Environment

Trees, plants and shrubs are all important parts of the urban ecosystem. Without them there would be very little urban wildlife. It is impossible to separate the animal from its habitat and Bangalore has the privilege of having many varieties of flowering and non-flowering trees. These trees comprise of both native and non-native species that were introduced into the city. Some of these non-native trees have been in India for long that we take them to be native, some have adapted and flourished so well that we now call them ‘naturalised'. The Temple Tree. Pic: Vikram Nanjappa. The Frangipani ,…

Vinay Sreenivasa and I organized a photowalk to document the last of the beautiful promenade known as Ambedkar Veedhi. One would think that a Government would have the aesthetic sense to leave this most historic of boulevards alone...but no, the Metro must needs run right through this last bastion of public spaces and greenery.So, to mark the murder of yet another public space, and the funeral of the greenery, we decided to photo-document the stretch of Ambedkar Veedhi...We started with the desecration that was a tree-shaded Minsk Square, not so long ago; now it's a desert of cement and concrete:We…

Vinay Sreenivasa and I organized a photowalk to document the last of the beautiful promenade known as Ambedkar Veedhi. One would think that a Government would have the aesthetic sense to leave this most historic of boulevards alone...but no, the Metro must needs run right through this last bastion of public spaces and greenery.So, to mark the murder of yet another public space, and the funeral of the greenery, we decided to photo-document the stretch of Ambedkar Veedhi...We started with the desecration that was a tree-shaded Minsk Square, not so long ago; now it's a desert of cement and concrete:We…

As I was going to Mysore, I got this by-now-very-familiar scene of huge trees (oxygen-giving) being hacked down to make way for more cars (carbon dioxide-giving):The earthmovers have arrived in Cubbon Park, and I am organizing a photowalk on Ambedkar Veedhi (the stretch from GPO to the High Court) tomorrow at 4pm, to photodocument what we are about to lose. If you are interested, please come along (with or without camera!) to the GPO main gate at 4pm tomorrow, 9th October. ⊕

As I was going to Mysore, I got this by-now-very-familiar scene of huge trees (oxygen-giving) being hacked down to make way for more cars (carbon dioxide-giving):The earthmovers have arrived in Cubbon Park, and I am organizing a photowalk on Ambedkar Veedhi (the stretch from GPO to the High Court) tomorrow at 4pm, to photodocument what we are about to lose. If you are interested, please come along (with or without camera!) to the GPO main gate at 4pm tomorrow, 9th October. ⊕

The Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) is one of the many species of owls that have adapted to the urban environment and can be seen quite often in Bangalore. Usually they prefer open habitats including farmlands, groves, and ruins to heavy and dense forests. The spotted owlet has acquired a negative image and is associated with bad omens. Pic: Vikram Nanjappa. It is a squat, white-spotted, greyish-brown owl, approximately the size of a Myna Bird. They have the typical large round head associated with owls and forward-looking yellow eyes. Two races are recognised in India and they are Athene brama indica…

The Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) is one of the many species of owls that have adapted to the urban environment and can be seen quite often in Bangalore. Usually they prefer open habitats including farmlands, groves, and ruins to heavy and dense forests. The spotted owlet has acquired a negative image and is associated with bad omens. Pic: Vikram Nanjappa. It is a squat, white-spotted, greyish-brown owl, approximately the size of a Myna Bird. They have the typical large round head associated with owls and forward-looking yellow eyes. Two races are recognised in India and they are Athene brama indica…

It's now the time of the year, when the Mahogany trees in the city put out their lovely "chocolate ice-cream" fruit-pods.... here's what they look like:If you find these pods upon the ground, pick them up and see the beautiful red striations inside!I wish the BBMP would start planting the saplings of such life-sustaining, shade-giving, and long-lived trees once again in our city.... ⊕

It's now the time of the year, when the Mahogany trees in the city put out their lovely "chocolate ice-cream" fruit-pods.... here's what they look like:If you find these pods upon the ground, pick them up and see the beautiful red striations inside!I wish the BBMP would start planting the saplings of such life-sustaining, shade-giving, and long-lived trees once again in our city.... ⊕

The word 'Rodent' usually makes the hair on the back of our necks stand up. We associate the word with rats and mice which we occasionally encounter near our homes and makes us reach out for our rat traps and rat poison. In our minds they are unwanted pests that need to be dealt with severely. The three-striped palm squirrel is a very adaptable species and have made their home in the urban environment. Pic: Vikram Nanjappa. However there is one rodent that we find extremely cute and which lives in our close proximity. I am referring to the common…