Weekend Reflections

I come from haunts of coot and hern,

I make a sudden sally

And sparkle out among the fern

To bicker down a valley.

Words from a much-loved poem that we learnt by heart at school come to mind when I come across a river like this one. The Digaru in winter, calm and placid in the plains of Assam but from its source in the neighbouring state of Meghalaya, it must have hurtled down the gorges and "slipped between the ridges". Here it passes across villages and small cultivated plots of banana,  mustard, various types of vegetables, and of course, our staple food...rice! 


My thanks to James at http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com for opening my eyes to a beauty I wouldn't have thought about had it not been for his wonderful meme Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday/Dawn

Beautiful dawn...oh, how I love my walks around my parents' neighbourhood whenever I'm in the town that I grew up. Surrounded by blue hills, even the break of day has a magical charm of its own.


To see more Skywatch posts visit http://skyley.blogspot.com


Have a great Friday!

Hawk moth

I found this moth one evening on a chair. The dictionary definition of a hawk moth is any of a family (Spinghidae) of moths with a thick, tapering body, slender wings, and a long feeding tube to suck the nectar of flowers.

Although I didn't follow the progress of these caterpillars around my plants, I'm sure they turned into beautiful moths later. I have to say that the most beautiful hawk moth i have photographed is the Hummingbird Moth. Sadly, not a single one of them has visited my garden this year!

Carpenter Bees

In my neighbourhood, I often see two types of carpenter bees. One is black with metallic hues on its wings and the other one is smaller with a deep yellow on its chest. Dead bamboo that I often use to stake my plants are the favourite haunts of the first one. They fly in circles and come back to the same perch giving me the opportunity to take my photos.

Carpenter bees are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. They get their name from the fact that they build their nests in burrows in dead  wood, bamboo, or structural timber. Wiki says that carpenter bees are traditionally considered solitary bees, though some species have simple social nests in which mothers and daughters may cohabit. However, even solitary species tend to be gregarious, and often several will nest near each other. It has been occasionally reported that when females cohabit, there may be a division of labor between them, where one female may spend most of her time as a guard within the nest, motionless and near the entrance, while another female spends most of her time foraging for provisions. Source.

Here's a closer look at the precision round holes they make on dead bamboo. Doesn't this remind you of a flute? 

It's difficult to capture the yellow-chested one as it moves so rapidly. But I included this image because the colour is so striking, especially against that black.

Weekend Reflections/ A Rural Scene

Last week we went to an eatery located amidst rice fields, in the outskirts of our city. Most of the area looks like this now with the rice harvested. The little pond on the edge of the eatery owner's property reflected the small trees growing on its banks. The day was wonderfully pleasant and the surroundings, serene.

My thanks to James for hosting this wonderful meme. And for making us see a different and unique kind of beauty. To see more posts on Weekend Reflections, visit http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/

The Golden Tortoise Beetle

Many of you had commented on my header photo of the Golden Tortoise Beetle recently. And despite the fact I had posted some of these pictures on my other blog earlier, I'm posting them again.

So far, I have only seen this insect twice. The three pictures above are from my first sighting. I thought that someone's gold-coloured trinket had fallen on a leaf but the "jewel" moved!! I ran to get the camera and got these shots. I could have got more but it flew away...never to be seen again...at least for another year!!

The second sighting. You can see how tiny this golden bug  is. Scientifically this is known as Charidotella sexpunctata. I came across this wonderful article on this insect. You might find it interesting as well. Here's the link------------

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/homehort/pest/GTB.htm

Hope you have a great day!

Crimson-tailed marsh hawk dragonfly

One of the prettiest butterflies dragonflies that we see during the summer is the Crimson-tailed marsh hawk dragonfly. The combination of red and black is stunning. And it's rather difficult to get a decent picture because they fly off the moment they 'sense' me around them!:)  You can see a really great shot of this dragonfly and the details here...http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Asia/India/photo165074.htm

Edited to add....Oops, I made a mistake! Typed 'butterfly' instead of 'dragonfly'.

Weekend Reflections

Bottle brush trees reflected in a pool of water in a public garden. 

To see more posts on Reflections, please visit James at http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com

Skywatch Friday

A Black Drongo silhouetted against fleecy white clouds. Caught this on the wires in my neighbourhood.

To see beautiful skies from around the world, please visit http://skyley.blogspot.com

Wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Marigolds Attract!

I'm growing a small patch of marigolds this year and it's a joy to see the butterflies,hoverflies, and even flies, always stopping by for a long and leisurely sipping session. Except for the swallowtail and the tiny psyche butterflies , I have had ample time to take my shots, staying close and clicking away to my heart's content. In this collage all the marigolds are from my garden. The picture of the rows of marigold on the bottom right is from a public garden. The insects are...commonly seen brown skippers, the Common Grass Yellow butterfly, the Peacock Pansy butterfly, the Common Mormon swallowtail, flies, a hoverfly, and two kinds of tiny lycaenid butterflies.

Skywatch Friday

Each time dawn appears, the mystery is there in its entirety.~ Rene Daumal

I caught this moment on one of my many visits to the town where I grew up some time last year.
For more views of the skies from across the world, click here.

Weekend Reflections

Welcome to the first Weekend Reflections post of 2011! This photo was taken in Singapore by my husband when he visited in September.
To see more posts visit James at http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/