Little Branded Swift (Pelopidas agna)

Little branded Swift is a rare butterfly with not much data on its distribution in the island. As per Woodhouse it is more likely to be found in the mid to upper hills while other similar species Small Branded Swift (Pelopidas mathias) with larger spots flies in the low country to mid hills (L.G.O. Woodhouse, 1950). It inhabits grasslands and open areas. Larva feeds on Arundo donax, Ischaemum timorense and also Axonopus compressus only when offered.

කූඩලු[Kudalu]/Garden balsam/Common balsam (Impatiens balsamina)

An introduced (native? >>) annual herb native to India and Southeast Asian mainland.  It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and also escaped and naturalized along roadsides and open places. 

Euploca marifolia subsp. marifolia [Syn: Heliotropium scabrum]

A spreading or procumbent indigenous herb occurs along roadsides and wastelands of the dry zone. 

Annotated checklist of vagrant Shrikes (Family: Laniidae) recorded in Sri Lanka

     Birds that appear outside their normal range are known as vagrants. This post summarizes up to date published sight records of vagrants of the family Laniidae (Shrikes) in Sri Lanka.

Great Grey Shrike [Northern Shrike/Southern Grey Shrike](Lanius excubitor meridionalis)

First sight record of it is from a scrub jungle on the outskirts of paddy cultivation near Kekirawa during December 1940 (Phillips W.W.A, 1978). Second record is from 6-7^th mile of Murunkan - Silavaturai Road in May 1974 (Hoffmann, T. W., 1975).

Several other sightings are - 

1) Single bird from Maho in January 1978 (Hoffmann, T. W.,1979), 

2) Single bird (Pied Shrike?) from Pannikar villu-Wilpattu in January 1983 (Hoffmann, T. W., 1984), 

3) Single bird at Hantana in January 1985 (Hoffmann, T. W., 1986), 

4) Two sighting in February 1986 - one at Buttuwa in Yala and other one at Horton plains (Hoffmann, T. W., 1987) 

5) Sighting of two birds at Ampitiya in January 1992 (Hoffmann, T. W.. 1993)

Reference:

Hoffmann, T. W., 1975. Notes From The Ceylon Bird Club, 1974. Loris, 13(5), 275-276.

Hoffmann, T. W., 1979. Note from the Ceylon Bird club 1978. Loris, 15(1), p6-8.

Hoffmann, T. W., 1984. Notes from the Ceylon Bird Club 1983. Loris, 16(6), 299-301.

Hoffmann, T. W., 1986. Notes from the Ceylon Bird Club 1985. Loris, 17(3), 99-101.

Hoffmann, T. W., 1987. Notes from the Ceylon Bird Club 1986. Loris, 17(5), 209-210

Hoffmann, T. W., 1993. Notes from the Ceylon Bird Club, 1992. Loris, 20(1), p12-14.

Phillips W.W.A, 1978. Annotated checklist of the Birds of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1978 revised edition

Elephant ear (Caladium bicolor)

Native herb of South America. Introduced as an ornamental foliage and escaped and naturalized in the lowland open disturbed areas, especially in rubber plantations.

Gymnostachyum hirsutum

Rather rare endemic herb occurs along stream banks of submontane secondary forests. Flowering from April to July.

Philippine Swift (Catloris philippina seriata)

Rare butterfly found in wet zone habitats from lowlands to about 300ft elevation of the hills. Larva feeds on Bambusa multiplex, Bambusa vulgaris (උණ), Bambusa tuldoides, Dendrocalamus giganteus, Schizostachyum brachycladum and Ochlandra stridula (බට) of the family Poaceae.

Cyanotis axillaris

An indigenous herb occurs margins of tanks, ponds, rock pools and water holes, swamps, moist grassy and seepage areas, grasslands, roadsides, roadside ditches, etc, from sea level to 470 m elevations. Flowering from October to April and July.

Youth and Age (Zinnia elegans)

Native herb of Mexico. Introduced as an ornamental plant and cultivated in gardens. Also escaped and perhaps naturalized in the waste grounds and margins of fields. 

Small Buttonquail (Annotated checklist of vagrant Buttonquails(Family: Turnicidae) of Sri Lanka)

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

      1) Small Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus dussumier)

Single sight record from the Buttuwa wewa area of the Yala national park in February 1978 by Dr. Ben King, an American ornithologist, is the only record of the occurrence of this bird in Sri Lanka (Hoffmann, T. W. 1979 & Hoffmann, T. W., 1978)

References:
    

     Hoffmann, T. W., 1979. Note from the Ceylon Bird club 1978. Loris, 15(1), p 6-8.

     Hoffmann, T. W., 1978. New birds in Sri Lanka. Loris, 14(5), 308.

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

Barleria cristata

An indigenous small shrub native to Southeast Asia. Cultivated in gardens. Flowering throughout the year.

Lagenandra koenigii

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

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

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. 

ගස්-නිදිකුම්බා/බින්-නෙල්ලි[Gas-Nidikumba/Bin-Nelli] (Biophytum reinwardtii)

An indigenous herb common on disturbed grounds and shady places from lowlands to mid-hills. 

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. 

කෝනිය[Koniya]/Adolfina/Purple-wreath/Queen's wreath/Sandpiper vine(Petrea volubilis)

Introduced woody vine or subshrub native to Mexico and Central America. Cultivated as an ornamental plant.

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. 

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.

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.