MNS Sekar Blog

         The African Tulip tree is a perfect tree to plant to enhance the beauty of  your streets and avenues or garden. Tulip trees are indeed a sight to behold when in bloom because of its vibrant orange coloured flowers and also when the floor under the tree is covered fully with fallen flowers.                                                                                     Originated in Africa, its is also found in Fiji Islands, Australia and India. Its botanical name is Spathodea campanuleta. Its common names are Fountain tree,  Flame of the forest and Nandhi tree. In Bengali, it is called Rudra Palash and in Tamil, Patadi.                                                 The attractive cup- shaped flowers can hold water and dew which serve as welcome drink for Sunbirds and Mynas.                                           Its  boat- shaped pods are 8-inch long. The wood is soft and brittle and thus  the tree makes an ideal home for wood-peckers and barbets.   Its bark can be us

As Kerala is expecting cyclone Tauktae  to hit the State in the next 4 hours, heavy rains have started lashing its northern district Kasaragod already. I recall how we braced ourselves when Cyclone Vardha, with a  speed of 105 kms crossed coast near Chennai  more than 4 years ago (12.12.16) and  left a trail of destruction behind. The next day, with no electricity at home for 36 hours, I went out for my daily walk and could not believe what I saw. In utter disgust, I wrote to THE HINDU and shared my anguish... It was published in THE HINDU on 16.12.16. My write up is reproduced below:                                                        "MOST AGONISING WALK OF MY LIFE".                                                                                           It was a walk I will not forget for the rest of my life. A day after cyclone Vardha hit Chennai, I took my usual walk in the Boat Club Area where I had taken many a walk -- over the last ten years -- under lofty trees a

 Every boy and  girl  carries fond memories of their  first school excursion, even for decades. I felt as excited in the summer of 1977,  when my elder brother asked me to join him for a 6-day trek around Kodaikanal, organised by Youth Hostel Association of India.  It was my first major trip in life and my elation defied description.  Unfortunately, it did not occur to me to document my trip then. Yet, with some difficulty I constructed it to the best of my  ability and memory after 44 years. Even though MNS was not formed then, 3 of our future members took part... Prabakar, Raghu and myself. We reached Kodai and were lodged comfortably and were suitably debriefed about the usual DOs & DONT's. About 22 members took part, all youngsters, mainly from Madras and Bangalore.  Kodaikanal offers various trekking routes, matching the aspiring trekkers' fitness level and prior exposure. And the one we took was just the ideal one for nature enthusiasts.  As the trek was no where near

 When we choose to go for a walk after day-break, the  benefits are numerous.... We can marvel looking at so many  creations of Nature.  Among them,  the tall, magnificent and majestic trees certainly catch our attention first.  We come across a variety of trees as we walk.... The common trees of Madras are..... Indian beech, Indian almond, Rain tree, Copper pod, Neem, Peepal, Gulmohar, etc. And summer is the best period to watch .... with most of them in Bloom, offering a spectacular sight to the discerning eye. Besides the common trees, there are  rare ones too, such as Ashoka (Saraka indica), Arjuna and Silk cotton trees. There are  also the  conspicuous  Cassia trees, with several species. Of which, Cassia fistula -- the Golden showers tree being the most popular, ornamental and visible. But pink cassia (Cassia javanica, in picture) is a rare tree in my neighbourhood, now in bloom. It is basically a garden tree -- because of its attractive crimson and pink flowers in bunches. It is

 Today morning, the  repeated and very agitated calls of a tailor bird made me rush to the back of my house. There, my neighbour's mango tree was the source of commotion. A tussle was going on between a towering female koel and a tiny defender, the tailor bird.  It's frantic,  towit-towit calls  became even more furious as it tried to chase the koel away from the scene. The koel kept dodging and refused to leave.... But the tiny bird would not settle for a ' NO'. For the next 2 minutes, it put up a spirited fight. The koel became increasingly frustrated and helpless, gave up eventually and made a quick retreat from the battle. The tailor bird was not satisfied with that. It pursued the fleeing koel for a good 20- metres, till the koel vanished from the garden. The tiny bird's relentless fight had to be seen to be believed.... We all know that it's nesting season starts from April -- Perhaps it had its nest there. But I could not locate any because of the thick f