හීන් ඇඹුල් ඇඹිලිය/රට ඇඹල[Heen-embul-embiliya/Rata-embala]/Common Sorrel, Indian Sorrel (Oxalis corniculata)

Very common introduced herb found all over the island in cultivated grounds, wastelands, roadsides etc.. Native plant of European Mediterranean region. Flowering throughout the year and flowers open around 9.00AM and close early afternoon.

Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)

Black Bulbul is a common breeding resident of forests and nearby well wooded home gardens and plantations of wet zone lowlands to hills, while local and rare in dry lowlands (Mostly found in dry zone riparian forests) and higher hills. It feeds mainly on fruits, berries, figs and insects in canopy as small flocks keeping up a continual noisy conversation. Its main breeding season is from March to May and possible second brood occurs again from July to September. The nest is a small cup place on a tree fork where it lays two eggs.

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කටු අන්නාසි/වැට අන්නාසි[Katu Annasi/Weta Annasi] (Bromelia pinguin)

Native plant of West Indies and South America, introduced to Sri Lanka probably before 1864 (Flora of Ceylon Vol 14). Katu Annasi is grown in coconut estates and home gardens as a fence plant since its spiny margin leaves stop intrusion of cattle and human. Fruit edible and flowering occurs mainly during March to June.  It is common in Gampaha and Nittabuwa areas where above pictures were also taken. 

Dark Cerulean (Jamides bochus bochus)

Common butterfly of all the year round in all over the island, especially in South. It is a migratory butterfly and Ormiston has recorded that “It often flights in great numbers and these flights are usually composed of dwarf specimens” (Ormiston W. 1924). Males sometimes settle on wet patches on roads to absorb minerals. Its larva feeds on Centrosema plumieri,  Senna occidentalis (පැණි තෝර/Coffee Senna/Coffee Weed), Acacia auriculiformis (Earpod wattle), Cajanus cajan (රට තෝර/Dhal/Pigeon Pea/Chick Pea/Red Gram), Canavalia cathartica (මූදු අවර/වල් අවර), Clitoria ternatea (නිල් කටරොළු/Blue butterfly pea/Butterfly bean),  Crotalaria micans (Caracas rattle box), Derris scandens (කල වැල්), වල් උඳු (Flemingia macrophylla), Gliricidia sepium (කෝන/Mexican Lilac), Lablab purpureus, Macrotyloma uniflorum, Derris elliptica, Phaseolus vulgaris,  Pongamia pinnata (මඟුල් කරඳ/ගල් කරඳ/කරඳ/Indian Beech/Mullikulam Tree), Pterocarpus indicus, Neustanthus phaseoloides, Sesbania grandiflora (කතුරු මුරුංගා/Agati/Vegetable hummongbird), Tephrosia candida, Tephrosia vogelii (Vogel's tephrosia), Vigna radiata (මුං/මුං ඇට/බූ මෑ/Green gram/Jerusalem pea/Mung bean),  Vigna unguiculata (මෑ කරල්/ ලී මෑ/වඳුරු මෑ/Black-eye Bean/Cowpea) and Centrosema pubescens (Butterfly-pea).

ගොන් කඳුරු[Gon-Kaduru]/Suicide Tree (Cerbera odollam)

An indigenous tree common in coastal areas, along rivers and behind mangrove forests, both in wet and dry zone. Also planted between paddy fields and along roads. Fruit poisonous. 

සර්ප රාජාලියා [Sarpa Rajaliya]/Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela spilogaster)

Crested Serpent Eagle is a common breeding resident of forests and wooded areas throughout the island. It is a common sight in such areas of soaring and circling up birds usually in pairs to great heights on sunny days, frequently uttering its loud ringing call. As its name implies, Crested serpent eagle feeds mainly on snakes. But frogs, lizards, rodents and probably injured or sick bird are also included in its prey. The breeding seasons is from February to May and nest a mass of sticks and twigs place on a tree in jungle where it lays single egg or occasionally two.

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දිවි කඳුරු[Divi-Kaduru]/Eve’s apple, forbidden fruit (Tabernaemontana dichotoma [Syn: Pagiantha dichotoma])

A common endemic tree of the secondary forests of the moist areas in lowlands to hills about 1200m a.s.l. The wood is used to carve traditional dancing masks. The white latex of the plant poisonous and can cause inflammation of the eye.

Dark-brand Bushbrown (Mycalesis mineus)

Dark-brand Bushbrown flies all over the island up to about 2500ft elevations. But it is much common in the low country grasslands. Larva feeds on Carpet grass/පොටු තණකොළ (Axonopus compressus) and Panicum maximum(ගිනි තණ/Guinea grass) of the family Poaceae. Dark-brand Bushbrown can be easily distinguished from the similar Common Bushbrown by four lower ocelli of hind wing. Four lower ocelli lie in a straight line of this species.

