Blooming Friday/Gladiolus And Four O'clocks

Welcome!! It's time to display our blooms again! I found this
red and black dragonfly and I thought it'd make a great welcome
picture. To see what's blooming in gardens across the world,
please visit our gracious host, Katarina at Roses and Stuff.








I'd brought this gladiolus plant from my mother's garden in
July. All the plants had finished blooming (then) and I only
got to see some drying-on-the-plant flowers. But I did get a
tiny plant with a few leaves (three, I think) and brought it home.
Well, I didn't expect it to bloom this year but gardens never
fail to throw in a few surprises from time to time.








Honestly, I thought the bloom was going to be in one colour.
But the pink lines make it look rather special. These plants
are common in the hilly areas (like my hometown) but I admit
I've never grown them. You see them in most gardens or on the
edge of gardens spilling on to the road.







As I photographed the buds yesterday, the heat of the afternoon
sun was so intense that I had to rush back in. Thankfully, it
rained last night and getting to photograph any bloom with raindrops
still on it, is a gardener's delight!


At the back you can see the Sunset Bells, still providing a great
deal of colour. The idea is that when the summer colours fade, other
plants will take over:) It's a small circular bed but the photographs
give the impression of a little more space....








This photo was taken early this year in February. This is to
show the glads I grew after buying the corms from a local nursery.
This variety is not found in the wild.





As for other blooms, the pink and white four o'clocks are
blooming in these colours. Some are pure white, some have
a tinge of pink. It's interesting to see the blooms.












The yellow ones are also blooming...the scent in the evenings
is wonderful. I'm waiting for the hummingbird moths to come.
So far there's been no sign of them. Still hoping......

Have a great weekend, everyone! And thank you for checking out
my "Blooming Friday" post.

ET Of The Insect World

The other day, as I was photographing a golden dragonfly, I
noticed this Praying Mantis on the Crape Ginger plant. It's
the first time I've seen a mantid here in my garden.









Taking a closer look, I found that it was heavy with egg.
Since most of my potted plants have been shifted to the
terrace, and I'm trying to attract more garden wildlife
there, I took it (there) and placed it on the Mussaenda
plant.

The word 'mantis' comes from the Greek for 'soothsayer' or
'prophet'. They are named because of their posture, front legs
together as if they're praying.








There are 2000 species of mantises.They are carnivorous and their
diet includes moths, grasshoppers, crickets and aphids. They blend
in very well with their surroundings and this is important as
birds prey on them.


















This is how it stayed for the rest of the day. On the bean
trellis. I'd seen a caterpillar there there so I thought it
wouldn't need to hunt for food!






But the next morning, it'd climbed higher and had laid eggs
or was still laying eggs. It was still attatched to the mass.
The eggs were encased in a frothy liquid. It was so fresh that
it still looked like a soft mass and it was whitish green. I
found out online that the frothy liquid is called an "ootheca".
The ootheca hardens and turns into a protective shell. The colour
changes to brown.

I'll have to wait and see when the babies emerge. They'll be the
size of ants and will start eating each other if they're not
released in an open area. The female Praying Mantis is known to
eat its mate during or after mating.The babies will moult several
times before they become adults. It'll be worth the wait!!

Almost Lost...In All That Yellow!

Yellowilderness!




















































And sometimes, in a sea of white!!!

Blooming Friday/ Butterfly Ginger Lily

It's time again to talk about what's blooming in gardens around
the world! To see the global display, please visit Katarina at
Roses and Stuff.

The first photo is of the Grasshawk dragonfly/Neurothemis fluctuans.
Although I've posted other photos before I can't resist posting this
one. It came and perched itself on an Allamanda leaf as I was waiting
to get a better shot of a lizard. On other occasions, it had led me
on a wild goose chase around the yard, in the scorching afternoon sun.










