Spring is indisputably the liveliest season. The trees are adorned with colourful blooms and lush new leaves, some even preparing for the monsoon by shedding leaves of the previous season. As always, we urged the people of India to step out and observe the shades of spring and celebrate the season with trees.
Our kind of celebration not only acknowledges the spring/summer season but also builds our understanding of the seasonal trends and the impact of climate change on trees around us.
Here we share a summary and results of this celebration.
Overview of the participation
In the 10 days of the March Tree Festival, 6115 observations were made on SeasonWatch. Of these, 1551 were regular observations (made on trees registered for weekly observation) and 4564 were casual (one-time) observations.
The blue dots denote the locations of the observed trees. The spot gets darker with more observations from the location.
These observations came from 24 states and Union Territories across India. Kerala maintains its crown of ‘winning state’ with 2394 observations. Tamil Nadu is catching up well with 1709 observations. Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat made it to the top 5 states of this festival.
Keeping with the trend of spring/summer tree festivals, there are more ‘individual’ contributors (83) than ‘school/college’ contributors (67). A special shoutout to Arun Vasireddy for single-handedly encouraging and training people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Thank you for your efforts and dedication, Arun!
Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Chhatisgarh have maintained their contribution to this festival as well. Thank you, contributors!
We are especially thrilled about the observations from the states of Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, and Punjab. Keep it up!
139 out of the 171 tree species were monitored during this festival. Thanks to the Leaf Flush and Scarlet Summer challenges of the festival, the usual favourite ‘Mango’ is pushed out of the top 5 most observed species!
Peepal has made an appearance in the top 10. Is it because of the captivating new leaves put out by the tree this season?
Festival Highlights
This tree festival was livelier than usual because of the many tree walks conducted across India. Tree lovers made 17 tree walks happen in 14 cities of 9 states! This is a new record!
The wonderful series of walks was kickstarted on the very first day i.e. 15 March by Malavika Thirukode in Delhi. 16th March saw a tree walk in Jodhpur’s Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park and one in Salem, Tamil Nadu led by P Rajangam. The first Sunday of the festival was adorned with two walks – by Rajangam Sir in Salem and by Vinay Thite in Bangalore.
The second weekend was the busiest for tree-walkers with 12 walks – A campus walk on the Rajapalayam Rajus’ College, another walk at the Rao Jodha Park (Jodhpur, Rajasthan), two in Chennai by Palluyir Trust and Bhuvana Raj, two in Pune by the team of Dr Vijaya Chakravarty, General Neville Rasquinah and Chintan Bhatt, and by Aditi Gore, the regular tree festival walk by Karyashala in Rajkot, Gujarat, the first ever tree walk in Tirupati by Sindhu M and a walk painstakingly arranged by Sanjog Sahu in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
We thank and congratulate all of these resource persons and the tree walk participants for their enthusiastic participation and encouragement.
Here are glimpses of these wonderful events –
Malavika Thirukode led her first tree walk in Delhi on 15 March 2024.
Rajangam Sir led 3 tree walks during the festival in Salem, Tamil Nadu. Here, his enthusiastic students and him pose for a post-walk photo.
Somil Daga led two tree walks at the gorgeous Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Look the the picturesque Palash posing with the tree walkers!
Vinay Thite and Bengalureans continued the tree festival tree walk tradition. Here’s a picture of Bangalore’s spring with the blooming Rosy Trumpet tree.
Claudia Pinheiro, Jomi Jose, Gowtham M, Aravind Selvam, Hemavathi P and Kanishka P from the Palluyir Trust took people of Chennai on a tree walk
Karyashala’s tree walk in Rajkot, Gujarat is a staple during every tree festival. Thanks to Gaurav Vadher and team for organizing them so seamlessly!
Sindhu led not only her first but possibly the first ever tree walk in Tirupati!
Here’s what Sindhu says about her experience – “This is my first ever tree walk, it was an amazing experience, The walk went for 2 hours but the participants didn’t notice how the time flew. They were immersed in knowing about the trees. We collected the fallen leaves & pods and tried to identify from which trees they have fallen. At the end they shared though they go to the park and pass by trees they haven’t observed as they observed during the walk. I felt happy & grateful for guiding them to connect with the trees.”
Festival Challenges
Since this festival fell along similar dates to the last spring festival, we thought we could see how the trees are fairing compared to last year. Hence, all the challenges are the same as the last time, namely the festival staple ‘100-not-out’ and the season-specials ‘Scarlet Summer’ and ‘Leaf Flush’.
