Tag: Ladies Finger

Among the Dragonflies!

*** This post was written in during the Corona Lockdown of 2020***

How to spend time during the lockdown?

Well, GBee and I spend our mornings chasing after dragon flies.

It all started when it was decided that all the terrace space was going waste, so pots have been installed and seeds sown. Luckily for us, Rain God blessed us early on and with regular watering by Mr.Bee, the seeds have sprouted and plants grew in size.

We have climbers of cucumber and bottle gourd, plants of ladies finger (okra) and beans. Little coriander stalks with a couple of florets at the top, wave at us, with the slight breeze that lingers on the terrace, always.

The result of a dozen potted plants is, we now get to see a minimum of 10 dragonflies flying about our terrace at any given point of time, mostly the early mornings. Some 50 dragonflies already zoom around the bigger trees in our vicinity. (Almost all houses have huge trees.)

QueenBee and GBee discussing the dragonflies!

The impromptu meeting of the dragonflies!

To kill time, one fine morning, I showed GBee a dragon fly, resting on a random plant. Boy, was he hooked! Our daily routine now includes selecting a dragon fly and stalking it (out of its wits!), till it escapes from our line of vision by zooming away, above into the sky, probably for a peaceful life!

I, sometimes hum my favourite song, ‘thuneega thuneega’, a Telugu song, about two childhood friends running after dragonfly! (I am into situational songs!)

Now that we see dragonflies on a daily basis, we have discovered there are many varieties of them, which differ in colour, size and also texture. (Some look like they have been polished and some look rough, like they were chiseled by an amateur artist!)

Sadly, we are nowhere near Harry Potter’s amazing skills as a Seeker. He has keen vision which makes its easier to see and snatch a snitch in almost all his Quidditch matches.

GBee and I tried stalking a young dragonfly, which was hardly visible. It was a difficult task, because the fly was so thin and grayish in colour, matching the cement flooring on the terrace. It flew at a height of 5cm from the ground (low flier), and was difficult to perceive. I, now admire Harry Potter even more!

Nope, I and Gbee are not meant to be seekers, but we may get there soon, with practice and a little hardwork, stalking the dragonflies, that is!

P.S:

  1. This was before KBee was born.
  2. I hated the lockdown, because that made GBee a silent kid. Luckily, once the lockdown was lifted, we would regularly visit maternal grandparents, because, we didn’t trust any other place during Covid and slowly things came back to normal.
  3. Incidentally, during PP-2 graduation ceremony in March 2023, all the parents of GBee’s classmates had similar stories to share, about kids being affected due to Covid lockdown. (Parents were asked to speak on stage during the ceremony, impromptu!)

Till the next post!

Eco Friendly Xeriscaping!

We have already been through Gardening as a hobby idea. But if you are a lazy bum, who hates watering the plants and you prefer minimum maintenance as far as plants are concerned, then Xeriscaping is best for you.

For X, let’s go with Xeriscaping!

Xeriscaping is the process of landscaping and maintaining a lawn with little or no water at all.’

Little or no water was utilized here.

Xeriscaping is mostly practiced in places where drought is a common factor.

If you thought Xeriscaping is all about using native plants, then you are wrong. It is all about using plants which need less water to survive.

Cacti – Important part of Xeriscaping

By dividing the landscape area into zones, like the cacti zone, succulent zone, turf zone etc it is easier to plan the watering or the irrigation system, to reduce wastage.

Cacti is not the only variety used in Xeriscaping. The Bee Blossom plant is one such option.

Bee Blossom – Xeriscaping plant

Organic Mulch can be used in Xeriscaping to retain water in the soil. After some years, the organic mulch decomposes and is useful as a natural compost. Wood chippings , wood grindings, saw dust, coconut fibre etc come under organic mulch.

Sand and gravel come under inorganic mulch and they should be used in Xeriscaping sparingly because, they have the tendency to increase the temperature by retaining heat from Sunlight! It is advisable to use more of organic mulch than inorganic one.

The other Xeriscaping plants are different types of Sage, Lavender, Rosemary, Poppy tree and Shamrock.

Low maintenance , edible purple Shamrock

Our very own desi Gulmohar tree, tamarind tree and the colourful Bougainvillea (my favourite of all, since the flowers look like they have been made from paper) can be used in desi Xeriscaping projects. Watering the plants can be done through Drip Irrigation and it is advised to not water the plants during the day, to avoid evaporation losses!

So what are you waiting for? Go to the nearest nursery, buy the required plants for your home and get started in the art of Xeriscaping!

P.S:

  1. The other hobbies starting with X are X-Box gaming, X– Ray Art ( art form depicting animals and humans by drawing or painting the skeletal frame and internal organs), Xylophone playing.
  2. Did you know that some cacti can be cooked and eaten like a normal vegetables? They produce slime while being cooked, just like Okra (Bhindi/ Ladies Finger).

In Avatar: The Last Air Bender series, Avatar Aing’s brother in law,  Sokka drinks Cactus Juice and begins to hallucinate! In reality, the cacti can be slightly acidic in nature. So, consume only those which are edible after careful inspection.

4. Not only is Xeriscaping eco-friendly, but you will be helping the planet by being lazy! Too lazy to water the plants, but hero of the planet!

Ciao!

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