Dragonflies

Common Clubtail (Ictinogomphus rapax)

This is a critter post. Though, I must say that was not the intent with which we went to Hoskote. A few weeks ago, K went with a friend for a drive to Hoskote where he found this pond with a lot of lilies in bloom.

Last week, he decided to take the long suffering spouse along instead; promising visions of natural beauty. To give him full credit, the day was splendid, road was very good. The spot was picturesque - a charming little lily pond (pink and white) with large neem trees which provided ample shade. It also had lots of dragonflies and damselflies. I have always liked them since they sit still and are fairly easy to spot owing to the colors they sport.


The lovely lake habitat @ Hoskote by Keshav

There were a few suspicious villagers at first but they soon tired of us when they saw we could spend hours fixed to a spot, trying to get a dragonfly in focus. The wonderful constant breeze ensured that we stayed cool even at noon; it also meant that dragonflies perched precariously on a blade of grass swayed about endlessly making me slightly dizzy.

The photographs taken here are shot handheld with my favorite Sigma 70-300mm, while crouched uncomfortably at the very edge of the little pond. Enough of background, onward towards odonates! (what is that you ask? )

Dragonflies are insects which belong to the order Odonata and infraorder Anisoptera


Archive Picture, taken at Bagmane TechPark

The Common Clubtail (Ictinogomphus rapax)

It is one of 27 Indian Peninsular Clubtail dragonflies ( easy to identify due to the bulge at the end of its tail. ) The bright yellow markings and its large size makes it easy to spot. ClubTails inhabit diverse aquatic habitats and many of them breed in streams and rivers. This one, I found perched on a reed like plant at the edge of this pond.
The male and female of the Common Clubtail are nearly identical in markings, the female having a bigger wingspan and a stouter body than the male. I couldn't find another for comparison, so I can't id the sex of this one. If you can, please let me know.



Ruddy Marsh Skimmer - Male

Ruddy Marsh Skimmer (Crocothemis servilia)

Its hard to miss this blood red guy ( only the male is red ) darting about. Its fairly common and I've seen them in many places near lakes, paddy fields and rivulets. The female is oddly enough - yellow in color with a black line running down the tail.



Ditch Jewel Female

Ditch Jewel (Brachythemis contaminata)

I spent a lot of time identifying this one - so if you think I'm wrong, please let me know. I was torn between ruddy marsh skimmer female and ditch jewel female.
This little dragonfly wasn't particularly attractive on the setting above, but just compare it with this archive image below as a companion to some nice yellow flowers!


Archive picture, taken at Bagmane Tech Park

The male, which I couldn't spot anywhere nearby; is supposedly orange with orange shaded wings. The female as seen here has transparent wings, with the yellow wingspot.



Blue Marsh Hawk - Male

Blue Marsh Hawk (Orthetrum glaucaum)

Fortunately, identifying male dragonflies is a lot easier than the female. I find that most of the females seem to look rather similar - light yellow/ brown in shade.
This particular dragonfly is also very common, I see it in my office on ORR. Although, it looks prettier and more exotic when seen among ponds and reeds. :-)
The female Blue Marsh is yellow ( who came up with these names? ) oddly enough and has black legs (our ditch jewel has brownish yellow legs so you cant confuse them )


Ground Skimmer - Female at JP Nagar (archives)

Ground Skimmer(Diplocodes trivialis)

The ground skimmer male has a blue head and tail to help tell it apart from other skimmers. The female however is yellowish (again!) - green in colour. How am I sure this is a ground skimmer female? I'm not. So if you think differently, put a comment now or for ever hold your peace!
The female closely resembles sub-adult males (sigh, why is this so hard?), yet the book tells me that the anal appendages are yellow in the female and the tip of the tail looks yellow to me, hence proved.


Archive Picture of Pied Paddy Skimmer Male, Katapadi Village near Udupi

Pied Paddy Skimmer (Neurothemis tullia)

Easy to identify, "pied" refers to black and white in naming conventions. The black and white colored wings make this an easy one. Even the female is easier than most, with the black wing tips.



