Today I have a glorious tree from my regular walk route. A Ficus bengalensis in fruit and the birds know it's time to feast.
Standing under the tree, one hears their happy cacophony - which occasionally can drown our conversation!!
Actually, the Ficus inflorescence is called Hypanthodium / syconium- think of the Fig. The flowers are tiny ones that grow inside this hollow structure. Pollination is by a particular Wasp species. The story of Ficus pollination is very interesting and deserves a dedicated post for another day! 😊
All Ficus belong to the Moraceae family and most have milky sap. Many Ficus varieties grow in Pune and around India. Either as roadside trees or in gardens and in temples.
Coming back to my tree, it's a really huge one with a massive canopy. Every branch hosted myriad birds feasting on the figs. And the ground below was carpeted with red discarded fruit.
Have you seen such a Feast?
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove. Head over to see wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
Wow :) lovely pictures of the trees, super clicks Archana. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThose leaves and fruits give the tree a full and rich crown! Love that first picture! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that's quite a feast, there. :)
This is beautiful, Archana. And informative, too. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDelete@Angela! Thank you so much! :-)
ReplyDelete@Dee The birds seemed to think so judging from the chatter..i wish I had a video to share! Thanks for stopping by! :-)
ReplyDelete@Vinitha Thank you! :-)
ReplyDeleteWow! What a lovely trees.It's always a delight to see trees that are home to squirrels, birds and more. Thanks Archana. I am so late to post my tree love post today. Still working on it.
ReplyDeleteNever seen before... looks very exotic for me. Can imagine, that your birds are bigger and louder than out small blackbirds and sparrows.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Germany