Butterfly

Common wanderer

நீலகிரி உயிர்கோள மையம்

NILGIRI  BIOSPHERE RESERVE

 

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first biosphere reserve in India

established in the year 1986 by UNESCO.

v  The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in the Western Ghats, South India encompasses 5,520 sq km in the states of Karnataka (1527.4 sq km), Kerala (1455.4 sq km), and Tamil Nadu (2537.6 sq km).

v  The Biosphere lies between 10^o 45' and 12^o 15' N Latitude and between 76^o and 77^o 15' E Longitude.

v  Some of the important sanctuaries and national parks in this area are the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Wayanad Wildlfie Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park  and Silent Valley National Park.

v  The Biosphere Reserve straddles the districts of Nilgiris, Erode and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The reserve extends from the tropical moist forests in the western slopes to the tropical dry forests on the east slopes of the Western Ghats.

v  Rainfall ranges from 500 mm to 7000 mm per year. The reserve encompasses three eco regions, the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, South Western Ghats mountain rain forests and South Decan plateau dry deciduous forests.

v  The habitat types include mountain rain forest, semi-evergreen moist forest, thorn forest and scrub, mountain grassland and high-elevation shola forests.

v  The NBR harbour over 100 species of mammals, 350 species of birds, 80 species of reptiles, 31 species of amphibians, 39 species of fish, 316 species of butterflies and innumerable invertebrates and most of them are endemic.

v  Tiger, Asian Elephants  and Lion tailed Macaque and Nilgiri Tahr are some of the rare and endemic animals of NBR .

v  This  reserve has very rich plant diversity. Out of 3300 species, 1232 are endemic and out of the 175 species of Orchids found here, 8 are endemic. These include endangered species of Vanda, Liparis, Bulbophyllum, Spiranthes and Thrixspermum

Age of a Tree

Tree Ring Dating

Annual ring is the growths of wood that are produced each year in the stem and roots of trees. These rings can be seen when the Trunk of a tree is cut horizontally. The speed with which a stem grows in thickness varies during the year. In summer it grows rapidly as compared in winter.

One ring mark the passage of one year

The process is called DENDROCHORNOLOGY

(or) TREE-RING DATING.

தத்துக்கிளி



Hooded Grasshopper



அசோக மரம் - அழிந்து வரும் மரமாக கருதப்படுகிறது.

Fruiting during April 2011



Flowering March,2011



Ashoka Tree (Saraca asoca), March 2011



Ashoka Tree (Saraca asoca) 

Centipede

Scutigera Sp.

Rare Plant from Nilgiris

Rhododendron nilagiricum

Queen Flower tree

Queen Flower tree (Lagerstroemia speciosa) Flowers during July- September.

Flower

Spathodiya campanulata, Flowers during November and December.

அத்தி பழம் (பூவை பார்ப்பது அறிது



FIG FRUIT Ficus auriculata (Fruiting occurs during September, October) The flower is not visible, as it blooms inside the fruit.



சுற்றுச்சுழல் பற்றிய காரணியாக தவளைகள் விளங்குகின்றன

Tadpole (is the wholly larval stage of a frog in aquatic ecosystem)

Egg laying (immediately after rain)

(Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis) 

இத்தகைய தவளை இனங்கள் இன்று அழியும் நிலையில் உள்ளன. நீர் மாசுபடுதல், பூச்சி மருந்துகள் அதிக அளவு பயன் படுத்துதல் ஆகியவை முக்கிய காரணமாக கண்டுஅறியபட்டுவுள்ளன. வரும் கால சமுகம்

இத்தகைய இயற்கை வளங்களை பார்க்கமுடியாமல் போக வாய்பு

அதிகமாகிறது.

அறிய வகை தாவரம்



Rare plant from Nilgiris, Michelia nilagirica காட்டு செண்பகம்

Ornamental Plant Champak (Michelia champaca) செண்பகம்



நாகலிங்கம்

Durantha plumeri

நாகலிங்கம் (Couropita guinensis) Fruit. 



நாகலிங்கம் Couropita guinensis



மலர்கள்



Lipstick tree (Bixa orellana) Natural dye plant




Eravatamia coronaria




Calophyllum inophyllum

இறவனுக்குத் தன்னை  அர்பணித்து  கொண்டு

ஒரு  மலர்  போல் வாழ்க்கை மலர வேண்டும்

அன்னை
அரபிந்து ஆஷ்ரம்



Passion Flowers





Passiflora edulis

  


Passiflora sp. flowers



தாவரங்களை பாதுகாத்தல் உலகக்கொள்கை

Global Strategy for Plants Conservation (GSPC)

The GSPC is a plan to save the world's plant species. Botanic gardens are making a major contribution worldwide. Click the image to find out more.http://www.bgci.org/ourwork/gspc?sec=policy&id=gspc
For more information on all these targets, visit the Plants 2010 website
The GSPC has 4 main objectives:

• To halt the current and continuing loss of plant diversity
• To harmonise existing plant conservation initiatives
• To enhance the ecosystem approach and focus on vital role of plants in ecosystem functioning
• To provide a pilot study for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on setting targets

Sicklebush ஸ்தல விருட்சம்

முக்கியமாக இம்மரம்

சனிஸ்வர பகவான் கோவில்

தலமரமாக விளங்குகிறது.