Granite Ghost (Bradinopyga geminata)

This is a really old archive pic, one of my very first pics infact, taken in KunjarGiri, near Katapadi. This is a hard to spot dragonfly given the colouring and is very common in urban areas as well.

Also fleetingly seen but no pictures was the very pretty Common Picture Wing (Rhyothemis variegata) - a brilliantly yellow and black winged creature. I hope to get it when we visit next.

Damselflies

These are of the sub-order Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are tiny and really hard to spot among grass and vegetation. They are even harder to photograph.

I saw and photographed 2 kinds of damselflies at the pond at Hoskote. But, given the wind, my unsteady hands and the not so great photos it produced, I will not be sharing them here. But they were good enough for identification.

So I can tell with much certainty that I saw :

1. Coromandel Marsh Dart (Ceriagrion coromandelianum)

This is a very bright little thing with a yellow tail and bright grass green thorax and green eyes.

2. Senegal Golden Dartlet (Ischnura senegalensis)

The first and only good photo of a damsel fly I have happens to be of the senegal golden dartlet ( taken at home, early morning under controlled conditions ). It seems to be fairly common since I seem to be finding them everywhere. Easily spotted by the bright blue spot at the end of the tail. Here seen sitting on a grass head.


Senegal Golden Dartlet

A little data for those who are interested:

Taxonomy Kingdom:Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Odonata

Categorization of Dragonflies 1. Clubtails 2. Mountain Hawks 3. Darners 4. Torrent Hawks 5. Skimmers

Chameleon

A routine trip to Nandi Hills in April bore unexpected results in the form our first ever Chameleon sighting!


In the shade, on a small bush by the roadside

Due to the overcast weather which looked like rain, we decided to leave late and took a detour to the Hoysala Bhoganandishwara Temple ( a post on this soon, I promise) before going up to Nandi Hills for lunch in their Mayura Restaurant.

Enroute to the temple, we were at a decent speed on empty roads when Keshav suddenly yelled "Stop Stop"! I thought it was a snake he had spotted, I had barely stopped that he was out like a rocket and running back down the road, camera in hand.

A few minutes later, I had parked, recovered my senses, got my camera from the boot, and walked back round the bend to find him prostrate in the presence of the cutest little critter ever! Our first Chameleon!

Not to be confused with a common Garden Lizard, or a Rock Agama, a chameleon is a totally different reptile all together.


Curious Garden Lizard - archive image

Chamaeleo Zeylanicus is commonly known as the Indian Chameleon. There is only one species of chameleon in India. They are common in Africa and Madagascar, spread over Europe and parts of Asia. They have been introduced to North America.

Chameleon Common Facts:

1. They move slowly, almost in slow motion, and in a very hesitant, unsteady way.
2. They have a long tongue having a sticky end, which serves to catch prey that they would otherwise never be able to reach with their lack of speed.
3. They can move their eyes independently of each other. Having one looking ahead while the other looks behind. This gives a full 360 degree of view.
4. They hear vibrations in the air, which help them find food and stay safe from their enemies. They are almost deaf - they have no external ear.
5. They have 5 digits on each foot. But they are grouped as 3 and 2. Two opposing digits gives a better grip. The digit grouping is reversed in the rear feet.
6. They are cold blooded and need the sun to regulate body temperature.
7. They have small teeth. They eat mainly insects and larger species eat small birds and reptiles.
8. They lay eggs in a hole in the ground. Some species (ovoviviparous species) give birth to live young.
9. They are non-venomous. But if you are bitten by one, there is chance of infection.
10. They have a prehensile tail, they are the only lizards which have such a tail.


While in the sun in the open, it looked like this

Colorful Ideas

They change color according to their background for camouflage - Wrong! (Personally I was surprised too )

They change color according to emotions - Excitement and fright produce pale shades with brown patches and yellow spots. Anger causes darkening.

They also use color change to regulate their body temperature. Dark colors absorb heat better, so the side of the chameleon facing the sun becomes darker, while the other side remains its usual color.

