Red Yellow Vanda Orchid Flower

Red Yellow Vanda Orchid Flower (pronounced VAN-dah)

Photographer - Mr Sudaraka

Date : 2014-06-19
Time : 12.39 pm
Location : Sri Lanka, Kandy

Vanda (pronounced VAN-dah) orchids are mostly warm and full sun growing plants with colorful flowers, including blue, red, orange, and yellow. Originating in tropical Asia, they are easily grown in warm climates, and the show from one spike can last for eight weeks or more, and vigorous plants, can often bloom twice a year.

Wesak Pahan Kuduwa 2014 (Maharagama Dabahena)

Mr H.R. Jothipala Nonstop

Hettiarachchige Reginald Jothipala (Sinhala: එච්.අර්.ජොතිපාල; 12 February 1936 – 7 July 1987) was a prolific playback singer in the Sinhala cinema. He also worked as an opera singer. He died in July 1987 at the age of 51 years and 5 months. Jothipala lent his voice to all classes of actors ranging from Eddie Jayamanne, Ananda Jayaratne, Gamini Fonseka, Vijaya Kumaratunga, Sanath Gunathilaka, Tony Ranasinghe, Ravindra Randeniya and even several of the young generation of actors in Sri Lanka.

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Mun Keum (මුං කැවුම්)

Mun Keum (මුං කැවුම්)

Photographer - Mr Sudaraka

Date : 2014-04-13
Time : 11.07 pm
Location : Sri Lanka, Kothmale

A sweet, mainly famous during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season Sri Lanka

Aluwa (අළුවා)

Aluwa (අළුවා)

Photographer - Mr Sudaraka

Date : 2014-04-13
Time : 11.07 pm
Location : Sri Lanka, Kothmale

Aluwa (අළුවා) is a famous Sri Lankan sweet. It is made mainly using rice flour or potatoes and sugar. Cardamon is also used as a flavour enhancer.

Kotmale Oya (River)

Kotmale Oya (River)

Photographer - Mr Sudaraka

Date : 2014-04-12
Time : 12.39 pm
Location : Sri Lanka, Kothmale

The Kotmale River (Sinhala: කොත්මලේ ඔය ) is a tributary of the Mahaweli River, and is the fourth longest river in Sri Lanka. The river begins as the Agra Oya, in theHorton Plains in the Central Highlands. The Central Plains have an annual rainfall of between 125 and 200 inches a year. The river is about 70km (43.3 miles) long and drains a basin of about 58,534 ha (226 square miles). The river flows through a traditional area of ancient villages and tea plantations. King Dutugemunu spent his youth here. The Kotmale Oya flows into the Mahaweli shortly after the town of Nawalapitiya. Tributaries of the Kotmale Oya include the Nanu Oya River, the Pundul Oya, the Puna Oya and the Dambagastalawa Oya.

The river was dammed between 1979 and 1985 as part of a hydro-electric project within the Accelerated Mahaweli Ganga scheme. The opening ceremony took place in August 1985. Some 3,000 families had to be relocated top higher ground. The area has a history of geological instability.

Ganda-Pana/Rata Hinguru Flower

Ganda-Pana/Rata Hinguru (Lantana camara) Flower

Photographer - Ms Lalani

Date : 2014-06-13
Time : 4.40 pm
Location : Sri Lanka, Kothmale

 A native shrub of South America (probably West Indies) and now widely distributed throughout the tropic. It was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1926 through the Royal botanical garden as an gardening plant and later on escaped and naturalized at all elevations of the country. It is very common in wastelands, open areas in jungles, abandoned chena cultivations etc….Now it is considered as an invasive plant and measures are being taken to eradicate or control spreading of this plant specially in national parks such as Udawalawe, Bundala..etc where invading Lantana shrubs greatly reduced grazing lands available for Elephants and other wildlife. However ripe berries of this plant are widely eaten by birds and they act as dispersers of seeds. Also it provides nectar for butterflies.

Lantana camara is a small perennial shrub which can grow to around 2m in height and forms dense thickets in a variety of environments. Due to extensive selective breeding throughout the 17th and 18th Century for use as an ornamental plant there are now many different forms of Lantana camara present throughout the world.

Lantana camara has small tubular shaped flowers which each have four petals and are arranged in clusters at the end of stems. Flowers come in many different colours including red, yellow, white, pink and orange which differ depending on location, age and maturity. After pollination occurs the colour of the flowers change (typically from yellow to red/pink/orange), this is believed to be a signal to pollinators that the pre-change colour contains a reward as well as being sexually viable, thus increasing pollination efficiency.

The leaves are egg-shaped, simple, arranged oppositely on the stem and have a strong odour when crushed.

The fruit of Lantana camara is berry-like and turns a deep purple colour when mature. Both vegetative (asexual) and seed reproduction occur. Up to 12,000 fruits can be produced by each plant which are then eaten by birds and other animals which can spread the seeds over large distances, facilitating the spread of Lantana camara.