Friday 30 November 2018

November Rains -Three

After flowering earlier this year, the lily with the luminescent flowers -Proiphys amboinensis flowered again this November. The buds came some time in mid-November with the rains. A fluffy insect crawled all over Proiphys amboinensis when it had its buds.

Proiphys amboinensis with buds and a crawling fluffy insect
The fluffy insect just crawled all over the plant without eating any part of the plant. 
The Lily with the luminescent flowers/Proiphys amboinensis
After five days the buds started blooming. The flowers stay open even through the night and remain attached to the stalks for as long as two weeks. 
The Lily with the luminescent flowers/Proiphys amboinensis in Thiruvananthapuram

November Rains - Two

Tending to Heliconias takes a lot of time and effort.
A Heliconia flower
There is some respite from watering with the coming of rains in November.
Heliconia flowers in the November rains, Thiruvananthapuram  
Heliconia flowers also attract visitors such as humming birds and bats.

This November-an unusual red-rimmed variety of Heliconia also flowered. 
A red-rimmed variety of Heliconia in Thiruvananthapuram

November Rains - One

November rains in Thiruvananthapuram are pleasantly cool and not chilling as they are in Northern India. The rains this time brought forth a Krishna Thulasi/Ocimum sanctum and a Thekku/Tectona grandis along with the usual undergrowth. 

Krishna Thulasi/Ocimum sanctum & Thekku/Tectona grandis saplings in the undergrowth