It is also believed that they can communicate with other chameleons using color. During the mating season (in India around October) they turn their skin bright green while during fights they turn Dark brown. The Indian Chameleon is normally grey-green, but in total darkness this fades to a cream color with irregular yellow spots.

They can however change color for camouflage as well, but only in a limited way.
They aren't the only ones, several other species of lizard have that ability too.

Chameleons and other indian reptiles do not shoot blood out of their eyes - this property is that of the Horned Lizard (North American) which shoots blood into the eyes of foxes and coyotes ( which the predators find foul tasting ).


Size comparison, with an Ant

Getting Close

While we wanted to avoid doing an Austin Stevens on our little friend, we did have to get a little close due to the choice of lens ( I had a 50mm f1.8) we each had on our cameras. Our little guy was so small and cute, the urge to touch was very great, but we valiantly resisted.


How to photograph a chameleon - passersby were very amused

I'm happy to report that our little critter was mostly unconcerned by our presence based on the research Ive been doing. When upset, chameleons change color rapidly and if one gets too close, it makes a "Haaaaa" hissing noise similar to a snake.
We did not get either of the reactions, so I think we did well.

So what should you do when you encounter a chameleon? You'd want to keep it safe out of harms way, help it cross the road and see it safely into a nearby bush. Handle it gently and treat it kindly.


Keshav's shot with new Macro lens

Its a Boy!

Distinguishing male from female is not easy. The indian male (chameleon) has a spur on the rear feet to identify it as one. Based on this info, I have concluded that our little guy is a Guy! Experts feel free to point out any mistakes.

Sources and Links:
iFornature
Wikipedia
Auroville
Kalyan City
Where In City

Highway Wanderings

The good weather is upon us people, bringing with it long aimless drives and impromptu photography expeditions. We have been taking full advantage of it. Driving out of Bangalore, leaving behind "Namma" dust and "Namma" potholes is a real joy.

We have 8 little Ferrari models from Shell (you get one when you do a full tank)
that bear testimony to the amount of fuel that has been consumed recently.


This panorama is by keshav, click to see a bigger image on his site

At almost every turn the scenery is breathtaking, Karnataka is a beautiful state. The period after the monsoon is my favorite. Here's a small sampling of some of what we have seen so far. There are times when I want to stop every few meters to capture it all.



Some of the snaps were taken with my Motorola Milestone because I couldn't be bothered to get the camera out of the boot. Ive also borrowed some from Keshav.


Taken with Motorola Milestone

Having a pocketable camera phone that takes fairly decent photos is a nice experience. I have also tried taking photos through the windshield, and while the vehicle is at higher speeds - quite interesting effects can be achieved. And I get to upload them instantly too! Waiting for 3G.


Taken using the Milestone

Ofcourse, quality of camera and skill makes a huge difference. Compare with Keshav's version of the same field below, achieved after 20 minutes spent squatting in various yogic poses in the mud that had the farmer beginning to look concerned.


This one is by keshav, click to see a bigger image on his site

Sometimes though with luck and prayer, even the careless and the impatient can chance on a nice frame. I like the one below as well.



So get out there, with camera and a map (my phone has MotoNav GPS turn by turn directions, so we skip this). Charge your phone, carry some change for the toll gates, take a bottle of water along ( you wont really need it ).
For bathroom breaks stop at the A2B outlets near petrol bunks. Coffee days are also great for this, but the food is awful, so just buy water, use the loo and head to a Kamat upchar. :)

The Hanging Gardens

Stokes Aster - recent addition (more on this in next)

When we moved, I had to leave behind my rooftop garden with most of its plants, flowers and all the birds, butterflies and other little critters.
Sad though it was, its been 2 months since the move and the lazy gardener is now officially back.

My problem ofcourse was not unique. In the region of Iraq, in 600BC (then called Babylon), queen Amytis was going through a similar problem. She missed her trees, flowers and gardens. Her better half King Nebuchadnezzar II found a solution by creating for her the hanging gardens of Babylon.

