Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Lagenandra koenigii

An endemic semi-aquatic herb occurs in small streams and wet places in the wet zone rain forests. 

Monday, March 30, 2015

Common Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe simulata)

Common butterfly found in all elevations of the country throughout the year. Common grass yellow is a migratory species. Its larval host plants are
  1. Sesbania bispinosa
  2. Sesbania grandiflora (කතුරු මුරුංගා/Agati/Vegetable hummongbird)
  3. Sesbania speciosa
  4. Acacia eburnea (කුකුල් කටු/ගිනි අන්දර/Cockspur Thorn)
  5. Acacia leucophloea(මහ අන්දර/කටු අන්දර)
  6. Aeschynomene americana (Thornless mimosa)
  7. Aeschynomene aspera (මහ දිය සියඹලා/Pith plant/Shola/Shola pith)

  8. Aeschynomene indica (දිය සියඹලා/හීන් දිය සියඹලා/Indian jointvetch/Budda pea)
  9. Albizia chinensis (කබල් මාර/හුලං මාර)
  10. Albizia lebbeck (සූරිය මාර)
  11. Albizia odoratissima (සූරිය මාර)
  12. Caesalpinia hymenocarpa (ගොඩ වවුලැටිය)
  13. Caesalpinia pulcherrima (මොණර මල්/Peacock flower/Paradise flower)
  14. Cassia roxburghii (රතු වා/Ceylon cassia/Red cassia)
  15. Pithecellobium dulce (මැනිලා සියඹලා/Madras thorn/Manila Tamarind)
  16. Senna alata (රට තෝර/Candle bush/Candle stick/Rinworm shrub)
  17.  Senna tora (පෙති තෝර/Pot Cassia/Sickle Senna)
  18. Vachellia nilotica (කටු කිහිරි)
  19. Chamaecrista absus
  20. Mimosa diplotricha (Giant sensitive plant/Creeping mimosa)
  21. Cassia grandis

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Hanging lobster claw (Heliconia rostrata)

An introduced large herb native to tropical South America from eastern Amazon region of Ecuador and Peru. Cultivated in home gardens as an ornamental plant. 

Friday, March 27, 2015

Rivulet Tiger (Gomphidia pearsoni)

Rivulet Tiger is the biggest of all endemic Clubtails. It occurs in streams, rivulets and rivers in the primary and secondary rain forests and adjacent less disturbed habitats in the central and southwestern part of the island. Distribution records also available from outskirt of Knuckles range and Diyaluma fall area of southeastern mid-hills. 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Malaxis thwaitesii [Malaxis lancifolia]

Very rare endemic terrestrial orchid species growing on rocks along water courses in the wet evergreen lowland forests, up to about 610 m elevations. 

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

වන හැලපෙන්දා/Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)

Common winter migrant occurs in all zones. It can be found in open country and paths close to wooded areas, home gardens, paddy fields, forest margins, etc. as solitary birds, in pairs or as scattered small flocks. However in the evening they flocks to a communal roosting spot. Unlike other wagtails it wags its tail from side to side. Forest Wagtail spend its time mainly on the forest floor in search of foods and flies up into a tree if disturbed. It breeds in the north-eastern parts of the Asia.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia seguine)

An introduced large herb native to tropical South America. Cultivated as an ornamental foliage plant and also naturalized in wet places like ditches and canals in the wet lowlands.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Hortonia angustifolia

An endemic small tree locally common along stream banks in wet lowland forests up to about 700 m elevation. Flowering July to November. 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Yellow Palm Dart (Cephrenes trichopepla)

Yellow Palm Dart is a butterfly restricted to the Australian region. It was first recorded in Sri Lanka by Dr. George (Michael) van der Poorten in July 2009. It is believed that it was accidentally introduced to the country by palms brought by horticulture trade. Yellow Palm Dart is now well established in western and Northwestern part of the island. In Sri Lanka its larva feeds on varies palms such as පොල්/Coconut(Cocos nucifera), ඉඳි (Phoenix pusilla) and Saribus rotundifolius

Friday, March 20, 2015

Blue crossandra (Pseuderanthemum variabile [Syn: Pseuderanthemum grandiflorum)

Native shrub of tropical Asia. Introduced and cultivated in home gardens as an ornamental.  Flowering probably all year round.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Red cestrum (Cestrum elegans)

An introduced straggling herb native to Mexico. Cultivated as an ornamental plant and also naturalized in the hills, usually along forest margins. 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Lesser Flamingo (Annotated checklist of vagrant Flamingos (Family: Phoenicopteridae) of Sri Lanka)

      Birds that appear outside their normal range are known as vagrants. This post listed up to date published sight records of a single *unconfirmed vagrant of the family Phoenicopteridae (Flamingos) in Sri Lanka.

* Species for which there are only one or two sight records exist categorized here as unconfirmed vagrants. Problematic records without sufficient details are also included.


