Called  nāga Lingam maram or poo (flower ) in Tamil.

A dramtatic tree when budding or flowering. The branches make it look like a climber on a tall host rather than a tree.

A native to lowland tropical rainforests of Central and South America (wikipedia) now Widely grown in South India, esp. in planned landscaped gardens (esp. institutional).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couroupita_guianensis

#IndiasNature #bloomscrolling #flowers #nature #botany #floweraOfMastodon #tree #cannonBallTree #CouroupitaGuianensis

Cool fruits like Melons are back in town. And across town these bullock carts are stationed.

The bulls are beautiful, but seem gaunt and hard at work in the hot unrelenting sun.

In another place I saw a man stand and patiently feed another such bull some overripe fruit.

The cart is a somewhat modern one- equipped with modern tyres.

#bull #BullockCart #street #streetphoto #India #IndiasNature #Chennai #Fruits #fruitcart

Spring is in the air, it is on the ground, and it is showing up on winter deciduous trees.

This cluster shows a still leafless Himalayan Birch (Betula alnoides) full of yellow catkins, the other taller trees are Himalayan Alder (Alnus nepalensis) which have new leaves & leaf buds. The dark evergreen trees are Tree Rhododendron (Rhododendron arboreum).

#trees #nature #spring #Hinalayas #IndiasNature #HimalayaSpeaks #HimalayanBirch #Alder #Rhododendron #Phenology #catkins #biology #ecology

We came scouting for bent-toed geckos & huntsmen spiders, & to write a paper in the solitude of the Himalayas — the real reward was this beauty, the hygroscopic or barometer earthstar (Astraeus hygrometricus)! Almost perfect conditions needed: slightly fired, moist, sandy & shady substrate & rain to expose the spore sack. My friend spotted not one but 15-16 of them!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astraeus_hygrometricus

#AstraeusHygrometricus #fungi #mushroom #nature #IndiasNature #AmazingNature #barometricEarthstar #himal

A Red Pierrot (Talicada nyseus) butterfly. Dehradun India.

As per Sanjay Sondhi of Titli Trust, the Red Pierrot was not seen in this region till some years ago. The theory being that this butterfly may have arrived with the boom in Kalanchoe, the host plant, of the Red Pierrot.

Whatever reason this is a beautiful butterfly, both closed wings, or open wings.

#entomology #IndiasNature #butterfly #lepidoptera #TalicudaNyseus #RedPierrot #Himalayas #Dehradun #nature

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talicada_nyseus

A Jewel Bug, aka Lychee Shield Bug
Stunning on a natural red background (bracts of a pointsettia plant )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysocoris_stollii

#bugs #truebugs #nature #indiasnature #jewelbug #entomology

A common roadside, park and garden tree in Chennai.

Many individuals across many size classes.

The trees always have something happening.

New leaves, leaves turning red & then brown and falling

Flowers in upright racemes and only when viewed close up show such delicate arangements. Fruits small to larger green to then hard red brown. A wonderful alive tree, makes the city feel real. Good shade too

#trees #nature #TerminaliaCatappa #india #indiasnature #chennai

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_catappa

On the last day of the 2026 Great Backyard Bird Count i did finally count some birds, in someone elses backyard.

Not sure how to term this
A Murder witnessing a Murder or a Murder Wake

Saw about 30 House Crows (maybe more) very noisy & swirling , & and sitting in a somewhat orderly fashion on roof tops. They were upset. Walked a bit & found a older pup / young dog possessively guarding a dead crow. Pictures attached

#birds #dogs #greatbackyardbirdcount #IndiasNature #nature #crows #corvids

A Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) in the Lesser & Greater Himalayas. Not an easily seen bird but not uncommon in the right habitat or season

The latin Specific name "viscivorus" translates as Mistletoe eater (also the origins of its common english name). I am yet to see it forage on Himalayan mistletoe equivalents.

#birdsofmastodon #birds #nature #himalayaSpeaks #IndiasNature #India #Uttarakhand #birdphotography #WomenInScience #WomenBirders #Rural #GreatBackyardBirdCount