Faced with moping queen Rohini, king Keshav too applied his mind and came up with a simple solution for a 9th floor garden. Combining a need for security from monkeys(will discuss this in another post), saving floor real-estate and aesthetics.


Our version of the Hanging Gardens :)

While moving, I took with me a baby chrysanthemum, my blue veronica, mexican heather baby plants and oregano. The black tulsi and the kadipatta did not survive the move. I also took a small cutting of a baby sun rose that was growing in our old building.

Im happy to inform that all are well and growing quite happily. I have also acquired a few more recently, here is the list:

1. Rain lily (White)
2. Tulsi (Green) my mom took a black one before we moved out.
3. White Alder
4. Stokes Aster (lavendar)
5. Star Cluster (Red)
6. Moss Rose ( really large variety - dark pink )
7. Portulaca Yellow and Pink
8. Chrysanthemum (Pink)
9. Rose (Red)
10. Song of India
11. Asparagus Foxtail fern

My parents just got back from a trip to Katpady (they were there for the Rath Festival).

Imagine their surprise when they see that the backyard of the house has been colonized by passion flower vines! I asked Mum to get me a cutting. I potted it this morning, and its blooming! ( Yes, I feel like shouting from the roof tops - but I cant obviously.. so I Twittered instead )


when you wonder if there is a god, just look at this!

Urban gardening is an art and it comes with its own problems and advantages. This is my first experience with container gardening and I have a lot of new plants too, some that I'd never even seen or heard of. I will share my learnings in subsequent posts. Wish me luck!

Christmas at Maidanhalli

Keeping with the trend of having a "wild" christmas... ( last year we spent it appreciatively sniffing tiger pee and prodding at tiger poo ) this year we spent it with the black bucks at maidanhalli.

Our last trip to maidanhalli was mostly about finding the way to it and by the time we got there, we were too tired to go looking for blackbucks.

This time, we were prepared. With no map ( Keshav had it burnt into his memory ) we set out at the the unearthly hour of 4:15am. That said, we were looking at black buck around 9:30am.



Ofcourse, we stopped along the way a couple of times to stretch, to attend to natures call and to snap a few beautiful scenes. We were blessed with lovely weather, it was nice and chilly and once we had left the highway and major roads we were enveloped in a thick fog.

This added to travel time, and I am happy to say, we bumped along with a little more care on the potholed roads. Dodda-pot-hole-ana-halli is as before, so drive carefully and keep all camera equipment seat belted in the back seat to keep it from bouncing around.

Our first stop was to take in a rather misty sunrise and the next was at a lake that had a few large herons (couldn't make out which kind from the distance and fog) and a couple of painted storks.



Following this we stopped at a field of unknown grain (pls help id this ) to try and photograph a flock of weaver birds at breakfast. The poor light and fog (not to mention my incompetence) resulted in less than satisfactory photos for me. Keshav had better luck though.



Once we were past Purvara village and then off the tar and onto mud roads, our next stop was a good-sized flock of rosy pastors snacking on the Ragi (millet) ( please correct me if I'm wrong ). By now, the sun was up and the mist had disappeared and the photos are a lot more presentable.



Our first sighting of the black buck came soon after with a black male leading a small group of about 8-10 caramel colored animals across the road right in front of us. They walked off the roadside and were soon far away. We drove ahead and with not many sightings turned back and decided to park and trek after them in the general direction where they were last headed.



After a good trek, we found them again and in very healthy numbers it would appear, there may have been easily 50 or more animals in the heard. Lot of brownish males with shortish horns and the hornless does.

They were alert to us way before we had spotted them, and were probably amused at being photographed by Santa with bazooka and his chubby little elf. :)

General Info:
Mobile network is strong but I got a sms from Airtel welcoming me to AndhraPradesh while I was photographing the blackbuck.
I wore sneakers and found that little sharp seeds from the grass had latched on to my shoes and got into my socks, turning my feet into pin cushions.

Driving Directions are covered at length in previous post.

Dasara - DurgaPuja

Its that time of the year; holidays, long weekends and discount sales. Happy Dasara to all!

