wild, but very beautiful..................

We are slowly losing some of our very wonderful flowers to land based developmental activities. In the eyes of the new messiahs of development, every bit of "greenery", if left fallow, is land left waste(d). These lands has to converted, they say....But how far do they know that some of these plants will be lost for ever? Or even if we know, are we planning the re-location of such plant species? Nope.

But such lands will be harbouring many tens or hundreds of different kinds of plants. Some very useful medicine plants. Some with very beautiful flowers. Maybe some we still do not know about..some we thought had long gone....

Flowers are the most beautiful of plant organs. Through their flashy designs and structures they attract pollinators and also facilitate the propagation of their self. The fruits also later become the food of some other organisms.

The Kerala landscape is also fast losing some its very beautiful plants like these.............

Rauvolfia tetraphylla  or Pambukolli

Rauvolfia tetraphylla  or Pambukolli

Clerodendrum infortunatum  or Peruku

Clerodendrum infortunatum  or Peruku

Helicteres isora or Edampiri-valampiri  

     

Survival of the fittest...............

Plants perhaps are the most resilient of living things....As "victims of their own environment" they cannot just "run" away from the dangers posed by an approaching herbivore, a fire, insect or pathogen! We and other animals can just move away and find a safe haven somewhere.

 Plants are resilient and can survive by adaptation....Given a bit of favourable environment, they just unleash themselves...here are some faithful followers of Darwin's Law No. III..

the small bit of soil amidst the bitumen is enough...........

Macranga peltata..the true colonizer! the rocks have been there for some time...

wow....resilient indeed.......

those boulders are about a meter in height..yet!

this time, the Trema orientalis shows its colonizing and survival abilities

Mukkuti is back................

This year the rains did not water down its intensity even in Chingam. In Thrissur it was raining cats and dogs! High intensity rains. The rain GOD had little respect for the old saying Chingathil mazha chinunghi chinunghi!

What could be the reason for the little flash floods in my courtyard in Chingam ? Climate change?????

Rains has also delayed the flowers. Chingam, in which our state festival ONAM falls, was not at its green best. For floral carpets, Mallus now shop the flowers. Gone are those days when one just scavenge the homestead for a floral bounty.

Now that the sun is out, the enchanting Mukkuti (Biophytum reinwardtii) is out from nowhere and is at its very best. It has virtually run amok in my courtyard. And the small yellow flowers are a real delight, creating a green and yellow carpet. 

Mukkuti

Nature's carpet!

 Hope the Mukkuti will remain forever!

the green side....II

Continuing.....There are many more +ve benefits, from of course, the side of the environment.

The attendance in offices and other public utility buildings would have been wafer thin! No fans, No ACs, No lights, No computers....we saved a lot of energy during the hartal day (People staying back in their homes will ensure that these equipments are not being indiscriminately used-After all they themselves have to shoulder the bills!). So, lot of energy has been conserved!!!!!   

Vehicles off the road -No sound pollution (Indians are crazy about honking, blaring. The craziest horns could probably be found here only. Use your horn to terrorize, this seems to be an Indian motto)

Now, just quoting one rather infamous (there are lot, you know) grey area: People would have enjoyed the lay off with lot of meat and spirit! In terms of consumption of these two, Keralites have left everyone behind!

The green side of hartal

It is hartal today in Kerala.

What is Hartal? According to Wikipedia, it is mass protest often involving a total shutdown of workplaces, offices, shops etc etc...Today there is motor vehicle hartal in Kerala. The roads of Kerala are free (supposed to be free) of vehicles. How much free (%) will be known by evening only after the media conducts research and break the news to us to ponder? In any case, 80% of the vehicles will remain idle today. Economists will have a busy day, analyzing the loss of precious man hours and potential impact on the BSE and NSE and the like. Wasted man hours, slump in net productivity, blah blah blah......

But the environment is more hale and green today. According to NATPAC, the motor vehicle population in Kerala, which was around 2 lakhs in 1980, has almost doubled every 5 to 6 years. There are about 60 lakh registered motor vehicles in the state of which 25,000 are stage carriages (bus services). 63 percent of the vehicles are two wheelers. Around 5 lakh vehicles are now added on the state roads every year! Aping the Americans as a neo-fuel guzzling society, are we?

