Thakns and regards Ushaji On Sat, Jan 2, 2016 at 9:43 PM, Ushadi Micromini <microminipho...@gmail.com> wrote:
> very nice pictures and write up > > usha di > > On Sat, Jan 2, 2016 at 7:58 PM, tsp kumar <tspkuma...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Dear friends, >> >> >> My tryst with the Queen……………*Ceropegia elegans.* >> >> >> The genus Ceropegia has always been an enigma. The different floral >> shapes and colours have fascinated me. I had read that about 43 of the 53 >> species that are known to occur in India are threatened and have become >> rare and genetically depleted. I always searched for them, when on field >> duty, with no success whatsoever. They remained as elusive as quicksilver. >> >> >> 24-06-2014 was another day that I could not keep indoors. It was >> mid-monsoon. The call of the Giris, my favorite “beckoning hills,” was >> irresistible. The imposing cliffs, winding roads, mesmerizing mist, >> blinding rains and its orchid perfume always beckoned me. Unmindful of my >> nemesis, those cold, slithery, and bloodthirsty leeches, I set out with my >> team hoping to find some orchids. The day was fruitful as we could find >> quite a few orchids, terrestrial and epiphytic as well. >> >> >> The climb was arduous and my nemesis had its fair share of my >> blood. The sun was already behind the western hills and the light was >> falling rapidly. We hastened our descent hoping to get into the safety of >> my Bolero before it got too dark. Before getting into the vehicle, I >> stopped for a while to fill my lungs and to examine my shoes and socks, >> Bent a little, kick-dropped a couple of leeches and looked over my >> shoulders…! I thought that a pair of small, greenish, serpent-like eyes was >> watching me from among the thickets a few feet away. I stared for a while, >> eye-to-eye, and blinked first. Spellbound for a few seconds, I went closer. >> My heart missed a few beats as I realized that it was not a serpent, but an >> alien looking flower….! Yes. She was a *Ceropegia*….my Queen…! *I had >> inadvertently stumbled upon the ‘Queen of Ceropegias’ that was later >> identified as Ceropegia elegans by that master explorer of Ceropegias, >> Mr.Sushant More. * >> >> >> She has been a lucky mascot for me because later on I could meet >> her mates as well during the year. *Ceropegia juncea, Ceropegia biflora, >> Ceropegia candelabrum and the *King himself,* Ceropegia gardneri…!* I >> have been recapitulating 24-06-2014 every now and then ever since. >> >> The images I took that day, in the falling light, are my treasure and >> occupy a prime place in my heart and archives as well. Hence she is my >> 'Flora picture of the year' >> >> Regards >> >> tspkumar >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "efloraofindia" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to indiantreepix+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to indiantreepix@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > > -- > Usha di > =========== > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to indiantreepix+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send an email to indiantreepix@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.