't quite capture it the way I wanted to.

Amanda said...

Hi Kanak I like Your flowers and everything green in the jungle. What a successful day ... photo of grasshopper I have never succeeded. No poisonous snakes? I do not like them. Have a good weekend. / Amanda

sweetbay said...

Thank you for the tour! I love the pink Balsam and the Glory Lilies are just spectacular! Great shots of the grasshopper -- he has very striking coloration.

Mia said...

The Glory Lilies are beutiful. Pictures form the wild nature makes me scared of snakes!! Greatful that you show a grasshopper :)

Wendy said...

What a strange looking grasshopper! Looks like you enjoyed your trip. Thanks for sharing your flower pics. I think we're both doing "side of the road" posts.
Hugs

Sunita Mohan said...

That insect is amazing! I wonder what its called. And its definitely very photogenic :)
I didnt know about the medicinal properties of that plant. It grows wild here too and is a real nuisance in the garden. Now I'll have to look at it with more respect!

Unknown said...

Amanda, we do see snakes sometimes but only in the distance. They disappear very fast! Thank you for stopping by.

Sweet Bay, glad you liked the tour. Thanks!

Mia, snakes scare me too!!! I'm very careful while walking in the midst of all that growth. I tap/stamp on the ground to scare them away!

Wendy, it did remind me of you salvaging the roadside lilies:) There was no time to really stop and dig out flowering plants but I'm happy I got these shots. "Side of the road'....always fascinating!

Sunita, there is something like this grasshopper @www.thaibugs.com
This is a very good reference site because many of the insects we get here are similar. I did get some spectacular looking bugs this time!

As for the plant in the photo, I've heard elderly people mention about its healing qualities. Beyond that I've never seen photos/write-ups anywhere. As kids we never used Dettol for cuts. The leaves (of this plant) took care of that aspect.

Katarina said...

Hi Kanak, that's a fabulous grass hopper! So colourful!

NatureStop said...

Hi Kanak,good to have you back.Missed your posts.Am sure you had a great time.The pics look good and lilies are beautiful.

Unknown said...

Thanks Katarina. I like your new photo too!

Ruby/Arun, getting to see Haflong in every season now. I thought April was beautiful but July...more so!

Carol said...

What beautiful country side... jungle... large expanse of green! Thanks for sharing your hometown views and the lovely close ups all fabulous!

rocksea said...

Only 1 or 2 years back i saw glory lilies for the first time and i was awestruck with its beauty. My mother said those were common in the early days, and was like wild flowers. Now we have them flowering at home.