Sunday, October 20, 2019

White frangipani/Bridal bouquet (Plumeria pudica)

An introduced shrub native to Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. Cultivated as an ornamental in home gardens. 

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Desert Rose (Leuenbergeria bleo)

An introduced shrub native to Panama, Columbia and Venezuela. Cultivated in home gardens as an ornamental. 

Friday, October 18, 2019

Jacquemontia paniculata

Probably an indigenous vine occurs on sandy soil in the dry zone grasslands, thickets and cultivated lands. 

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Brahminy Blind Snake/Flowerpot Snake/දුමුටු කණඋල්ලා/[Dumutu Kanaulla](Indotyphlops braminus)

A small non venomous worm like blind snake lives under the soil, under and inside decaying logs, under stones and leaf litter. Brahminy Blind Snake is worldwide distributed as a result of human activities (Transported in the soil of plants. Hence its common name Flowerpot Snake). Flowerpot Snake feeds on ants, termites, insect larvae and on caterpillar droppings. It occurs from low country to about 1200 m elevations in Sri Lanka. It usually encountered crawling on soil surface during rains when they are flooded out of their subterranean haunts. Brahminy Blind Snake is a parthenogenesis (Entirely female) species producing 2 - 7 eggs without mating (In other words each individual able to found a new colony. Probably the only such snake species in the world). There is a belief that Blind Snakes enters the ears of people sleeping on the ground (Hence their vernacular name කණඋල්ලා)

Body length at birth - 35 mm
Body length of adult Snakes - 150 -170 mm

Monday, October 7, 2019

Pavonia zeylonica

An indigenous herb of roadsides, waste lands and disturbed habitats from coastal areas to about 600 m a.s.l. in the dry zone. 

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Common Guava Blue/Woodapple Blue (Virachola isocrates)

Rather common butterfly but seldom seen since it inhabits mainly the canopy. Widely distributed in arid, dry and intermediate zones of the country where its principal larval food plant Limonia acidissima (Woodapple/දිවුල්) grows. Its main flight season is from June to September. Larva feeds on the soft pulp of the Woodapple fruit after eating its way into the fruit through its hard shell. It also prevents the fruit fall by spinning a web around its stalk and top of the fruit. In Sri Lanka, Common Guava Blue  larva also feeds on කුකුරුමාන් (Catunaregam spinosa) and දෙළුම්/Pomergranate (Punica granatum) fruits.