Proiphys amboinensis flowers continously from November till February

It didn't rain at all in March this year 2019 in Thiruvananthapuram unlike the same time last year. The days and nights have been much hotter too this year. Yet the lily with the luminescent flowers Proiphys amboinensis flowered throughout January and February this year unlike last year. The flowering which began with the November rains in 2018 continued till February this year. The fragrance and the luminosity of the flowers remained the same throughout the flowering period from November till February.

With the shortage of water this year, rice water which is the left over from the cooking of rice was used for watering the plants. Could it have been the rice water which caused this continuous flowering?

 Proiphys amboinensis flowering in February 2019

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

Some Observations - Growing Platycerium

Pic 1. July 2015

Pic 1. July 2015:  New shoots appeared on Guru Purnima Day. Some algae growing near too. 

Pic 2. December 2015

Pic 2. December 2015: The North East Monsoon started sometime in September and the rains continued through October...still going on with an occasional sunny day. Lichens have appeared near the base of some fronds.

Pic 3. December 2015

Pic 3. December 2015: Platycerium seems to be liking the showers and thunderstorms. Both the silvery copper fronds in the base and the green fronds which bear spores are growing well. The Lichens can be seen in the base.

Waiting for the Monarch butterfly.....blossoms of Calotropis gigantea

 ...in the October rains, North East Monsoon.

It takes about fifteen months after planting saplings of the shrub Calotropis gigantea to flower. Calotropis gigantea is commonly known as 'Arakku' in the Malayalam language and 'Madar' in Hindi. 

Planted the saplings in a place with direct sunlight. Saplings did not need much watering. Found that plants could be watered once in three days even with day temperatures high as 29 degrees celsius. Possible that humidity in the environment helps.

Observed that visitors like butterflies and bees hover and linger for quite some over the flowers.

Flower Buds of Calotropis gigantea

Waiting for the Monarch butterfly ...blossoms of Calotropis gigantea

Blossoms in the October rains, North East Monsoons

Calotropis gigantea shrubs growing in a sunny area in the laterite soil