 Sicklebush,வேடத்தளா Dichrostachys cinerea, Flowering occurs during July, August.

ருத்தராக்ஷம்



Only one tree left in the wild at Kodikkanal.



கேரளாவில் உள்ள அமைதி பள்ள தாக்கு சரணாலயம்

Kundidevi River -view From Silent valley National Park watch tower (2006). Last patch of evergreen forests in the Western Ghats.



White Jamun fruit

Syzigium malaccense, white Jamun fruit (2009) 

Mud Puddling of Butterfly

Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) can be seen near wet soil often doing mud puddling, host plant mainly citrus sp. (lime and orange).

தாவர விலங்கின ஈடுபாடு (குறிப்பாக எறும்புகள்)



Relationship that Plant and ants has established. 



வண்ணத்து பூச்சி தாவரம்



Crotalaria longipes , is one of the main host plants for striped tiger butterfly (Danaus genutia) and blue tiger butterfly (Tirumala limniace).They use this plant during their migratory flights, observed at Anaikatti during 2004-2006.



A-Z plants

Asoka Tree (Saraca asoka)
Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis)
Crocodile bark tree (Termilania crenulata)
Devil tree  (Alstonia scholaris)
Egg Fruit Tree (Pouteria camapechiana)
Fish tail palm (Caryota urens)
Gul Mohur (Delonix regia)
Hot biscuits Amarnath (Amarnathus paniculatus)
Indian cork tree (Millingtonia hrotensis)
Java cassia (Cassia javanica)
Kleinhovia ( Kleinhovia hospita)
Lipstick Tree (Bixa orellana)
Mango (Mangifera indica)
Neem (Azadirachta indica )
Octopus tree (Brassaia actinophylla)
Purple Bauhinia (Bauhinia purpurea)
Queen of flower (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
Rose wood (Dalbergia latifolia)
Scarlet-Bell tree (Spathodea campanulata)
Teak (Tectona grandis)
Umberlla Tree (Thespesia Populnea)
Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides)
Wavy leaved tecomella (Tecomella undulata)
Xerophyte ( Euphorbia hirtae)
Yellow slik cotton tree (Cochlospermum religiosum)
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

அத்தி மரம் (பழம்)

ஆலமரம்  (விழிது)

இலந்தை (பழம்)

ஈச்சமரம் (பழம்)

உசிலை மரம்

ஊமத்தை (மருத்துவ குணம்)

எருக்கு (பூ)

ஏழில்ப்பலை (மருத்துவ குணம்)

ஐயம்பனை (மருத்துவ குணம்)

ஒதியம் (  மரம்)

ஓணன் கொடி





Clock vine (ornamental flower)

Thunbergia mysorensis

காட்டின் தீச்சுவலை

Flame of the forest flowering Feb. to May.

Flame of the forest (Tree full view)



Flame of the forest (Butea monosperma). The bright organe flowers  shining against sunlight suggest forest in flames.Flowers during March-May.



நிலத்தில் வாழும் பல்லி

Kollegal Ground Gecko (Geckoella collegalensis),The Gecko was described in 1870 from BR Hills, Karnataka and later up to Gujarat. It has been reported from Anaikatti in 1998. They don't have the adhesive pads, that's why they prefer to live in ground.

கருங் குங்கிலியம்

Canarium strictum (Karungungiliam) 15 year old plant

அழகு பொருளாக பயன்படும் குன்றிமணி சம்பா



Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi)  Job’s tears receives its name from the hard, shiny, tear-shaped beads.



Conservation of Birds

Involving local people in conservation project. (Picture from Tamil Nadu Birds by Dr. K. Rathinam, Drawing done by M.Ponusamy)

விழுது இல்லாத ஆலமரம்



One of the oldest trees at Anaikatti -Banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis)விழுது இல்லாத ஆலமரம்




Aerial roots are established through artificial support. The reason for not formation of aerial root is (i) due to heavy wind and (ii) Elephant's favorite food. 



 ஈஞ்சி மரம் C.circinalis (Female) August 2009

                                                       

குறிஞ்சி மலர் -ஆனைகட்டி, 2004 ம் ஆண்டு.




Nilgirianthus ciliatus (குறிஞ்சி மலர்) 2004

Nilgirianthus foliosus (Nilgiris 2004-2005)



Strobilanthus kunthianus Neela Kuringi (Nilgiris, Kodaikkonal 2006)

                                                            .

Cycas circinalis (Female)

Cycas circinalis (Female)