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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Around My Yard On Drowsy Afternoons






The heat in the evenings has come down by a few degrees but the
afternoons are still hot and humid. Despite the harsh glare of the
sun, it's the best time to go and catch up on the wild-life amidst
my plants.


My bright yellow canna lilies are still putting up a show. There's a
tiny Praying Mantis on one of the blooms. No, the eggs have not hatched.
This is the new arrival, maybe from a neighbour's garden. I found it on
the Curry Leaf plant and brought it here for a photo-shoot:) Then I took
it to my Blue Dawn morning glory vine and placed it amidst the leaves. I
had hoped to take some photos there too but it was gone in a flash.
Hopefully, it's going to feast on the white flies I'd seen there.









Although I've photographed several brown butterflies here in my yard, this
is the first time I've seen the Common Bush Brown. It was resting on a
bougainvillea leaf. Some butterflies look so similar, so please correct me
if I'm wrong about the ID.








Sometimes, I spend entire afternoons photographing damselflies. They
come in the most glorious colours, but of late, I have many black ones
all over my plants. Here's one on my speckled croton plant. You'll
have to click on the picture to get a better view.










And how's this for camouflage? From the point where I was standing,
I first noticed the limb and I thought that the bark looked odd. Then
the lizard moved just a wee bit. Must've been lethargic with the effect
of the sun:)








One shrub that's never really without blooms is the Ixora. Now they're
winding down but you still see some of the red clusters. And with all
the winged ones coming here, for the Hon'ble Guardian Of the Ixora,
this is the House Of Plenty! Eat and be merry, my friend!
















Deliberation...by the mynas. The mango tree is the place for discussing
major issues!








Shell shocked? Hanging by two silky threads from the Jamun tree was
this spectacular-looking spider shell or exuviae.


Exuviae is a term used in biology to describe the remains of an
exoskeleton that is left after an arthropod (insect, crustacean
or arachnid) has moulted
.

(From Wiki)

26 comments:

rocksea said...

that is a lovely lizard. the exoskeleton of the spider looks spectacular indeed :)

Anonymous said...

It's amazing, you have so many lizards. They are very rare here, most were wiped out during the iceage and only a few lizards and snakes have returned in the thousands of years the followed. In my life I have seen one wild snake and three lizards.

D said...

Kanak, is it not amazing how they camouflage themselves. Might I say that canna is hot!

Prospero said...

Hi Kanak. I like the discussions in the Mango tree!

Anonymous said...

Hi Kanak, Such pretty pictures and clear images. Amazing the details of the lizard and the damselfly. I love the yellow canna. Such a cheerful bloom. Hope you are enjoying your afternoon.

Unknown said...

Rocksea....thanks! It's heartening to see their population increase this year. Or, maybe I'm more observant because of blogging!


Barry, snakes freak me out but we see them during the rainy season. I'm very happy with my lizards:) The one with the yellowish skin...never noticed them before but now there are quite a few of them all over the trees and walls. I end up taking too many pictures!!


Di, exactly! The canna grows wild in low-lying areas. That yellow spreads cheer:)


Prospero...glad to read this. The mango trees in our locality are not big. Not the kind you associate with the image of mango trees...tall, with thick foliage and home to many kinds of wildlife. But it's still good to see that they are the favourite haunt of our most common birds!


Mildred, thanks. It's 10.16 PM as I write this. Really pleasant now, a slight breeze blowing outside. Glad to read your comment on the pics...the canna especially.
Hope you have a pleasant evening too.

Noelle Johnson said...

I love the wildlife around your garden, except that spider must have been huge! Unfortunately, we get white flies here in the fall too.

Victoria said...

Oh my.. I love that Lizard!!! He is so super enchanting! Lucky! beautiful post and lovely photos as always!!

Wilma said...

What long toes that lizard has! Very entertaining post.

Susie said...

That really is a neat looking spider. Reminds me of a crab.

Seeing your lizard reminded me of yesterday I picked one up at work. It was really chilly yesterday morning and he was so cold. I put him in my shirt pocket and let him warm up a bit. He seemed quite happy in there for awhile. Then after a few minutes he jumped out and went on his merry way.

lotusleaf said...

The lizard's camouflage is really wonderful. I had failed to see it but after reading your words, I looked closely. Your comments on the pictures are very witty.

Stephanie said...

The speckled leaf croton look so special. This shape with green leaf and speckled is special. Now the colourful ones are quite common already. Wonderful pictures and have a another great day!

Unknown said...

Noelle, thanks. The spider was big...if you go by general garden-spider-size.


Kiki, thanks for stopping by. Loved reading your words!


Wilma, thanks! That's what I thought too as I clicked away.

Susie, glad you mentioned the spider:) It must've just moulted because every part was intact. Today there are just shreds of a once-it-must've-been-a-fierce-looking-spider.

The lizard must have felt rejuvenated after the warmth of your pocket. Talk about doing someone a good turn...loved reading all about it, Susie.

Padma, thank you so much! I'm so glad to know you enjoyed going through my post!

Steph, I really don't know the exact names of many plants. I name them according to the way they look:) You're right..the colourful leaved varieties are most common here too. The green in this one looks best during the rainy season. Very refreshing!

Wish you a great day too!

AMIH said...

