World Environment Day 2020

Time Heals Everything – Even the Nature.

An arch of Himalayan Roses

This environment day during these COVID days is one of the remarkable one. Marked with gruesome events like Australian bushfires, outbreak of Viral and Parasitic infections in Asiatic lions, Pandemics originating from animals due to our changed lifestyles, Locust attacks across the continents, repeated Cyclones, horrific act of killing pregnant Pachyderm etc remind us that it is really the time we need to fundamentally rethink our relationship with the living world, its ecosystem and its biodiversity.

Himalayan Chir Pine- the Alpine Vegetation

Bamboo- the wood of the poor

Habitat destruction is one of the major causes directly or indirectly responsible for these environmental disasters. Plants which often form the bedrock of a habitat are destroyed for various causes. These primary autotrophs are the basis of life on earth.

Ostrich Fern 

Development by Destruction

Our Indian culture has always adored plants. Worship of peepal by the people of Indus, extensive use of various vegetation in our Ayurveda, belief in the magical elixir from the soma plant, enlightenment of Buddha under the Bodhi tree , Hugging the trees by the Bishnois  are a few examples.

The Sacred Peepal Tree

Realizing the importance of tree cover, we started measures of tree conservation. One of such is our afforestation drives. We are concentrating only on increasing the manmade decreased tree cover but not on the species which we are planting. All these plantation drives are focused towards only a few plant species, which leads to replacement of original species of the habitat with a few naturalized or alien species. Many species become extinct in this process.

An urban park made up of only Pongamia pinnata- Kanuga

A mono plantation drive- urban afforestation

Areca Palm Plantation at the cost of an elephant corridor- Coimbatore

A Teak Plantation- Lalikhan Tomb, Varanasi

Its time we recall the lesson taught by Sir. Charles Darwin in his book “Origin of Species” – "Homogenity leads to extinction, heterogeneity leads to evolution."

Based on this thought to conserve our plant species from the threat of extinction due to negligence I started this blog to record the plant species around me.

Thimble weed- Chinese Anemone

Devil's Ivy or the Money Plant

I shall tell you much about the plants around us, their origins, histories associated with them and their uniqueness.

The Lawn Daisy

Boca orellana or Achiote - the lipstick tree

I shall tell about their useful features, why they are named as such and their contribution towards making life on Earth.

Lilium Bulbiferum- the Orange Lilly

Himalayan Roses

In this era of extinction, this small initiative of mine is for our generation and also for the future. It helps to identify the species around, to live in harmony with them and to keep earth’s beauty everlasting.

Chinar- the Epithet of Kashmir Valley

Tagetes patula- French Marigold

Tagetes erecta- Mexican Marigold

Chrysanthemums

Dianthus barbatus- the sweet William

I shall be grateful to the supreme being , who has created all these wonders and who has generated a curiosity in me to give time for nature.

Alcea- the white hollyhock

Rudbeckia hirta- the black eyed Susan

Cosmos- the King's Salad

Join me in this initiative. Let’s give “Time for Nature”. Identify your plant species around.

White Hydrangea

Pink Hydrangea

• Cleome spinosa- the spider plant/ grandfather's whiskers

Quisqualis Indica- The Rangoon Creeper or Radha Manoharam 

Clitoria Ternatea- Shanka Pushpi 

Heaven and earth are flowers
God as well as Buddha are flowers
The heart of man is also the soul of flowers

Bougainvillia Glabra

Gulmohar- the peacock flower

Gladiolus

Blue Jacaranda - a vulnerable species

(June 5 World Environment Day -2020; to commemorate UN Conference Of Human Environment in Stockholm on 5th June 1972; This year's theme : “Time for Nature")