Common breeding resident of low country up to about 1800 m a.s.l.
It inhabits wet lands with dense vegetation like paddy fields, marshes, tank and mangroves. Usually lives as pairs and active mostly during the morning and again in evening. It is omnivorous and feeds on worms, insects like grasshoppers and also
shoots of paddy and other marsh plants. Breeding season is from March to October
and nest is a mass of weeds often place on a low bush few feet above of ground
or water.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Kosters curse/Soap bush (Clidemia hirta)
An invasive shrub native to the South America . Introduced probably as an ornamental plant and naturalized in
several tropical countries including Sri Lanka . It is widely distributed along rain forest pathways and
streams of wet and montane zones. Also in roadsides and disturbed grounds of
lowland wet zone to tea estates in up country. Propagation is mainly due to the
seeds spread by birds.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Common Pierrot (Castalius rosimon)

Common butterfly from lowlands to foot hills. It prefers open
areas and usually found in roadsides. Like several other butterflies, males of
this species too are fond of settling on damp earth to absorb minerals. According
to Ormiston amount of black on upper wings of this butterfly vary with location
and wet zone (Galle ) specimens have light marks while darkest are from dry zone (Jaffna ) and hills (Haldummulla) (Ormiston W. The Butterflies of Ceylon 1924). Larva feeds on varies Ziziphus species such as Ziziphus mauritiana (Maha debara, Masan ) and Ziziphus rugosa(Maha-eraminiya) of the family Rhamnaceae.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Eurasian Black bird (Turdus merula kinnisii)
A breeding resident restricted to higher hills above 1000m a.s.l. Eurasian
Black bird is an essentially ground bird common in forest undergrowth, well
wooded gardens and tea plantations. It feeds on insects among the leaf litter on
the ground and also takes berries. Active mostly during the early morning and again
in the dusk. Main breeding season is March to April and probably again from
August to September.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
දියපර/ගොඩපර[Diyapara/Godapara](Dillenia suffruticosa)
Native plant of Sumatra , Malaysia and Borneo . Introduced to Peradeniya botanical garden as an ornamental
tree in late nineteenth century. It becomes an invasive plant in stream banks,
forest edges, wastelands, roadsides and neglected plantations of wet lowlands. A
bright yellow flower of this species is the key to distinguish it from other
three indigenous varieties of Dillenia (with white flowers) grows in Sri Lanka .
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
මුස්සැන්ද/වෙල්-බුත්සරණ[Mussenda, Wel-but-sarana] (Mussaenda frondosa)
Mussenda is a common
indigenous shrub of about 2m tall, grows in secondary forests, roadsides and forests
edges in both dry and wet zone from sea level to about 4000ft altitude. White
leaves of this plant are edible and fried and eaten like ‘papadam’. All most all parts of this plant have
medicinal values. Congee made from all the parts of the plant are used to treat
hepatitis while roots used for white leprosy and flowers for asthma, fever and
dropsy. Leaves and flowers are also used to remove inflammations and as a
detergent for ulcers (Medicinal plants used in Ceylon Part 4 – Jayaweera).
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Peacock Pansy (Jumonia almana almana)
Common butterfly of low country paddy fields, chena cultivations and edges of tanks, becoming uncommon above the mid-hills. According to the D’abrera it is very hardy butterfly surviving even after the natural vegetation has been ruined by mankind. He elaborates that It is almost always the only butterflies found in vacant lots, deserted gardens, overgrown estates and the like (The Butterflies of Ceylon - D'abrera 1998). Larva of peacock pansy feeds on Heen Bovitiya (Osbeckia octandra), Lindernia rotundifolia and various other plants of family Acanthaceae (An Illustrated guide to Butterflies of Ceylon – Rajika Gamage – 2007). It takes part in migrations.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
කෑරලා [Kerala]/Black-rumped Flameback(Dinopium benghalense)
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