තල[Tala]/Talipot palm(Corypha umbraculifera)

Leaves of Talipot palm tree have been using for writing since ancient times and it has a very restricted distribution ⁽¹⁾ and it is always associated with human habitations. So it is believed that it was introduced to the Sri Lanka from India for the purpose of documenting Buddhist sacred text and other writings. Flowering occurs when the tree is around 40 years old and most probably all the trees in the vicinity blooms with flowers simultaneously possibly because they are of same age due to seed crop of same parent tree. Other than for writing, leaves use for thatching, as umbrellas and for basket and mat weavings.               

(1) According to the Flora of Ceylon Vol 14 its distribution is limited to the narrow belt bordering northern wet and intermediate lowlands [Molagoda, Warakapola, Mirigama, Gampaha Mathale, Gampola, Galewela] and the eastern intermediate lowlands [Badulla, Ranwala, Godakawela]

Scarlet Basker (Urothemis signata signata)

Common dragonfly from lowlands to lower hills. Found in weedy tanks, paddy fields, streams and marsh lands.

වල් ලූනු[Wal lunu]/Barbados lily (Hippeastrum puniceum)

Native plant of tropical America. It is cultivated in home gardens as an ornamental plant from lowlands to mid hills. Also occurred as an escaped and naturalized plant in waste lands and roadsides. 

වී කුරුල්ලා[Wee Kurulla]/Scaly-breasted Munia/Spotted Munia (Lonchura puntulata)

Very common resident bird of grasslands, gardens and paddy fields throughout the island. It lives as flocks of about ten birds and feeds on grass seeds and paddy. Scaly-breasted Munia breeds throughout the year though most nests are found in the period of October to May. The nest is a ball of grass blades in trees or shrubs. Thorny trees like lime or orange and sometime areca palm flowers are much favored nesting sites.  

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කටු කිතුල්[Katu Kithul] (Oncosperma fasciculatum)

An endemic palm with ‘black compressed spined trunk’ unlike much common Kithul palm (Caryota urens). It grows in wet lowland hilly areas such as foothills of Peak wilderness, Sinharaja, knuckles range etc. Usually found in steep rocky outcrops as clusters of trees.  

Common Cerulean (Jamides celeno tissama)

A Common butterfly of the island found in all climatic zones throughout the year.  W.Ormiston described unusual habit of male Common cerulean of taking up a position for days, and attacking every butterfly of about its own size that passes (The Butterflies of Ceylon Ormiston W. 1924). Larva of Common cerulean feeds on Centrosema plumieri, Entada zeylanica, Abrus precatorius (ඔළිඳ/Crab's Eyes/Indian Liquorice),  Abrus melanospermus,  Entada rheedei (පුස් වැල්),  වල් උඳු (Flemingia macrophylla), Pongamia pinnata (මඟුල් කරඳ/ගල් කරඳ/කරඳ/Indian Beech/Mullikulam Tree),Phaseolus vulgaris, Neustanthus phaseoloides, Vigna hosei, Vigna unguiculata (මෑ කරල්/ ලී මෑ/වඳුරු මෑ/Black-eye Bean/Cowpea) and  Vigna radiata (මුං/මුං ඇට/බූ මෑ/Green gram/Jerusalem pea/Mung bean)

කලා කීරිය/කටු කීරිය[Kala-kiriya/Katu-kiriya]/Indian Ginger/Snap-Ginger(Alpinia calcarata)

Native plant of India. Widely cultivated in Sri Lanka. Flowering from August to September.

Indigo Dropwing (Trithemis festiva)

Common dragonfly of ponds, streams and rivers from lowland plains to montane areas. It is usually found close to the water and can be seen settling on mid-stream rocks or overhanging twigs.

Sleeping hibiscus (Malvaviscus penduliflorus)

Native plant of tropical America from Mexico to Venezuela and Ecuador, cultivated in other tropical countries including Sri Lanka as an ornamental plant. Escaped and naturalized plants can be found along roadsides and scrub lands (Above picture was taken at Corbet's gap - Meemure road of the Knuckles range).  Flowering all the year round. 

ලේනා[Lena]/Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)

Most common squirrel of the country distributed throughout the island as four sub species. It is found in almost everywhere except in heavy jungles. Palm squirrel feeds on nuts, seeds, fruits, flowers, barks of the trees and when lives around houses rice, bread and such other scraps of humans. Usually it can be seen associated with yellow billed babblers.

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.