Jerdon's Nightjar/Large-tailed Nightjar/Long-tailed Nightjar/Horsfield's Jungle Nightjar/ දිගුපෙඳ බිම්බස්සා [Dhigupedha bimbassa] (caprimulgus atripennis)

Common breeding resident of dry lowlands to drier mid hills. Local and uncommon in wet lowlands. Jerdon's Nightjar inhabits scrub lands, chena cultivation and wooded areas. It roosts on the ground during the day time in a well camouflages shady location. Nesting on the ground without a nest, often at the side of a jungle path, from February to May and possibly again from August to September.  It feeds on various flying insects such as beetles, termites etc.

Meistera masticatorium [Syn: Amomum masticatorium]

Large endemic herb specimens collected so far only from few places of the Kandy district (Flora of Ceylon Vol 4). It grows in moist forests.

කටකළුවා/මුදුහබරා[Katakaluva/Muduhabara]/Trinket Snake (Coeloganthus helena)

The Trinket snake is a common non-venomous, terrestrial snake widely distributed in lowlands up to about 600m elevation. It can be found both in forests and anthropological habitats mostly closer to water bodies. It is active during morning hours as well as dusk and considered as a diurnal snake though nocturnal habitats have been observed too. When cornered Trinket snake expands its fore body and open mouth displaying its black color. Hence the vernacular name Katakaluwa (One with a black mouth). It feeds on rodents, frogs and lizards. 

* One depicting in above photographs is a juvenile albino snake with about 36mm length, encountered in a home garden. Distinct black lines of the neck  region and black streak behind the eye are faint of this specimen unlike it is with normal snakes. It had red eyes as it is always with albino animals.

කූඩලු [Koodalu](Impatiens elongata)

An endemic herb found in riverside rocks, near waterfalls, scrub covered slopes or in open places in  montane forests (1170 - 2000m a.s.l.)

Spotted Skink (Eutropis madaraszi)

An endemic skink found in rock crevices, leaf litter of forests or under logs in both wet and dry zone up to about 800m elevation .

Bladderwort (Utricularia moniliformis)

Only endemic member of the bladderwort flower family with local distribution in south-central hills of Sri Lanka (750-2300m a.s.l). It can be found on wet rocks as well as tree trunks. Flowering from July to December. It is a insectivorous tiny herb which lacks true roots to absorb nutrients from the soil. Bladderwort plants have tiny hollow sacks less than 1mm in diameter (bladders) that lie below ground level to capture and digest small protozoans and insect larva.

Broad line Strip Rasbora/දන්ඩියා/කුඩමස්සා [Dandiya/Kudamassa] (Rasbora dandiya)

Very common freshwater fish found in streams, rivers, paddy fields and tanks throughout the lowlands up to about 700m altitude.

කූඩලු [Koodalu](Impatiens cornigera)

An endemic herb growing in shady places amongst rocks or pathways usually near streams and rivers of lowland and hill country rain forests (165-  1400m a.s.l. ). Color of the flower varies from yellow, pink, pale violet purple to white. 

Blank Swift (Caltoris kumara)

Blank Swift is a rare butterfly found in hill country above 300ft (Woodhouse L.G.O, 1950). Ormiston recorded it from Haldummulla and hills above Rathnapura and Woodhouse from Corbet's gap[most months of the year] and Madugoda [plentiful in March and Apri] (Woodhouse L.G.O, 1950 & Ormiston W., 1924). Above photograph was taken at Sinharaja World Heritage site (~1700ft a.s.l). Its larva feeds on Davidsea attenuata and also Bambusa multiplex only when offered.

Alpinia abundiflora

An indigenous large herb grows in the hill country forests. Flowering from February to November.

Rufous Horse-shoe Bat (Rhinolophus rouxii)

Rufous Horseshoe Bat is a common bat occurs from forested parts of the low country to the lower hills (500 m a.s.l) while becoming scarce above 1300 m a.s.l. It roosts day time in caves, old buildings, barns and dark culverts as large colonies of same species or sometime with other species of bats such as Schneider’s leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros speoris), Long-eared false vampire bat(Megaderma spasma) and Bi-colored leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros ater). But roosting single individuals or small parties are also not uncommon in such places. It emerges late in the evening from the roosting site and catch small flying insects (Moths, Beetles etc.) by flying about 3-4 feet above the ground below trees or sometime darting at the prey from a perched position in a low bushes. This bat occurs in two color forms,  brown and orange, while later color phase bats are much common during the winter months of the northern hemisphere (Yapa A. & Ratnavira G., 2013). 

වල් - කිඩාරම් [Wal-Kidaram] (Arisaema leschenaultii)

Rather rare indigenous herb found in shady places in the hill country. The "flower" is hooded with the green spathe protecting the interior, which contains the true flowers from the rain. 

Muller's shrub frog (Pseudophilautus sarasinorum)

An endemic shrub frog confined to the sub-montane forests from 600 to 1300m in Central and Knuckles hills. It can be observed on moss covered rocks and trees near forest streams as well as such anthropogenic habitats.

පුංචි ලේනා[Punchi Leana]Dusky striped jungle squirrel (Funambulus obscurus)

The smallest squirrel in Sri Lanka with relatively short tail compared with the other squirrels. It is distributed in wet zone forests from lowlands to higher hills. It is strictly forest dweller though sometime visits adjoining well wooded home gardens. Dusky striped jungle squirrel feeds on insects, grubs, flowers, fruits and often follows mix-species feeding flocks of birds, closer to the ground in search of disturbed insects and grubs by the birds. They are often encountered as pairs and keep contacts with each others with bird-like contact call. 

සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න >>

Hare-bell (Wahlenbergia marginata)

An indigenous and common herb found in Patana lands and rocky areas of the higher hills (1400-2400 m). Flowering throughout the year though chiefly from December to May.

Malayan (Megisba malaya)

Malayan is a common butterfly occurs from lowlands to hills (Up to about 400ft). The dry seasonal form is large. Males often settle on damp earth and bird dropping to absorb minerals. Its larval food plant are Allophylus cobbe (බූ-කොබ්බෑ\කොබ්බෑ), Mallotus rhamnifolius (මොළබෑ/බුලු හුලු කැප්පෙටියා), Mallotus philippensis, and Mallotus eriocarpus.

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බුලත් හපයා/මනමාලයා[Bulath Hapaya/Manamalaya]/Black Ruby Barb(Pethiya nigrofasciatus)

An endemic fish restricted to slow flowing clear, shady forest streams with gravel or sand substrate from wet lowlands up to about 300m elevation from Maha Oya to Walawe basin. 

Eulophia graminea

Rather rare terrestrial orchid species grows in open places under partial shade in the dry regions. 

Blue Pursuer (Potamarcha congener)

Blue Pursuer is a locally common dragonfly found in small weedy ponds and marshes from lowlands to mid-hills. 

සුදු වේවැල්/තුඩරෑන[Sudu Wewal/Thuda rena] (Calamus ovoideus)

An endemic rattan climbing about 50-70 m height, occurs in wet lowlands and lower montane forests up to about 1500m a.s.l. Flowering in April and fruits ripen during September - October. Canes use to make furniture and baskets.