කොහිල/ඇඟිලි කොහිල/මහ කොහිල[Kohila/Engili-Kohila/Maha-Kohila] (Lasia spinosa)

A native herb grows in marshy places in moist low lands. It is also cultivated since inside of stems and tender leaves are used in curries.

Flower – Greenish brown to dark purple twisted spathe of 20-55 cm long. It is half open at the base.

බට්ටිච්චා[Battichcha]/Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)

Very common breeding resident found in wooded areas and home gardens both in villages and towns in al climatic zones of the island. It keeps in pairs and actively feeds on small insects, spiders etc. among foliage of trees and bushes, usually uttering its loud and rather monotonous call to keep in touch with its partner. It breeds probably throughout the year but the main season appears to be February to March. Common Tailorbird builds its nest in a cavity formed by sewing together either the sides of a large single leave or of two or more smaller leaves, where it lays 2-3 eggs. 

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Sweet broom weed/Licorice weed (Scoparia dulcis)

Common introduced perennial herb grows in roadsides and waste lands in both wet and dry lowlands. Native plant of tropical America.Flowering throughout the year.

Common Treebrown (Lethe rohria)

Common butterfly found in hills (Between 500 and 5000ft) throughout the year. Scarce in lower elevations. It only flies very short distance at a time. No records available on its larval host plant or on early stages in Sri Lanka.

ඇට්ටේරියා[Etteria]/Orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata)

An indigenous shrub or small tree of monsoon forest understory, rocky outcrops and also limestone substrates of both wet and dry zone lowlands up to about 1000m a.s.l. 

ගේ කුරුල්ලා[Ge-Kurulla]/House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Common breeding resident inhabiting close to the human habitations throughout the country. It feeds in flocks on seeds, insects and food wastes around human dwellings. House Sparrow breeds throughout the year and nest is a mass of grass, straws, etc., line with feathers and place in a cavity in a building. But usually people use to put up earthenware chatties on the walls of houses for these birds so that they can utilize them for nests.

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එරමුඳු/එරබඳු[Eramudu/Erabadu]/December tree/Malayan Dadap (Erythrina subumbrans)

Native tree of tropical Asia. Introduced (Native? >>) into Sri Lanka in 1852 from Java for shade and green manure in tea and cocoa estates. Flowering from June to January. Bright red flowers attract varies hill country birds such as  whiteeyes, bulbuls, sunbirds etc.

Indian Fritillary (Argynnis hyperbius taprobana)

An uncommon butterfly found in hills above 1500m throughout the year. It usually encounters in Patana lands close to forests. Its larval host plants are Viola betonicifolia (Violet) of family Violaceae, a very common weed of tea plantations. It also feeds on Viola pilosa of the same family. Indian Fritillary sometimes basks on pathways and streams, wings outstretched flat and usually coming to the same spot or flies short distance if disturbed. 

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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