Nature in my front yard

I have heard a lot of good photographers and naturalists say that one doesn’t necessarily need to travel miles or to exotic locations to notice, observe, and appreciate ( if possible, photograph ) nature. I do concur with this line of thought. While I do love to travel to exotic locations, for sure 🙂 , it is very true that there is so much stuff happening right in our midst and around us, that, we surely could observe and appreciate nature, wherever we are, around our places of stay or work too. Things that are sometimes referred to as the ‘Urban Nature’.

Have just started on that journey, by trying to notice things happening around my house and in my little garden. Thought of writing up a quick photo feature of the same and here it goes.

A small piece of area in front of my house that we have used to rear a few flowering plants or trees like the yellow colored Peacock flowers, Hibiscus, Ixora flowers, Crape Jasmine and the pink Oleander flowers, mostly to serve my father’s daily pooja needs, is what I proudly call my garden 🙂

There wasn’t much activity there in the beginning. Slowly, however, I noticed that, it had started harboring and attracting a wide variety of insect and bird life. Many of the birds seem to be using it as a pit stop while heading back to their roost as well. Most recently, a few parakeets have noticed the seedpods of the peacock flower tree and have started frequenting the place for a lovely snack.

Insects are numerous in the garden, ranging from different ants, wasps and bees to spiders, praying mantises, butterflies and bugs of different kinds.

Lynx Spider

Tree Hopper

Bug laying eggs on the stalk of a pink oleander flower

On one occasion, saw a robber fly swooping in with a kill and settling on one of the tree branches. Haven’t seen that again though.

Robber fly with a kill

The yellow peacock flower tree also seems to serve as a host plant for the Common Yellow Grass butterfly, here’s one laying its eggs on one of its leaves.

Common Yellow Grass

Praying Mantises, especially, are numerous here. Recently, I saw a big number of mantis nymphs sitting on the leaves all over the garden, a very recent hatch somewhere I guess.

Occasionally, some of the inhabitants go astray and enter into our house as well, like this beautiful Oleander Hawk moth and the huge caterpillar.

Oleander Hawk Moth

Huge Caterpillar ( of Oleander Hawk Moth )

Many birds do come in once in a while, some for picking up nesting material, while some, just as a hop over, while flying across.

Ashy Prinia

Pale-billed flower pecker

Some, like the rose-ringed parakeets, have recently started coming in for a quick snack of the seedpods from the peacock flower tree.

Rose ringed Parakeet (male)

Rose ringed Parakeet (female)

Just so lovely to see these amazing creatures wholeheartedly accept a small piece of space that we share with them and making it their home.