I'm so happy to see the Butterfly Ginger Lily blooming. It's
blooming for the first time. The shape does look like a butter-
fly with open wings. And the fragrance...ooh, it's heavenly! I
never imagined that the plant would have such sweet-scented
flowers.








This plant belongs to the ginger family Zingiberaceae and is
native to India. The botanical name is Hedychium coronarium.
The lily can grow up to 2 mtrs tall. Propagation is through
rhizomes. With such a delightful smell it is used in the
making of perfumes. As for its medicinal uses, the rhizomes
are used in the treatment of tonsillitis and fever.

I've also found out that the flowers/buds are edible. The blooms
are also used in making leis in Hawaii. No wonder it is also
known as the Garland Flower. The blooms attract moths at night.
I hope I have the moths flying in!








The inflorescence of the Ginger lily.







I had picked up the plant from the wayside in April in my
hometown. Someone had dumped a clump of the lily here, below
the road next to a trickle of water from a hill spring. (But
during the rainy season, the trickle turns into a roaring
cascade). Here, where wild balsam blooms and ferns grow, I'd
seen some blue damselflies. I thought I'd get some good photos
of the damsels. Well, I didn't get them but I got several
'butterflies' instead!

I See Red:)

All kinds of bugs are making their dramatic debut this season.
Against the green foliage the red looks striking.







Here's another. I did a bit of googling and found out from
www.thaibugs.com and Bug Guide that this one belongs to the
Pyrrhocoridae family. The colour made me gasp!






My (mostly red) dragonfly chime sounds so melodious that the dragonflies
find it irresistible!!!






The hibiscus with the variegated leaves bloomed for the first
time a few days ago.






Another Ixora is all set to take off! The red is a shade lighter
than the one that's been blooming for a long time.







The green Ixora berries turn red before changing to black.









And the blooms still attract a great deal of butterflies. And
wasps too.

Birds Of Every Weather!

I wish I could say 'Birds of every feather' but like the lizards,
just a few colours dominate. The most colourful ones visiting my
garden are the sunbirds who feed on the Canna blooms but I've
only got blurry pictures of them.


Birds are a welcome addition to any garden as long as they do
not wreak havoc on the vegetables. The sparrows, the mynas, and
the bulbuls are regular visitors and I'd like to think that they
are seriously eliminating unwanted/unwelcome bugs from my yard.
In addition to the ones mentioned, I'm posting photos of birds
commonly seen in my garden/locality.


The first one is the Asian Pied Starling. They usually come in
pairs and are very noisy. If one of them does not notice me, the
other is sure to send loud signals for its partner to take off!







The Asian magpie-robin. The male has a dramatic black and white
appearance. Very glossy but the female, pictured below, has more
of a slaty grey look.











There are many kingfishers in the area and they look so different
from one another. Except for the beaks of course! Some look a dull
brown but when they spread their wings to fly, the blue is a shade
to die for!






Predator! I'm not too sure about this one's ID. It was brown and
white. Sitting on the wire devouring its winged prey, it sat for
a while, preened, then flew away.

Lizards!

And I thought I was the only one eyeing the coconuts!!!







The lizard population in my garden is growing by leaps and bounds!
Or is it because of blogging that I'm keeping an eye on any kind
of movement?! Found this one regally resting on my neighbour's
young Neem tree. I managed one shot from my kitchen window before
it sensed my interest, then it bounded off into the unknown.









With all the rain that we received in August I had to transplant
some plants into pots. I pulled out a poinsettia (no digging in
all that slush) to plant in a large pot. Guess who was on it??
A baby lizard sans a tail! Hoping that it wouldn't leap into the
midst of plants, I took out my ever-present camera and got these
shots.







It stayed motionless for a few minutes and then realized it needed
to beat a hasty retreat!







I'm wondering--do all baby lizards have that look of perpetual
surprise on their cute little faces?







As for the adults, it's the seen-it-all-done-it-all look!
Talk about sheer (l)wizardry on the barbed wire!!!