New Beach Road, Thiruvanmyur was the sight of a
Nizhal combo plan - tree walk plus free-the-tree (FTC) activity!
We were thirty of us who assembled at 7 am on a Sunday morning (a feat in itself I thought!) at the eastern end of the road that runs east-west, perpendicular to the Thiruvanmyur beach. Its a road that I walk on regularly, but I had assumed there were some five varieties of trees. Can you imagine we identified 23?!! I was quite ashamed with my previous lack-of-"awareness" about the road.
There were a lot of children and soon they were more interested in the FTC than in the "know-your-trees" walk. So, it became that the moms were asking questions about the trees while the men and children busied themselves with claw hammers, stools and pliers! It is illegal to put up boards on the trees, and as citizens we are well within our rights to remove them. Also, they harm the trees, and do have an affect on their health in the long run. After all, isn't the bark a protective skin for the tree? Everytime a nail is driven into the bark, we are creating a wound. Once we removed the nails, we applied some turmeric paste to these "wounds", and hope that is sufficient for the bark to heal.
At the end of an hour we had removed all the boards (save one, which was beyond our reach), and thanks to Arti and her aunt we were all treated to yelaneer for our efforts! It was Arti who mooted the idea in the first place, so hats off to her. Things we could do to follow up:
- Plant some more trees close to the eastern end. We need to identify trees like sea grapes, Punnai, Pongam, which will withstand the salty air.
- Talk to our councillor about removing some of the concrete that is choking the base of the trees
- Ensure that the trees remain board-free.
It was very nice to walk in the evening and see the trees all free of boards!
Here's a complete list of trees:
Common Name- English Common Name - Tamil Scientific Name
1 Sea grapes Kadaldrakshai Cocoloba uvifera
2 Alexandrian Laurel Punnai புன்னை Calophyllum inophyllum
3 Peacock Flower Tree Mayilkonrai மயில் கொன்றை Caesalpinia pulcherima
4 Neem Veppam Azadirachta indica
5 Indian Cork Tree Maramalli மரமல்லி Millingtonia hortensis
6 Trumpet tree Tabebuia roseo-alba
7 Portia tree Poo Arasam Thespesia Populnea
8 Indian Beech Pungan புங்கன் Pongamia pinnata
9 Temple tree/ Frangipani Plumeria rubra acutifolia
10 Siamese Cassia Manjal Konrai மஞ்சள் கொன்றை Cassia siamea
11 Indian Almond Nattuvadumai நாட்டுவதுமை Terminalia catappa
12 Gulmohar Neruppu konrai Delonix regia
13 Subabul Leucaena leucocephala
14 Teak Tekku maram தேக்கு மரம் Tectona grandis
15 Copper pod tree Peltophorum pterocarpum
16 Jamun Naval நாவல் Syzygium cumini
17 Indian Bulletwood Tree Magizham மகிழம்பூ Mimusops elengi
18 Mast Tree/ False Ashoka Nettilingam நெட்டிலிங்கம் Polyalthia longifolia
19 Indian Ash Odhiya maram Lannea coromandelica
20 Oleander Thevetia peruviana
21 Mango Mangifera indica
22 African Tulip Tree Patadi Spathodea campanulata
23 Scarlet Cordia Cordia sebestena
Are these cherry blossoms in Chennai?!
The afternoon sky was ablaze with the light hue of pink and the road below strewn with these flowers, as they dropped, light as rain, twirling as they came down.
And you thought Madras has no flowers?
The pinkish white flowers of the Tabebuia roseo-alba
Lake Kawaguchiko, at the base of Mt Fuji
The retro bus that took us on a tour of the five lakes
The volcanic mountains around
Lake Saiko, (I think)
Varied Tit (Cyanistes varius) at the ticket counter
The Lava forests. (Aokigahara). Grows on the lava outflow. A little creepy, easy to get lost
Lake Sai?
Common Coot in Kawaguchiko
Shinto shrine archway at the edge of the lake
Fugaku lava caves. Fossils and ice inside. Also very cold.
Common Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius) - Photo by Mr Ramanan
Sub-adult - Photo by Mr Ramanan
The same sub-adult with a caterpillar - their favourite food. Photo by Mr Ramanan