100-not-out
This challenge asks the contributors to observe at least 100 trees of any SeasonWatch species within the 10 days of the festival. 15 individuals who completed this challenge are K.S Lyla (403), S Vishnusankar (229), Foundation for Ecological Security Peddamandyam AP (218), Gausalyaa (207), Sayee Girdhari (186), Subhiksha (165), ANET (139), Mayuri Patel (126), Mayurika Leuva (124), Karthika (116), Arun Vasireddy (111), Renuka (108), Kaviya (102), Nibedita Ghosh (102), Kalaipriya (100)
8 schools and colleges completed this challenge, namely Rajapalayam Rajus College (636),
- V. H. S. S. Thamarakulam (543), G. S. S. College Belagavi – Karnataka (511), AKGMGHSS Pinarayi – Kannur (256) Blossom English School – Kainatty (193), Peace Public School – Kottakkal (163), MTSSKGUP School (146), UMLPS Thiruvilwamala (123).
Thank you for achieving this feat despite the exam season!
Winners
Congratulations to K. S. Lyla from Kerala on being the individual winner of the festival with 403 observations!
Rajapalayam Rajus’ College of Tamil Nadu takes the win with 636 observations. Congratulations to the Nature Club members and thanks to the professors for encouraging the students!
Scarlet Summer
This challenge was to monitor as many individuals as possible of these 5 tree species with red/orange flowers – Red Silk Cotton, Flame of the Forest, True Ashok, Indian Coral Tree and Nilgiri Rhododendron.
The most observed ‘Scarlet Summer’ species is Flame of the Forest (Butea monosperma) (322), followed by True Ashoka (Saraca asoca) (79), Red silk-cotton (Bombax ceiba) (76), Indian coral tree- Erythrina indica (34).
No observations were made on the Nilgiri Rhododendron (Rhododendron arboreum subsp. nilagiricum). The species is found in the Nilgiri Hills, Anamalai and Palani Hills, rarely in Varushanad Hills in Tamil Nadu and Palakkad and Idukki districts of Kerala. Have you seen this tree?
It is nearly impossible to add observations on all 5 of these species since the Nilgiri Rhododendron is a rare tree to find. However, 4 contributors achieved observation of 4 of the 5 species in this challenge – AKGMGHS School, Pinarayi – Kannur, Blossom English School- Kainatty, Mayuri Patel and VVHSS Thamarakulam.
Scarlet Summer Phenology
Last March, the challenge received 243 observations, out of which 55.56% were flowering.
This March, among the 515 observations on the same species (and most likely the same tree individuals), 63.69% were recorded with flowers. Here’s how this looks on maps –
A visual comparison of the Scarlet Summer trees in March 2023 (left) and 2024 (right).
Winners
Andaman Nicobar Environment Team (ANET) won the challenge with 17 observations. G S S College Belagavi – Karnataka won this challenge in the school/college category with an astounding 263 observations!
The Andaman Nicobar Environment Team (ANET) observing trees during the March Tree Festival
Leaf Flush
Some tree species in India put out new leaves along with flowers in spring. This challenge is about the new leaves springing on 10 tree species, namely – Teak (Tectona grandis), Indian Ash Tree (Lannea coromandelica), Rain Tree (Samanea saman), Siris (Albizia lebbeck), Pongam Tree (Pongamia pinnata), Mahua (Madhuca longifolia var. latifolia) and Dyer’s Oleander (Wrightia tinctoria).
The most observed of these 10 species was Teak (460), followed by Pongam Tree (285), Rain Tree (273), Devil’s Tree- Alstonia scholaris (158), Siris (117), Dyer’s oleander (54), Lannea coromandelica (46), and Mahua (8)
70 individuals, schools and colleges participated in this challenge. Of these, 4 contributors – Blossom English School- Kainatty, Renuka, and S Vishnusankar added observations on all 10 challenge species. Good job!
Leaf Flush Phenology
Last spring/summer, this challenge received 891 observations. 87.54% of the observed trees showed new leaves.
This March, the observations went up to 1401. Of these, 77.16 % of the trees had put out new leaves.
(Left) Observed trees with new leaves in March 2023 and those in 2024.
Winners
The individual winner of this challenge is the Andaman Nicobar Environment Team (ANET) with 64 observations and the winner school is VVHSS Thamarakulam with 270 observations. Congratulations!
Contributors
The magic of spring truly reflected in the enthusiastic tree walks and incredible participation in this celebration of trees. We thank each and every individual, teacher and student for making the time to go out, look at trees and note your observations with SeasonWatch. Thank you for making the first tree festival of 2024 a success!