NATPAC also admits that the transport sector in Kerala contributes a major share of carbon emissions and thereby a challenge to climate change!

That is why I said, that the environment is much clean and green today. Due to a forced lay off, the emission levels from the roads of Kerala are at the lowest possible levels. I salute the hartal lobbyists. What for? Just for keeping off the vehicles from emitting CFCs. Thanks. Though the Ozone Day (Sep 16) passed without anyone noticing it, today's hartal call turned out to be a nice opportunity for some very practical action.

Are our greens listening?     

Also tomorrow, I hope to eat the morning dailies without going through the embarrassment, pain  and desperation  of reading about road accidents related mortality. They are now far too numerous and frequent in Kerala. Are our policies encouraging indiscriminate buying of vehicles? Is this practice a nice one in the long run? Few years back, there was one car in the neighbourhood. A few lucky ones had two wheelers. Now every house has 2-3 vehicles! Apart from the mounting cases of physical mortality, who is going to answer the problem of increasing C emissions? 

As we sit idle in our homes, let us think of these. As individuals, let us think how to be more C neutral in future. Let us give our children a more green and C free world.  

Kew views: Why does plant diversity matter?

some of the plants which caught my recent imagination..........

Oh..this you know our onion Allium cepa

This is really an Euphorbean beauty.....Flueggea leucopyrus see the white globes!!!!!!

The snake of forest...Pothos scandens ...this plant trails the bole....watch the fruit

beautiful, lovely..what not is this gem of the waterbodies...............Nymphaea rubra

Changing the fabric is Terminalia arjuna

the great plastic debate continues.......

My further thoughts......Banning will not work...People will just ignore and continue to defy it....Moreover it is not at all practical..there are many authorized and un-authorized manufacturing units of diverse plastic goods. But this sector is the bread and butter of lot of families.

The only way out is to dissuade people from using plastic. Ask them to reduce their dependence on plastic. Education or awareness creation is the key factor here....all educated people should volunteer to speak on this issue....For a plastic banishment to materialise let us focus our attention on schools..let teachers be educated on the perils of the indiscriminate use of plastic. Let them then pass on the message to their school children. Let this be a "take home" message. The parents will listen to their children. Leave it to the kids, they know how to influence their parents!

The next target group should be women. It is because it is this group that goes for shopping! Let them carry non plastic bags to the shops. If plastic bag has to be used, let them re-cycle it. Since being an influential member of the household, they can play a crucial role in the plastic banishing campaign. A plastic free civilization ( a generation too)  can emerge from the lap of the mothers!

Of late there are way side vendors who sell all kinds of cheap plastic goods at throw away prices. We all fall for it. These cheap things can only be thrown away after a couple of uses! This only contributes to the mounting plastic waste hillock! Let us stop this business. Let these people sell something else. I now hear that our traders are going to China and importing such cheaply available plastic items! Plz stop this practice.....

Why not we create an environment monitoring mechanism at the panchayath/municipality or corporation level in our state?  Let one of the councilors be the ombudsman of this mechanism.

I am just back from Lalur, infamous for its garbage mounts...On my way back I also visited a vegetable shop in Mannuthy...The vendor did not give the vegetables in a plastic carry bag..he wrapped everything in used newsprint. The ban is on....Let it continue for ever...... 

Ban(ish) plastic carrybags

In Thrissur and elsewhere, there is going to be a ban on plastic carry bags.....I doubt how effective this will turn out to be....10 years ago, i tried to educate the traders at Ambalavayal, Wayanad on the ill effects of its unscrupulous use.  I have to get back to see if it is still around...Though the use of black coloured carry bags are banned for carrying food items, I think I am seeing it almost everywhere. White, transparent or black, it is the convenience that ordinary people look for...

So, will ban help? Nope...ban will work, if we can banish this thing from the mindsets....Educate and encourage people to REMEMBER to carry bags (cloth, plastic (yes, one which will stay for atleast 5 years), paper etc etc  each time they shop. Politely decline the offer of a carry bag every time you shop. Erect big posters near traffic signals about the perils of reckless plastic use and wastage.

