Few hours with nature that we hardly observe, admire and cherish

By Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 05 Febraury 2012: There is beauty and wonder in nature around us. However, one has to take some time from his busy schedule and cultivate an interest to savour the gifts of God that are waiting to be explored and appreciated. In the busy life of today or just lack of inquisitiveness or indifference, we miss some of the wonderful moments in different seasons of the year when the trees flower and bear fruits or the shrubs, plants and even the grass manifest the inner secrets of nature by bearing flowers for few days and wait for the next season to repeat the act of nature.

 

As the winter has been  on the back-foot  since few days and seeing the usual mango and cashew  trees blooming with fruit bearing flowers, since there was no urgent assignment, i grabbed the   camera and decided to explore the nature  not going to far off places but around my residence, in the hilly region by the side of the road and in the barren fields closer to the river.

 

Leaving home,  as i walked towards the exit, my favourite cat followed me and climbed over the manure dump  and  stood still as if posing for a picture. I did not disappoint her. As i clicked the  picture of the cat, a strong aroma of flowers invited my attention. The tree, medium in size stood majestically with floral flumes by the side of the tall mango tree. I did not know the name of the tree. When i enquired with mother about the name of the tree, she said that in Konkani it is  called ‘Kureji’ tree.

 

 

 

 

 

As i went out,  a mango tree close by was in full bloom. Clicking few close up pictures, i went further and came across Mangium trees. The flowering season of the Mangium was over as i could see dried flowers hanging from the branches. However, i was amazed to notice a bunch of worm-like growth. On closer look, i fund that the bunch had beans-like growth with seeds inside.  After maturing and drying the seeds fall off and sprout during the rainy season. A little further, a cashew tree presented  a curious spectacle. While many branches with fresh flowers swayed in the gentle evening breeze, i could also notice tender cashews  and on other branches i also could see cashew fruit waiting to be matured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exploring other  trees a little further, i could notice few bunches of  small beads-like flowers on the ‘Karmara’ tree and a little further, matured reddish flowers with wing-like growth on two sides of the seeds. May be this is nature’s way of spreading  the species. After these seeds  are matured and dried they may be flown by winds to some distance  and fall to the ground and wait for the rainy season for germination.

 

As i clicked the pictures of the ‘Karmara’ tree flowers, my attention was drawn by the sight of  three solitary red flowers on the tall thorny tree which i attempted to capture in my camera.

 

Walking further, nearer the Moodubelle-Padubelle Road, bunches of pink flowers on barren branches of ‘manure plants’ gave me an opportunity to click pictures in every conceivable angle. These pink ‘manure plant’ flowers is a common sight more by the sides of the roads rather than on the edges of the fields as most of the people have given up cultivation.

 

 

 

 

 

As there was still time for sunset, i ventured to the barren fields by the side of the river. First,  i noticed two peacocks picking up insects. Soon i noticed few more walking in line and disappearing in the thick growth of grass.

 

A little further, as a calf was grazing, it was given company by few white Egrets (donkam).  In fact i could see a pattern in them as four of them were in line and one standing as a platoon leader. Quite amusing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

As i came up from the fields, i stopped below the ‘palponnos’ tree (pejakai in Tulu) and looked up to see whether the tree had borne any ‘palponnos’. After straining my eyes for a minute or so, i could notice just three green tennis ball sized tender ‘palponnos’. Gone are the days when such trees used to bear hundreds of such fruits!  Still further i could notice two ash pumpkins hanging from a small tree as the creeper was hidden from the normal sight.

 

 

 

 

 

As i looked towards the western horizon, the sun was about to set. I managed to capture few pictures of the yellowish disc of the setting sun radiating reddish aura around it creating the silhouette of the trees in the foreground.

 

As the dusk enveloped the land, i hurried back and down-loaded the pictures that i clicked during the period of around two hours into my lap-top. As i viewed these pictures, i  was not only amazed with the wonders of modern technology of advanced cameras which can capture the nature in its pristine beauty and clarity, but also the bounty of nature that we hardly find time to observe, admire and cherish.