While looking at some flickr photos, I came across this gorgeous picture of a Durga Idol at the Ulsoor Bengali Association, Bangalore. ( Copyright Ayashok )

The most amazing thing ofcourse was that Keshav and I had been to that very Pandal that year, it did not look quite as beautiful as the perspective in this picture. Or perhaps it was the golguppas that distracted us!

I liked it so much that after visiting the picture over and over again on weekends, I finally decided that I wanted one just like it. Ayashok was kind enough to allow me permission to use this picture as a reference for my attempt at creating a goddess.

Created on regular Artist's Paper with Staedler Pencil ( 4B ) - This is such a wonderful pencil; well worth (Rs.35 each) the price. Took me around 5 days.
It's not as striking as the original, and I did take some creative liberties with Her. I made her a tad less chubby, and tilted the face slightly upwards.

"In the beginning, man created God"

:)

source : http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/272979

Purslane Family

The Purslane is a common plant; usually considered a weed. When it first appeared in my garden, I mistook it for the wingpod purslane which I had seen flowering in my office garden. I waited for the characteristic cup like flowers to emerge, and was very disappointed to see a tiny yellow flower quite unlike what I had expected.

A chance visit to a nursery led to me acquiring two of these (incase one did not survive my "care" ). I was pleasantly surprised when it not only survived but thrived and yielded two different varieties - the WingPod Purslane ( this is the common one ) and the Portulaca Allglow ( a specially created hybrid ).

Research on Wikipedia and the FlowersOfIndia site for this blog revealed that they are all related to the same Portulaca Family. Even the Moss Rose is a close relative.

Varieties:
Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is widely considered an edible plant, and in some areas an invasive type of weed. (also known as Verdolaga, Pigweed, Little Hogweed or Pusley)

Portulaca Allglow : Portulaca spp.
This was a surprise find and it is not very common, the nursery in Jeevan Bhima Nagar has it. The inner flower which is a bright pink has a different texture and feel than the outer petals. It is a specially created hybrid and not naturally occurring.

WingPod Purslane : Portulaca umbraticola



This plant I have seen in two colours, yellow and pink-ish peach. It has lovely cup like flowers which open in the sun-shine and close by sunset. They need the sun to open, I find that on cloudy days they wont bloom at all.

Care and Growing
No Care is needed. (why else do you think I have this?) Sun and occasional watering is welcome. It is not completely pest resistant, I have seen it under attack from aphids. I have sprayed it with mild detergent water and prayed (hard). This seems to be working.

Grown easily in pots, it can be propagated easily through cuttings ( Ive tried it, it works). Chop them up, make millions. Grows rather easily. Currently though, the allglow has stopped flowering, it may be entering a rest phase, or it may be mad at me because I forgot to water it last week.



History and Research:
Portulacaceae is a family of flowering plants, comprising about 20 genera with about 500 species, ranging from herbaceous plants to shrubs. It is also known as the purslane family; it has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the highest diversity in semi-arid regions of the Southern Hemisphere in Africa, Australia, and South America, but with a few species also extending north into Arctic regions.

Can I eat it?
Purslane can be eaten raw or cooked, and lends itself to stir fry dishes. Some say it has a slight lemon-like taste and mushroom-like texture. It is relatively easy to grow in more northern climates, including the New England area in the United States.
It is apparently a good source of vitamin C.

Sources:
Portulaca All Glow @ FlowersOfIndia.net
WingPod Purslane @ FlowersOfIndia.net
Wikipedia

Skyblue Clustervine

I love the star shape that forms

I first saw this adorable little creeper at a nursery on the way back from Manchinbele. On impulse I bought it and set it on our fence. As it grew, we liked it so much we got it a friend and set it on the other side of the terrace. ( Nothing like a little competition to speed things up, I thought ).

Sure enough, the two actively compete in terms of flowers and height. Among one of the happiest plants I have seen, it is common in most software parks and let loose on fences. It is not invasive. Its a twining vine with stems to 6 feet or more in length. It is a rapid grower, mine has reached nearly 5 ft (in 3-4 months).