This is now becoming a very common scene

My train stopped a few kms (in that usual place) before Ernakulam station...One loses count of the plastic bottled strewn there.....As citizens what is our responsibility towards Earth?

Yup...extinction is a biological reality...and man is preparing the ground for that!

3rd Luckins C Babu Memorial Lecture “MISTLETOES”

3 years gone by since LCB left...my interest in the GREEN UMBRELLAS he instilled will remain as long as my brain stays healthy....We used to joke how lucky Luckins sir was! A man, maybe, who thought that nothing can go wrong.....anyway he showed the courage to do some unconventional things...May his soul rest in peace...But no doubt, he was a gifted plantist...

He is remembered all time.........

Taxonomy is the artful discipline of biology.....I want more and more young fellas to come forward and follow this discipline as a passion. Let these young fellas teach others the art of identification.....

yellow mangroves rediscovered at Kollam

Locally known as Ankandal, Ceriops tagal has been reported to be re-discovered in Kollam district of Kerala state. Wonderful find indeed!


Hats off to V.K. Madhusudhanan for his keen eyes.  The mangroves are the wonderful and distinct "GREEN UMBRELLA"s that shelter our waterbodies. For the amateur, the magrove forest may look like "any other weed growth" to be out-rightly felled. Many square kilometers have already been axed. So,  please hold it, this vegetation harbours many unique species (like this yellow mangrove which has been re-discovered)-some known, some yet to be noticed by science. Not just plant species, maybe fishes, other kinds of animals etc etc. The re-discovery of C. tagal will enthuse researchers of various disciplines to visit the mangrove areas in Kollam and elsewhere. Let us hope that such visits will not go in vain.   

Read more at http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/22/stories/2011062253420500.htm

Alapuzzha_itz the real Venice

with with Sabu and Jr in Vaada thodu

Take it from me..Alapuzha is the real Venice of the east...but for its clogged waterways....Sabu told me that these Thodukal used to be very wonderful some time back...KC had done so much to retrieve its beauty, but thanks to Alapuzhites negligence, Nature has struck back.

What not did I see..water hyacinths, a lot of paayal (fortunately my knowledge of aquatic plants is narrow, otherwise I would have thrown a few Latins around) and of course our plastic waste..Yup...under the dark, this is the best place to just throw your dirt....No wonder, me and Shiny were taken for a ride by the mosquitoes of Gujarathi Street!

Excuse my ignorance, the clogged waterways may look like a good green surface, but this is not good...a watercourse is getting killed....Not just the beauty but in Kerala, this means of transport has a long and chequered past. I am cross with the Alapuzhites for ignoring this beutiful place. If Valiya Divanji is to re-appear, he would be crying hoarse. 

Biological control of these aquatic weeds is not an impossible preposition...a targeted research program can definitely yield results.. and there is no dearth of biologists and aquatic experts in this district...It is only a matter of a solid will.

One of the my many joys of visiting Venice is simply walking through the streets and canals..same is the case with Alapuzha.Let us revive that in our own Venice.  We can even think of floating a few gondolas.

This is how Venice looks like....Alapuzha can equal this

Global Warming: Tree is the answer

A one-man mission in Palakkad has planted 2.5 lakh trees in 11 years....This is really awesome..I dont have words to describe this effort of this wonderful human being who has opened so many GREEN UMBRELLAS in our midst.

http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/13/stories/2011061360640400.htm 


I was driving through Thiruvella taluk yesterday.....the monsoon has painted more green into our landscape. I had a feeling that while the Almighty was carrying the green colour, it accidentally fell over Kerala. So green and lovely...thanks to all those who still retain the greenery amidst us.  

Hats off to you, Mr. Balakrishnan...Thanks too. May your tribe increase.

tipper lorries and ecological improprierity : where r v headed?

More tipper lorries are in view in Thrissur roads now-a-days. Dailies report of a hectic sand mining in various places during the election phase.Seems to be true.

More lorries means more earth is being moved and dumped elsewhere. It cant be dumped everywhere but only to fill up wetlands and fallow paddy fields. Is filling up wetlands and paddy fields a wise move?

