The African Tulip tree – Spathodea campanulata, in our community garden, is such a lively and happening place throughout the day. The bright reddish orange flowers, contrasting beautifully with the green leaves, make a pretty picture. The tree glistens brightly in the morning sun, attracting a lot of creatures. On a morning stroll in our garden, one can spot Rose-ringed parakeets, bul-buls, drongos, babblers, mynahs, coucals and koels flying to and fro from the tree or calling to each other noisily. At times, peafowls make a temporary landing here during their flight across their regular trees around our community.
This tree towers up behind a row of pink coloured Bauhinia variegata trees. This makes a beautiful backdrop for clicking pictures. A neem tree grows alongside these two in the far corner, and the three trees live like one big family in our garden. They grew up together as saplings, sharing space, water and all our attention! Everyone in our community ensures that these trees are groomed and taken care of well whenever the gardener comes to prune the trees. It is the most favourite photospot in our community, and all of us have many beautiful pictures taken with these trees as a backdrop!
The bright hue of the flowers is such a treat to the eyes when the tree is in full bloom. They are also perfect for clicking screensaver-worthy pictures. The fallen flowers form an orange carpet on the ground, and kids pick them up during play.
While one group of birds occupy the tree in the mornings, another set of creatures shows up in the forenoons and afternoons. Squirrels scurry up and down the tree, jumping from other tree to feast on the fruits. Seeing them hanging upside down to eat the fruits and to peck at the pods is just like watching on National Geographic or Animal Planet. The squirrels somehow sense that a human (me) is observing them, and they pause at the slightest movement from my side. However, they have come to understand that there is no harm from this human, and they continue their daily morning rituals in peace. At times, the resident cat strikes terror and tries to get to these squirrels. All hell breaks loose, and the squirrels send out shrill alarm calls and try to save themselves by escaping from the tree.
A pair of Lesser Golden-backed woodpeckers fly in at the same time every day. Each of them has its favourite branch and they would sit there and peck at the bark of the tree, calling to each other in their characteristic shrill tone. Coppersmith barbets too frequently the tree at times. They would fly from one branch to the other and rest for a while, calling out in their monotonic sound. Afternoons are for loud, throaty and noisy Rufous treepies. They perch on the branches, calling to each other and chasing the other birds away from the tree. Once, a huge family of treepies – right from small fledglings to their parents- were seen visiting this tree. On some rare occasions, Spotted Owlets can be seen resting in the tree during the early daybreak hours.
Most favourite visitors of the tree:
When the tree sheds its leaves and stands bare with just the fruits, the parakeets flock to the tree. During one such time, there were eight to ten of them sitting on various branches, hanging in so many weird positions, feasting on the fruit. Their constant cacophony could be heard throughout the day, as they kept feeding. They used to rip off the pods, thus releasing a lot of wing-shaped seeds all around the garden. The garden floor would be strewn with these seeds that got carried far by the wind. My daughter and I would pick up these seeds just to touch and feel the transparent and papery seeds. The phenomenon of seed dispersal that was taught in the books was happening live here. To be able to experience it firsthand was such a great, lucky moment for both of us. This one beautiful Spathodea tree has helped create a very active and thriving ecosystem in our community. Due to the dispersal of its seeds, a lot of new plants have sprouted around our premises. Waiting to see all the trees in full bloom, someday soon!
About the author: Senbaga Poonguzhali is a nature enthusiast, storyteller, blogger, Thamizh tutor, avid reader, dancer and a full-time mother to a 12-year-old girl. She strongly believes that nature is the best teacher ever. She wants everyone around her to experience the small wonders of nature and tries to reach out to them through her stories and articles. She is active on Instagram @mithras_amma.