Its a lovely bright green plant with small leaves in the shape of elongated hearts. The blue flowers stand up to face the sun, incase you are letting it loose on the ground. The Flowers come in clusters of buds and take turns flowering. The flower is the size of a 1 rupee coin. After flowering, the flowers fold up like an umbrella and drop off.


A closed flower, note the leaves

Details:
Common name: Skyblue Clustervine, Pentantha
Botanical name: Jacquemontia pentanthos
Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)
It is a perennial( blooms all year round) and is an introduced species in India.

Can I eat it?
No idea. But birds sure like it. Our friendly neighborhood sunbirds cant get enough of it. They visit twice a day ( morning 9:30am and afternoon 1:30pm )
Also seen eating the flowers are younger members of our Jungle Crow family, a group of 3 flower peckers and a whole bunch of jungle mynas ( we counted 5 ).


Purple Rumped Sunbird Female, they visit daily

Care and Growing:
It needs almost no care at all, though if you'd like more flowers, you may want to water it once in a while. :) It likes the sun, as much as you can provide. Its pretty little blue flowers open in the morning and close before sunset.

Experts recommend that we avoid watering the vine excessively, always leaving the soil dry for a few days between one watering and the other. This pretty much describes how I operate; watering once in a while, when guilt strikes.

It can be grown in containers or pots, I have placed it in ground on our terrace. Since it doesnt spread laterally, it can be easily grown in suspended baskets or left to climb over a balcony.

Till date, I haven't seen it being attacked by any bugs, so it would be safe to assume its a hardy little fellow. Insects seem to like it, I have seen butterflies, bees and a praying mantis on it.


Purple Rumped Sunbird Male, (see the purple flash on its tail, from which it gets its name)

Where did it come from?
Originating in Tropical America, it is Native to the Florida Keys. I was alarmed to see it marked as endangered in Florida.
This plant has been said to be natively growing in the following regions:
Punta Gorda, Florida
Coushatta, Louisiana


For the botanist:
herbaceous vine, slender; lvs ovate, acute at tips, bases subcordate, 2-5+ cm long; flrs axillary, densely cymose on peduncles longer than the lvs, usually only 1 to 2 open; corollas blue (may be white), 10-20 mm long and wide when open; capsule enclosed by sepals; seeds glabrous, bumpy; hammocks; Collier, Dade and Monroe [ incl. Keys] cos.


This one has been photoshopped a bit, to darken the white background

Making more Skyblue Vines
It can be propagated from cuttings ( softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings ). I haven't tried this myself. Its relatively cheap ( 10Rs ), so I just buy another one. I haven't the heart to watch a cutting die.

Where to buy
Easily available in most nurseries. Ive seen it in Jeevan Bhima Nagar and in those near Mancinbele.

Sources:
Flowers Of India
Plant Files
Florida Endangered Plants

The Moss Rose

The Moss Rose is supposed to be a rather common flower in Indian gardens, but I first saw it on the way to work, growing in the Circle near Bagmane TechPark. At the height of summer, the ground in which it stood was parched; but the flowers were all in bloom, a riot of bright magenta.

Then and there, I decided that I must have it. I acquired 2, from a gaadi wala. It had no flowers then, so I did not know what colours it would yield. I did not know the name either until Mom dropped by and called it "Table rose".

Interestingly only in India is it referred to it as Table Rose, the actual name according to Google-land, is Moss Rose. This, I found, after a hour of extensive googling.

I have two, and both turned out to be a candy floss pink, not the magenta I had seen. Here is a Bud, looking rather nice, growing in front of a tangle of weeds.



Some times, weeds can enhance the beauty of your garden; as in this case ( or so I like to convince myself) but only in Macro mode.

Details:

Scientific Name : Portulaca grandiflora

Family: Portulacaceae (purslane Family)

Where did it come from?
Originally from the hot, dry plains of southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina, moss rose is cultivated throughout the world as a favorite garden annual.