In a high rain fall area like Keralam, with its undulating terrain, whatever rain that falls will easily be drained into the sea thru our rivers. No matter how long does it rains. There should be some barrier to retain the water and allow it to seep down and quench the thirst of Mother earth. Paddy fields and wetlands were also doing this for us, so that we, did not feel the need to que up for drinking water. Now all has changed. V have learnt to que up.

No doubt we need to create infrastructure. We need to develop. But we cannot survive without drinking water. A balance has to be struck b/n developmental concerns and ecological sense. But when we indiscriminately mow down hillocks and fill up natural water harvesting structures like wetlands and paddy fields, we must understand that we are lacking ecological common sense!

By mowing down hillocks and men on its way, is the tipper lorry an another Frankenstein monster?

A Cubic Foot of Tropical Forest

A Cubic Foot of Tropical Forest

Dunlop Technology for Kerala

I am ഓഫ് ലേറ്റ് seeing some "പച്ചപ്പ്‌" in the agriculture scenario of Kerala. Maybe in the last few years, we have been able to put across the Malayale psyche the need for more land under food crops, especially rice. In the vegetable sector too, we have paper reports of resourceful ryots harvesting handfuls of cool season vegetables like cauliflower and cabbages.

However, the average malayalee now maybe is more interested in ഭൂമി  വാങ്ങി കൂട്ടി  കെട്ടിട കൃഷി നടത്താന്‍ rather than മണ്ണില്‍ കുഴി കുത്തി ചെടി നടാന്‍ .  But there are still those മണ്ണിന്റെ മക്കള്‍ who would like to  തൂമ്പ എടുത്തു ചളിയില്‍ പണിയാന്‍ . കുറെ GREEN UMBRELLAs കൂടി മലയാള മണ്ണില്‍ വിടര്‍ത്താന്‍ .

എന്നാല്‍ കണ്ടമുണ്ടങ്കിലല്ലെ ചളിയില്‍ ഇറങ്ങാന്‍ പറ്റൂ . എന്നാലും ചളി പോട്ടെ, കുറച്ചു മണ്ണ് മതി പൊന്നു വിളയിക്കാന്‍ എന്ന്  പോന്ന ആളുകള്‍ ഇപ്പോഴും നമ്മുടെ ഇടയില്‍ ഉണ്ട്. Thank GOD. 

DUNLOP TECHNOLOGY

വല്ലഭനു പുല്ലും ആയുധം

ഓടിച്ചു മട്ടമായ ടയര്‍ നിങ്ങള്‍ എന്ത് ചെയ്യും ? ബെസ്റ്റ് ചോദ്യം, അണ്ണാ ! ഒരു മൂലയില്‍ തളളും, അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ കത്തിച്ചു ഗ്ലോബല്‍ വാര്‍മിങ്ങിന് ശക്തി പകരും. എന്നാല്‍ ഇതാ....

ഉപയോഗശൂന്യമായ ടയര്‍ (Dunlop മാത്രമല്ല, MRF, Bridgestone മുതലായവയും വിരോധമില്ല) ഒരു പ്ലാസ്റ്റിക്‌ ഷീറ്റിന്മേല്‍ വെച്ച് വള കൂറുള്ള  മണ്ണ് നിറയ്ക്കുക. ഇതിനകത്ത് നിങ്ങളുടെ ഇഷ്ട പച്ചകറി നട്ട് വിളവെടുക്കാം. ഈ ടെക്നോളജി ടെറസില്‍ പച്ചകറി കൃഷി ചെയ്യുന്നവര്‍ക്ക് പകര്‍ത്താന്‍ ഉത്തമമാണ് . ടെറസിന്റെ പ്രതലത്തിനു ഒരു ചുക്കും സംഭവികില്ല എന്ന് ഈ വിദ്യ ചിട്ടപെടുത്തിയ കൃഷീ വല്ലഭന്‍ സാക്ഷ്യപെടുത്തുന്നു. മണ്ണ് നിറക്കുമ്പോള്‍ ടയറിനു ഉള്ളില്‍ കൂടി ഇട്ടെന്നു ഉറപ്പു വരുത്തുക.