A real wildlife tour - and I would have missed almost everything without directions.

When I was a child we used to visit a park sometimes on a Sunday afternoon and a highlight was to see the myna birds which were kept there in a big cage and to hear them 'talk'. We thought it was wonderful. I think they were one of my first major connections with wider 'nature'. Probably with the wider planet. This was in London in the 1960s and there were lots of people who had moved to our area from many parts of the world but they were there every day so they never struck me as anything other than part of ordinary, everyday life - but the mynah birds . . . they were something 'else' . . . very important emissaries, I would say.

Lucy

Lucy Corrander said...

Sorry, Kanak - 'Collected' was me, Lucy, with the wrong email box open. It's what comes of arriving through Blotanical instead of following my own links.

Apologies.

Anonymous said...

Lovely pics, i loved the canna flowers and the lizard pics

have a great day

islandgal246 said...

Kanak your lizard look like pre-historic monsters ha ha. Cannas used to be my favorites until the skipper came along and there was no peaceful coexistence. Lovely shots and it is hot and sweltering during the day here as well. There is a coolness creeping in the early mornings now and am keeping my fingers crossed.

Unknown said...

Lucy, I was wondering--now where have I come across 'Collected' before? Then I remembered it was here last year so I know:) No apologies needed!!

Thanks for sharing your mynah experience. What an indelible impression it has left in your mind.Loved reading about your description of that particular period. And especially with all the bad press that mynahs are getting:) it's nice to think of them as emissaries.


Zindagi, thanks! Glad you liked them!


Helen, cannas are great but invasive. So many low-lying ares around the city are full of them in the most vibrant shades imaginable! I've pulled out more than I care to remember. And to think how crazy I went when the yellow ones bloomed for the first time. Even orchids don't get that kind of attention. LOL!!

Here's hoping our (yours and mine) cooler days get here sooner than we expect!

Autumn Belle said...

The wildlife here look like happy inhabitants of your garden. If I see a live lizard, I'll be very scared but your pictures make it look so cute. I like damselflies and I used to catch them when I was little. I like their colourful tails. I used to think that they are more beautiful than the dragonflies. Now, I have never seen one in the city I live in.

Racquel said...

Lots of cool looking wildlife in your garden right now Kanak.

Unknown said...

Autumn Belle, I'm glad my garden residents look happy:) A lot of people have a thing about lizards but they're really harmless. Reading your comment, I feel I should be posting about damselflies. There are many in our area and in various shades.


Racquel, more wildlife than blooms, I must say;)

Urban Green said...

What lovely canna shots!!! The other pictures are equally brilliant. The last one - spider - sent shivers down my spine. There is nothing on earth that scares me more.

Sujata said...

I just love the colour of your Canna, Kanak. It would brighten up anyones's day.
In fact all your pictures are superb. Love the clarity.

Abir Bordoloi said...

Hello Kanak,

This is out of utter shock at your brilliance. I happen to know Molly and she's soon turning out to be a great friend in the true sense. I see a touch of genius in your passion. The language makes me one of your fans in an instant as I am somene who is obsessed with English. The photographs are par excellence in themselves. Just complete. Very proud to know someone so close to our real world has this gift. Thank you so much for making my day. - Anisha

ShySongbird said...

What beautiful photos Kanak! I love your yellow Canna, so cheerful.
The camouflage of the lizard is amazing and what a lovely, cheeky little face it has!
The white mystery flower on the previous post looks very similar to something I have in my garden, unfortunately, for the moment, the name escapes me but I will try to track it down and let you know. Does it form a clump? If not then it is not the same as mine.
The Mynah birds instantly bring back memories of childhood. Waiting for the school bus I used to hear a caged one talking from an open window. How lovely to have them in your garden! So much nicer than in a cage, that doesn't sit easily with me!

Unknown said...

Urban Green...LOL! I wasn't a spider-friendly person either and grew up with a mild form of arachnophobia;) But gardening/blogging has changed all that and now I love to photograph them. I didn't realize there were that many varieties in my small space!
***********************************


Sujata...so happy to see you here. Glad you like the canna. Will pop over soon.
***********************************


Anisha...Pami, I'm more used to the latter after hearing so much from Molly--about you and Abir. What a lovely surprise to have you here. And thank you for your kind words...

Every time I talk to Molly, she mentions you. So I know what a close friendship that is. And I'm glad that you get together whenever possible. Good for Suzanne and Vani too. Diwali must've been fun! Heard all the details...David with his rock star act and all that!!

Thanks once again for your words...I'd love to 'talk' to you. Here's my e-mail----kanakhagjer@yahoo.co.in


Have a pleasant evening!

***********************************

Jan, the lizard actually looked disdainfully at me! It was like...Here goes my siesta!! Can't I get any peace (and quiet) around here? So I quickly got my shots and left! LOL!

The mystery flower does form clumps. I'll be happy to know the name. It's so much easier to hunt on the net when there's a name to start with!

When we were kids, caged mynahs were very common here too. I rarely come across them now. Talking about cages, some people use them as a form of decoration filled with dried flowers and such stuff. But somehow, for me, too, the (negative) connotation is so strong that I'll never be able to use them even as decorative objects.

I hope your days aren't too cold. Your leaves must be in splendid autumn colours now....