Winter Flora and Fauna

The cold has been pretty brutal this year, mostly because we have hardly seen any sunshine. What should have been a cheery first post in the new year actually got to the finish line only because I had done my homework in the last month itself, when the sun was still out and the year-end festive feels kept up my mood somehow.

Indian Pioneer butterfly 🦋

All the creatures you see here have long disappeared due to the intense cold, fog and sunless days. So have the flowers...

But just a month back the skies were so clear and blue, that it appeared every creature was in celebratory mode. Including our national bird, that gave us quite a few grand appearances on our evening walks.

Proud peacock 🦚

While our chrysanthemums were blooming, this fellow would appear almost every day to bask in the sunshine. But once the weather turned grey and bleak, the poor guy turned black and sluggish, trying to warm itself on our front porch.

Garden gecko 🦎

I was intrigued by the colour of its wings, and initially mistook it for a bumblebee variety. Till I discovered it's real identity and saw it furiously collecting nectar from whatever blossoms it could find.

Carpenter bee 🐝

Finally a glimpse of our Lohri bonfire this year to beat the cold. Was a very short window of relief but we made good memories.

Praying for the sun to be out soon and for the soul-withering cold to abate.

Butterflies & Blossoms

It is that magical time of the year again, when the garden is aglow with colours and humming with life.

Blue Pansy on yellow chrysanthemum

One steps out into a charmed world full of nature's bounties (and some human-created ones).

Vignettes from the front garden

Bees, butterflies, birds, and squirrels love the colourful space as much as we do. 

Pioneer White on orange marigold

And we can spend an entire day just observing their antics.

Plain Tiger on yellow chrysanthemum

Update 01Jan2021:

Peacock Pansy on hibiscus plant

May Days

As the lockdown keeps getting extended, we keep our spirits up with these small moments of joy.

Our May mornings be like this....

While May evenings turn out this way....

In between, the sweltering daytime heat melts and merges everything into a ball of sunshine fire!

And so goes our second summer...

Soothing September

As the scorching summer gave way to some refreshing rains, we witnessed and experienced these rejuvenating moments...

A verdant green lawn that looked so welcoming.

Flowers blooming about our feet.

Butterflies flitting around in delight.

While peacocks called, playing hide-and-seek.

So grateful for the last couple of months that gave us such awesome memories to keep...