ഇതുപോലൊരു വിദ്യ ഞാന്‍ ഹോര്ട്ടെനില്‍ (നോര്‍വേ) കണ്ടു. പക്ഷെ ടയര്‍ അല്ല എന്ന് മാത്രം. അവിടെ റോഡ്‌ അരികില്‍  പൂച്ചെടികള്‍ നടാന്‍ വലിയ മര കഷ്ണങ്ങള്‍ കൂട്ടി അടിച്ചു വലിയ പൂച്ചട്ടി മാതിരി തീര്‍ത്തിരിക്കുന്നു. 

തീര്‍ച്ചയായും DUNLOP TECHNOLOGY കേരളത്തിലെ ടെറസ് കൃഷിക്ക് പറ്റിയ ഒരു സാങ്ങേതിക വിദ്യ ആണ്. ഞാന്‍ കണ്ടു ബോധ്യപെട്ടു. 

ചിരിച്ചു ചിരിച്ചു വിളയിക്കാം

 ടെറസിലെ പച്ചകറി കൃഷിയില്‍ ഒരു സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന വിജ്ഞാന കോശമാണ് രാജശേഖരന്‍ നായര്‍ എന്ന  ഈ ചുറു ചുറുക്കുള്ള ഭിഷഗ്വരന്‍ . വര്‍ഷങ്ങളായി വളരെ തിരക്കേറിയ പ്രൊഫഷണല്‍ ചുമതലകള്‍ ഇടയിലും സ്വന്തം ടെറസ് തോട്ടത്തില്‍ അദ്ദേഹം എത്തിയിരിക്കും. ചെടികളെ പരിചരിച്ചും കീടങ്ങളെ തുരത്തിയും വിളവെടുതും ഈ അനന്തപുരി ഡോക്ടര്‍-കൃഷിക്കാരന്‍ സന്തോഷിക്കും. വിവിധ തരം ജൈവ പച്ചകറികള്‍ ഇദേഹംത്തിന്റെ ഈ തോട്ടത്തില്‍ നമുക്ക് കാണാം കഴിയും. DUNLOP TECHNOLOGY യുടെ പേറ്റന്റ്‌ തീര്‍ച്ചയായും ഈ കര്‍ഷകന് സ്വന്തം. 

കോവലും തക്കാളിയും ഉണ്ട് ഇവിടെ

വൈകുന്നേരങ്ങളില്‍ രണ്ടു എണ്ണം വിട്ടു ഭക്ഷ്യ സുരക്ഷ എങ്ങിനെ നടപ്പിലാക്കാം എന്നതിനെപറ്റി വീമ്പു പറയാതെ ഈ  ഭിഷഗ്വരന്റെ ടെറസില്‍ നിന്നും നമുക്ക് ചില ഗുണ പാഠങ്ങള്‍ പഠിച്ചുകൂടെ ?

Teak

The leaves of TEAK

Teak has got SIMPLE leaves, as opposed to a compound leaf (as in Neem or Albizia etc).Teak leaves are also relatively big and in some parts of India, they are used as a plate.

The leaves are arranged OPPOSITE to each other.

It can also be seen that one pair of leaves in at right angles to the pair just above or below it. This type of arrangement of leaves is known as OPPOSITE DECUSSATE.

The young stems of Teak are also quadrangular, you can feel all the four sides. 

Try rubbing the younger leaves in your fingers or palm and experience a red stain!

Nilambur Teak.mp4

TEAK IS OUR NATURAL MONUMENT

A 500 year old, 38.5-metre-tall teak (Tectona grandis) tree with an astounding 7.75 metre girth is a real wonder. A sight to beholden. A real natural monument. A real GREEN UMBRELLA. Kudos to its protector(s) too.

A NATIONAL MONUMENT

This tree, Teak is a real crowd puller. A few centuries back, it was this species that drew the Europeans to India . The English finally fell for its charm and plundered it for their Royal Navy. A few among the invaders however farmed it. The famous "Conolly's Plot" and "Bourdillon's Plot" are natural reminders of the durability and strength of this wonderful tree species. One can see very wonderful and very stately specimens of teak in these forests and elsewhere. In the modern era too, it remains the paragon of global timbers. In Kerala, every mallu would only be too willing to spare a few bucks to own a piece of teak furniture.


Why then are waiting to declare it as our NATURAL MONUMENT?

Carl Linnaeus Hammarby.mp4