නිල් පුරුක්[Nil Puruk]/Wayside tuberose/Minnieroot (Ruellia tuberosa)

A native of tropical America, introduced and grows among grasses on roadside drains, grasslands etc. in coastal areas and dry lowlands up to mid hills. Flowering throughout the year. 

නයා/නාගයා[Naya/Nagaya]/Spectacled Cobra/Indian Cobra(Naja naja)

Cobra is a highly venomous snake that is accountable for large number of human mortalities annually. It is diurnal and terrestrial in habits though some nocturnal activities are also known. However it may climb trees in search of prey and also can swim well.  It inhabits forests, plantations, paddy fields etc. most of the time close to human habitations. It feeds basically on rodents and varies other small animals (Rats, lizards, other snakes, frogs, birds and their eggs, etc). It is also cannibalistic. In Sri Lanka Cobra is common in all over the island except in higher hills. It has neurotoxic venom.

Goat-scented passion-flower/Common passion flower (Passiflora foetida)

Common climbing herb native to the tropical America. Introduced and naturalized in waste places, forest edges etc. of the island. This plant has a very unpleasant smell. 

Eurasian Collared Dove/Indian Ring Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

 Eurasian Collared Dove  is a breeding resident with limited distribution in coastal areas of north-west to north and north-east of the island.  It feeds on grains, grass seeds, etc on ground of open areas and scrublands, as pairs or sometime as scattered flocks. The breeding season is from April to May and it builds typical dove type nest with small sticks and grass-stalks on a thorny tree or among dense mangrove bushes.

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Vietnamese Pepper/wild Betel (Piper Sarmentosum)

An introduced prostrate herb native to Northeastern India, South China and Malaysia. Cultivated in home gardens. 

Red Pierrot (Talicada nyseus nyseus)

Common insect found in lowlands up to mid hills, throughout the year.  It roosts on flower heads or flower stalks during the evening hours in groups of several, sometime up to a dozen. The larva feeds inside the thick leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata (අක්කපාන/රට ගෝවා Air plant/Coirama) and coming out only to pupate. Its larva also feeds on other species of Kalanchoe such as Kalanchoe blossfeldiana and Kalanchoe laciniata. Egg laying was also observed on toxic Kalanchoe daigremontiana though larva refused to feed on it and died. Sometime yellow aberrations occurs where orange patch of upper wings replaced by yellow. 

Tropical girdlepod (Mitracarpus hirtus)

Native plant of tropical America. Introduced and now common weed along roadsides, cultivation and waste lands of the island.

Brown-capped Babbler/රෙදි දියන්/හිස දුඹුරු දෙමළිච්චා/ශ්‍රි ලංකා බොරග පිරී දෙමළිච්චා (Pellorneum fuscocapillus)

An uncommon and endemic bird distributed locally from lowlands to mid hill forests. It is a bird of undergrowth and spends its time mostly on seeking insects among leaf litter usually as pairs or as small flocks.  Brown-capped Babbler breeds during November to March and again in September. The nest is an untidy dome of dead leaves, set at base of a tree or shrub in deep forest.  Two races can be identified in Sri Lanka in three climatic zones wet, dry and hills. Wet zone specimens are much darker than paler dry zone birds. 

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Banded Redeye (Gangara lebadea subfasciata)

Very rare skipper found in lowlands of the island while females are much rarer than males. It is the second largest Hesperiidae of Sri Lanka. It flies dawn of the day and again late in the evening. W. Ormiston noted that “I have never seen a specimen alive….and the Kandy collectors brought me plenty in August, 1918 and 1919” (Ormiston W. 1924). No information available on its early stages in Sri Lanka.

Bellyache bush (Jatropha dissecta [Syn: Jatropha gossipifolia])

Introduced as an ornamental plant probably during British period* and now escaped and naturalized mainly in dry lowlands. It is a native plant of Central and South America to Caribbean islands.

*A specimen available at Peradeniya herbarium collected from the gardens there in May 1887 by some unknown collector. [Flora of Sri Lanka Vol XI]

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis)

Rather uncommon breeding resident of forests and adjoining well wooded home gardens throughout the island, primarily in wet zone and riverine habitats of dry zone while much common in the hill country. It is very active bird and can be seen usually running up and down about tree trunks and branches of trees in searching insects that hide beneath barks. It keeps in pairs and breeds during January to May. The nest builds inside a natural cavity or abandoned nest-hole of a barbet in a tree where it lays 3-4 eggs.

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පැණි තෝර[Peni-tora]/Coffee-senna/Coffee-weed (Senna occidentalis [Cassia occidentalis])

Common introduced weed in scrublands, road sides and waste places in the low country. Seeds are used as a substitute for coffee and leaves and other parts of the shrub are used in medicinally.