The Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) belongs to the cucumber family Cucurbitaceae. It is a strong climber with large heart-shaped leaves (above). The plant bears male and female flowers on slender stalks. The female flowers are differentiated from the male by … Continued
“The weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) is probably the most common species of arboreal ant in tropical Asia and Australia. In Kerala, India, nests of these ants are found in almost all broad leaved-trees especially during the post monsoon and summer … Continued
The Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) leaves attract aphids (Superfamily: Aphidoidea) that gather on the undersurface to feed on the plant sap (video below). As these tiny insects suck up the plant sap, excess sap is excreted from the anus as … Continued
The Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia) is a slender climber (above). Like other members of the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae), the flowers are unisexual (below). Male and female flowers of the Bitter Gourd are found on the same plant. As implied by … Continued
I have always been observing bees visiting my Bush Grape (Cayratia mollissima) plants in the evenings. What I observed was that the Dwarf Honey Bees (Apis andreniformis) were busy collecting nectar from the flowers. Their proboscis was always probing the … Continued
Kimosabe commented in an earlier post that he fondly remembers the delicious dish of Katuday flowers and leaves that he sampled years ago in Malaysia. The dish was spicy and lemak, cooked with curry powder and coconut milk. Thanks to … Continued
Sesbania grandiflora ‘Alba’ is commonly known as Vegetable Hummingbird, West Indian Pea, Katuday and Turi. It is a fast-growing smallish tree. It is easily recognised by its large white flowers, slender and elongated fruits and compound leaves with small, oblong … Continued
The larvae of the Common Palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra agina) feed on the leaves of palm, thus the common name. The upperside of the butterfly is bluish-black while the underside is speckled brown with a light so-called “thumb print” at the … Continued
Birds do not visit trees only to seek out food. Yes, there will be plentiful birds when the trees are in flowers and/or fruits. After all, flowers attract nectar-feeding birds and fruits are popular with fruit-eating birds. Flowers, fruits and … Continued
A huge crane fitted with an articulated bucket platform was used to trim a huge tree growing in my neighbour’s tiny garden. The tree is a Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina), also known as Benjamin Fig. This is a known strangling … Continued