     1) Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor)
Although definite evidence were lacking there were references to the possible presence of Lesser flamingos among Greater Flamingos in Hambantota area in September 1975 (Hoffmann, T. W., 1976). As per Kotagama & Ratnavira only record of Lesser Flamingo migrating to the Sri Lanka is the four birds recorded in a lagoon near Hambantota in 4th January 1983 (Kotagama S. & Ratnavira G. 2010: 170 Quoting CBCN 1984, Dec: 43). However CBC has listed this sight record under Appendix 2 of its country list (http://www.ceylonbirdclub.org/Appendix-II.pdf)) under the criteria of the report ‘lacks sufficient diagnostic detail or, where necessary, sufficient comparison with ‘confusion’ species or subspecies; and there is therefore doubt as to the identification of the bird concerned’. However CBC web site posted a recent sight record on 19th February 2013 of two Lesser Flamingos from Jaffna on the Karainagar Causeway reported by Uditha Hettige, Lester Perera and Udaya Sirivardana (http://www.ceylonbirdclub.org/the_ceylon_bird_club_news.php).

References:

Hoffmann, T. W., 1976. Notes from the Bird Club 1975. Loris, 14(1), 35-36.
Kotagama, S., Ratnavira, G., 2010. An illustrated Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka. Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka, Colombo.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

කුකුළු වැල්[Kukulu-Wel](Calamus digitatus)


An endemic liana occurs in forest understorey and forest gaps from southwestern wet lowlands to lower montane forests below 1500 m. Flowering and fruiting occurs sporadically throughout the year.

Monday, March 16, 2015

තාරා මල්[Thaara-mal]/Pelican flower(Aristolochia ringens)

An introduced twining climber native to the West Indies and tropical South America. Cultivated and also locally naturalized in the wet zone.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Sri Lankan Tiger/Monarch (Parantica taprobana)

Sri Lankan Tiger is an endemic butterfly Occurs above 1000 m elevation and common above 1200 m though occasionally found as low as 800 m elevation. It inhabits forests and well wooded hill country home gardens. Larva feeds on Ceropegia elegans, Cynanchum alatum and Vincetoxicum iphisia. Larva also fed on Vincetoxicum bracteatum when offered in the lab and egg laying was observed on Vincetoxicum cordifolium.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

ගල් දෙමට[Gal-Demata](Impatiens repens)

An endemic prostrate herb occurs mainly on rocks, in moist and shaded places in wet zone up to about 1200 m elevations. Flowering most of the year.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Greater Crested Tern (Sterna bergii velox)

A common breeding resident* inhabiting coastal waters, lagoons, estuaries, salt-pans, sand spits and tidal flats as small to large flocks. It feeds entirely on fish. Greater Crested Tern breeds colonially on remote off-shore rocky islets, Adam's bridge islands and sometime in remote coastal areas from May to July.  A single egg is laid on bare sand without any nest. 

*Race thalassina is considered as a vagrant to western coastal areas.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

පුරුක්(Puruk)/Ganges primrose/Chinese violet (Asystasia gangetica)

An indigenous herb native to tropical Asia. Cultivated in home gardens and also grows along roadsides and secondary forest edges in dry lowlands and mid country. (J.&J. de Vlas, 2008 ).  Flowering from January to September.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

රෂ්ණී[Rasni] (Lobelia nicotianifolia)

Giant unbranched herb common in open grassy slopes at altitude between 650-1400 m. Flowering from December to April.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Quaker (Neopithicops zalmora)


Quaker is a common butterfly occurs in forested areas from low lands to hills (Up to about 500ft) all the year round. It takes part in migrations and often settles on damp earth, sometime in swarms. Quaker's dry seasonal form is larger than wet seasonal form. Larva feeds on leaves of  Glycosmis pentaphylla (දොඩම්පාන) Glycosmis angustifolia (බොල් පනා) and  Atalantia ceylanica (වල් දෙහි/යකිනාරන්/‍යක් දෙහි) 

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Friday, March 6, 2015

කුමුඳු/මහ-ඇඹල/ඕලු[Kumudhu/Maha-Ambala/Olu]/Water-snowflake (Nymphoides indica)

Common indigenous aquatic herb occurs in ponds, tanks and shallow streams in the low country up to about 450 m a.s.l. Flowering throughout the year.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Heuglin's Gull(Larus heuglini)

A common winter migrant to northern and north-western coastal waters, lagoons, tidal-flats and salt-pans as small to large flocks. It can be seen sometime scavenging in harbours and following fishing boats. Heuglin's Gull feeds mainly on fish and other small marine animals. But also eats carrion and other garbage thrown overboard while following ships and fishing vessels. It breeds in Siberia and North Europe.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Championia reticulata

An endemic perennial herb occurs from moist low country to southwestern lower hills and western hill country forests up to about 1000m a.s.l. Flowering February - March  and July-August (Probably also in other months)

Monday, March 2, 2015

ලංකා ගල්පර දිය මැඩියා [Lanka Galpara Madiya]/Sri Lankan Rock Frog (Nannophrys ceylonensis )

Sri Lankan Rock Frog occurs from lowlands to mid hills in the wet zone between 60-1070m elevations. It inhabits wet rock surfaces with narrow cracks and under boulders along shaded streams and cascades. Found on rocks during the night and usually hide under boulders and crevices during the day