Individuals (83)
Activist Sinha (1), Alekhya (1), Alwin Beschi (4), ANET (139), Angeline Mano M (2), Arkajyoti (1),
Bhushan Shigwan (1), Binoy Chutia (9),
Chrispin Kanake (6),
Deepiksha S (17), Denzil Britto (1), Dhanapal (7), Dharitri Swain (3), Dipika Shenai (51), Divya (1), Dr. S. Nithya Jothi (1),
Fathima Dhiya (6), Foundation of Ecological Security Bichhiya (SHT Mandla) (19), FES Nagaland (1), FES Peddamandyam AP (218),
G Sandeep Kumar Reddy (1), Gargee (3), Gausalyaa (207), Geetha Ramaswami (19),
Hari Haran P (12), Harshita Agrahari (2), Harshvardhan Singh Rathore (1),
Jaya Rakesh (2),
K.S Lyla (403), Kalaipriya (100), Kanak Sharma (2), Kanishka Chaudhari (1), Karthika (116), Kaviya (102), Kshama (1),
Lakshmi (1),
Malavika Thirukode (1), Manasi Dichwalkar (1), Mayank Pandey (5), Mayurika Leuva (124), Mayuri Patel (126), Muskan Shrivastava (1),
Nibedita Ghosh (102),
P S Baiju (6), P. Chitralekha (14), P. Rajangam (33), Prabhakaran PV (7), Praveena (2), Priyanka Prakash (1), Pujari Govinda Rao (6),
Raksha (4), Ramana Kumar Kandula (6), Ramya (12), Rashmi Paramesh (1), Renuka (108), RJ (4), Rohan (1), RRBCEA (6),
S Vishnusankar (229), Santhi reddy (4), Saumya (1), Sayak Dolai (6), Sayee Girdhari (186), Selvaganesh (4), Shalaka Pagay (3), Shobha Shivakumar (2), Shyam Phartyal (4), Simbarashe Mudavanhu (1), Sonu kumar (26), Sreeja (3), Subhasish Sarkar (2), Subhiksha (165), Suhel Quader (26), Suhirtha Muhil M (9), Susy (6), Swathi C S (10), Swati Sidhu (3),
Tahir Gazanfar (18), Thryambak Sha (5),
Varsha Koli (2), Vasireddy Arun (111), Veena (4), Vijayalakshmi (4)
Schools and Colleges (67)
AUPS – Edakkaparamba (1), Ahmedabad University (8), AJ John Memorial Govt. Girls’ Higher Secondary School – Thalayolaparambu (2), AKGM GHSS – Pinarayi, Kannur (256), Alangad Jama-ath Public School (33), AMSBS – Palakkad (2), AMUPS – Akode, Virippadam (10), AUPS – Sreekrishnapuram (3),
Bemannur GUPS – Paruthippulli (34), Bharati Vidhyapeeth Institute of Environmental Science and Technology – Pune (2), Bhavans Adarsha- Eranakulam (1), Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya – Kakkanad (1), Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir – Variyapuram, Pathanamthitta (3), Blossom English School – Kainatty (193), BVME (1),
Carmel Residential Senior Secondary School (10), CHSS Chentrappinni (13),
DBEPS – Padiyoor (1), Divine Public School – Puthoor (4),
GSS College Belagavi, Karnataka (511), GUPS – Kodal (4), Gandhi Smarak U. P. School – Mangalam (39), GDMLPS Valapad (10), GGU (1), GHSS – Cheruthuruthy (1), GHSS – Thonnakkal, Kudavoor (4), Govt. GHSS Kanyakulangara (23), Govt. U P School – Vilappilsala (4), Govt. UPS – Poozhikkad (6), GUPS – Chengara (60), GUPS – Kongad (9), GUPS – Mundur (1), GVHSS – Cheriyazheekal (2), GWHSS – Cherukunnu (12),
HariSree Public School (2),
Indubhai Parekh School of Architecture – Rajkot (6), Peace Public School – Kottakkal (163), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayam (1),
Kamblakkad GUP School (2), Kayaralam AUP School (6), Kumaraguru Institutions (3),
Leo XIII English Medium School – Kalath (1),
Maharaja Sayajirao University (30), MTSSKGUP School (146), Mahlara Public School (6), Mar Thoma Public School – Kakkanad (33), Mary Giri High School Maramchatty (1), McLeods (12), MKHSS – Vengoor (5),
Nalanda International University – India (9), Nalanda Public school – Thammanam (12),
Panchayat Union Middle School – Thalavaipatty, Salem (48),
Rajapalayam Rajus College (636), RMHSS – Aloor (12),
Shreedevi High School Hulekal (2), SN Trust HSS – Thottada, Kannur (2), St. Mary’s LPS Kaliyar (64), St. Mary’s Residential Public School (1), St Michaels AlHSS (16), St. Mary’s HS Vallarpadam (1), St. Joseph’s Nazareth English Medium school (3), St. Steaphens’ Public School (1), SVVHSS – Thamarakudy (15),
Thirumoolavilasam UPS (29),
UMLPS – Thiruvilwamala (123),
VKV Nivedita Vihar (2), VVHSS – Thamarakulam ( 543)
See you at the next tree festival in August.
Until then, keep SeasonWatching!
