Red (ThursdayTreeLove)

 After the Yellow Bombax on the last edition of TTL it is vital that I post the usual red Bombax that is mostly seen around Pune.

Here it is:

Bombax ceiba aka Kate Sawar / Shyamli/ Seemal/Silk Cotton Tree of the Malvaceae family. 

From a distance, one can only see red spots on a bare tree in a bare brown countryside. As one moves closer the red becomes darker and a lot of bird and bees/insect activity is seen on the tree. The large flowers are not pretty by general standards. They are almost cup shaped and have plenty of nectar in it which attracts monkeys as well. 

On a hot summer day, the red colour is strangely cooling! It is a pleasure to watch the Seemal in full bloom and bird watchers will definitely see many bird species having a feast here.

Seemal is a native species that grows almost all over India, in the countryside and even in Pune. The local name Silk Cotton Tree comes from the fruit which contains seeds with cotton thread like white fibre.  It is used to stuff pillows.  

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some wonderful blooms from around the world. Better still, join in!