Red ginger (Alpinia purpurata)

Large herb with flowering in most of the year. Introduced from its native countries probably of Malaysia or Pacific islands and widely cultivated in Sri Lanka as an ornamental plant with possible escaping to natural habitats.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus)

Mainly a winter visitor to the Sri Lanka, arriving in August and spread throughout the island avoiding deep forests, till May of next year though scarce breeding populations reported from South-Eastern coast. It preys on flying insects such as bees, wasps dragonflies and butterflies sallying out from top of trees where it perch often as flocks of few birds usually less than ten. It frequently bath in rivers and tanks plunging into the water while on the wings.

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Common Hedge Blue (Acytolepis puspa felderi)

Locally common butterfly found in forested areas of the island.  Its larva feeds on Hiptage benghalensis (පුවක් ගෙඩියා වැල්), Bridelia moonii (පත් කෑල), Bridelia retusa (කැටකෑල), Meliosma simplicifolia (ඇල්බැද්ද), Lepisanthes tetraphylla (දාඹු), Nephelium lappaceum(රඹුටන්), Sapindus emarginatus, Schleichera oleosa(කෝන්/Ceylon Oak) and Peltophorum pterocarpum (Copper pod/Yellow flame/Yellow poinciana), . It takes part in migrations.

Black-tipped Flashwing (Vestalis apicalis nigrescens)

An endemic damselfly found near forest streams and rivers from lower hills to montane areas. It is common and often found together with Oriental Green-Wing and Shining Gossamerwing.

කුඩා-හැඩයා[Kuda-Hadaya](Huperzia pulcherrima)

An epiphyte on mossy tree trunks or on rocks in mid and up country secondary forests up to about 2400m a.s.l. Use for the preparation of medicinal oil to treat snake-bite as it is with Maha –Hadaya (Huperzia phlegmaria) 

Sri Lanka dull-blue Flycatcher (Eumyias sordidus)

An endemic bird confined to the forests, home gardens and cultivations of hill country and humid locations in low country wet zone. It is locally common in such areas. It feeds on flying insects usually perching on a branch of a shady tree. It also eats berries. Dull blue flycatcher breeds from March to September in a nest made of moss, fern roots etc and place in a hole in a tree or road bank. 

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ඉරුරාජ[Iru-Raja] (Zeuxine regia)

An endemic orchid species grows among leaf litter of forest floor under the shade of trees in sub-montane and mid country forests. Iru-raja is used for treating snake-bite poisoning in traditional medicine. Flowers during December and January.

Chocolate Albatross (Appias lyncida taprobana)

Rare butterfly of southern low country of the island.  Flight fast and strong. Male often settle on damp earth. Its larva feeds on leaves of Crateva adansonii (ලුණුවරණ) of the family Capparaceae . Chocolate albatross is a butterfly which appears irregularly, being almost entirely absent in certain years.  According to the Woodhouse (Woodhouse L.G.O. The Butterfly fauna of Ceylon 1950) it can usually be ‘taken’ from May to October. 

Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris radicata)

Native plant of Europe. Introduced as an ornamental plant and now naturalized in moist grasslands of montane areas above 5000ft. Flowering from December to July

Euphorbia rothiana(Common hill spurge)

Common indigenous erect herb distributed in shady places of montane grasslands and secondary forests. Flowering occurs from September to December with characteristic white flowers with two green bracts, on top of the plant.

ගල් ඉබ්බා[Gal ibba]/Black Turtle (Melanochelys trijuga)

Two subspecies occurs in the island

1)        Melanochelys trijuga parkeri (Parker’s Black Turtle) – Larger than Spotted Black turtle with more dark shell and uniform olive brown head (or sometime spotted with orange).  It is restricted to Northern areas of the country.

2)        Melanochelys trijuga thermalis (Spotted Black Turtle) – Head spotted with red orange or pink. Widespread in lowland wet and dry zones up to elevation of about 4200ft a.s.l.

Both subspecies are omnivorous and act as a scavenger.  It inhabits still water bodies with aquatic vegetations and spend many hours basking during the day time and forages at night.

මහ-හැඩයා[Maha –Hadaya] (Huperzia phlegmaria)

An epiphyte on trees or on rocks in mid and up-country forests up to 1200m a.s.l. It is used in snakebite treatments by traditional medical practitioners.

Green’s Gem (Libellago greeni)

Green’s Gem is a locally common endemic damselfly of low and mid hill forest streams and rivers.  

Grass orchid (Arundina graminifolia)

an indigenous terrestrial orchid species with grass like stem and leaves occurs  in open areas and Patana lands of higher elevations. 

Rustic (Cupha erymanthis placida)

An uncommon butterfly found in jungles throughout the island, while becoming rare in the higher hills. Its larva feeds on Flacourtia inermis (Livi-lovi),  Flacourtia indica (උගුරැස්ස), Scolopia acuminata, Scolopia pusilla (කටු කෑර/කටු කුරුඳු/කටු කෙන්ද) and Homalium ceylanicum

කිරිහැන්ඳ[Kiri-hendha]/Silver-spiked cockscomb (Celosia argentea)

An introduced weed of cultivated lands, roadsides, waste lands etc. of low country. Very common in low country dry zone. 

ගෝනා[Goana]/Sambar (Cervus unicolor)

Sambar is the largest member of the deer family lives in the country. It is distributed throughout the island where sizable forest lands or grasslands still remains. However due to illegal poaching in other areas Sambar is today almost restricted to the protected national parks. Horton plains are the only place where Sambar is seen in herds of considerable size. Except man the main predator of Sambar is the leopard while Crocodiles, Pythons and Jackals sometime take fawns. They are mostly active during night and grazing on grasses and take leaves and shoots of plants. Again exception can be seen in Horton plains where they may feed in the evening and early morning. 

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Acmella uliginosa [Syn: Spilanthes iabadicensis]

An introduced herb common in moist grounds like paddy fields, ditches, stream edges, etc.  Yellow flowers blooms from August to March.

Yerbury’s Elf (Tetrathemis yerburyii)

A very rare endemic dragonfly of small size inhabits ponds and stagnant pools along streams of mid-hill rainforests. Museum specimens were so far collected from Hanguranketha, Hatton and Kandy (The dragonflies of Sri Lanka – Terrence the Fonseka). Therefore de Fonseka has noted that it is confined to the submontane areas of the island. However above picture was taken at the Horagolla national park (7° 8'29.44"N,  80° 5'2.83"E) a lowland rain forest patch of about 33acres in Gampaha district 170 ft a.s.l.

Nigger (Orsotriena medus mandata)

Common butterfly flies in southern part of the island from sea level to about 5000ft a.s.l. all the year round. It is scarce in the North. The eggs are laid on the under side of a blade of varies grass species of the family Poaceae and larva feeds on them such as Carpet grass/පොටු තණකොළ (Axonopus compressus),  Leersia hexandra (ලෙව්/Bareet Grass), Oryza sativa and Panicum maximum(ගිනි තණ/Guinea grass).