Can you eat it?
The Purslane is a common weed, The related purslane (P. oleracea) is a bothersome weed (which I yank out every now and then) in warm climates, although it is widely cultivated for food and has been for more than 2000 years. In fact, purslane, which is used raw in salads and cooked like spinach as a potherb, is very high in vitamins A, B1 and C.

Growing:
Needs full sun to flower. Do not water with overhead irrigation ( Means dont give the plant a shower ); it damages the flowers.
Moss rose grows well in poor, sandy or gravelly soils. The soil must be very well-drained. ( This is according to a lot of non-Indian websites, but I think the joy of tropical climates is that you can chuck anything in the ground and it will grow well) Be fearless, grow it anywhere.

Propagation:
Apparently, the seeds are as tiny as dust ( this explains why I never saw any) So mix them with sand before sowing to make them easier to scatter. But lucky for us, in warm climates, moss rose usually self-seeds itself ( This is what Im counting on)



Photography Tip:
What to do when the background is distracting? ( the moss rose is growing in front of bushes of short marigolds or the wall of the garden is white ) I have both these problems. Mighty Mouse Pad to the rescue! Place behind the subject and adjust exposure accordingly.

Where can you buy these flowers and do your bit for society?
If you live in Bangalore, there is a nursery in Jeevan bheema nagar managed by The Association of People with Disability. They have a well trained staff who are extremely helpful. They also stock manure, gardening implements, pots, manure mixed mud and fertilizers and pesticides.

Sources:
http://www.floridata.com/ref/P/port_gra.cfm
More Pictures of Different Varities:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/6919/

The Cosmos Flower

It is now almost close a year since I acquired garden space. With Bangalore losing its green cover and turning increasingly into a concrete nightmare, I realize that I'm among a privileged few to have a few square feet of earth at my disposal - esp in an apartment building.


My Cosmos Skyscraper - photoshopped, see original below

I believe that Mother Nature is the best gardener and usually does fine on her own with a little occasional help from me. ( Ok, so I admit, I am a lazy gardener )

Given my non-intensive gardening intentions, I carefully selected hardy plants that flower, look good, propagate themselves and need little or no care (No care is preferred). I have in due course obtained from various sources around 20+ different plants (flowering and non-flowering)


Yellow Cosmos, one early morning

I am starting what I like to call the Lazy gardener series. Every post will feature a plant I have in the garden, and info I have on it collated from various sources with citations. In this feature, the Cosmos flower.

No doubt among the most cheerful flowers in our garden. I have 2 colors (yellow and orange) I began with 4 seeds from my Mom. I now have a small cosmos jungle ( self propagation - o joy! )

Orange variety

Original Photo

Some things you may not know about the Cosmos :

Scientific name: Cosmos sulphureus
Cosmos are native to Central America and Mexico.
They have brightly colored single or double flowers. Colours include white, pink, orange, yellow and scarlet.

So, they look good, but can you eat them? Yes! In Malay cuisine the leaves of this plant are used for ulam, a type of Malay salad.

Growing Cosmos:

Cosmos plants prefer full sun to partial shade. They will do well in both average and poor soils. They are tolerant to dry soil conditions.
They grow quickly to a height of 4-5 feet - the tallest among mine are just about a foot high.Taller plants may require staking. (this means they need support) Insects and disease problems are very rare for Cosmos - I can vouch for that!

Propagating:

They have long slender seeds about 1.5 cm long. They spring up rather rapidly and while they are small seedlings, look very similar to marigold plants.


Uncontrolled growth can lead to this :)


For various varieties: http://www.eseeds.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=cosmos

Sources:
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/flowers/cosmos/cosmos.html
http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/cosmos.htm

Flower Photography:

While I had tried several times to photograph my plants, I usually was met with little (read no) success. I often gave up with a "No camera can capture the true beauty of my garden".
Until recently, I did a little reading up on flower photography and decided to try some simple steps. These yielded the photos seen here.

In particular I liked Marion Owen's tips : http://www.plantea.com/photoflowers.htm