National Bird of Sri Lanka
Common Names: The Ceylon junglefowl (E), Walikukula (S), Kattu-koli (T)
Scientific Name: Gallus lafayettii
Status: Endemic National bird of Sri Lanka
The Ceylon jungle fowl is distributed throughout Sri Lanka, wherever jungle or dense scrub of any extent is to be found, but it is nowadays common only in the wilder parts of the dry zone. It spends its life in the forest or its outskirts, never venturing from cover. However, in wet weather, it likes to frequent open places, such as roadsides or glades, for the purpose of feeding free from drippings from the trees. Most of the daylight hours are spent on the ground. In the evening, they fly up into the trees to roost - usually singly, but sometimes in pairs or family parties. Unless disturbed they will use the same perch for a considerable period of time.
The Jungle fowl feeds on grain, weed-seeds, berries, various succulent leaves and buds and a large proportion of small animals, such as crickets, centipedes and termites: the latter form the main food of the chicks. The main breeding season of the Jungle fowl is in the first quarter of each year, but often a second clutch is laid in August-September, and breeding may go on throughout the year. The chicks are very precocious, learning to scratch as soon as they leave the nest. However, they instantly scatter and hide at the mother's alarm call.
The Ceylon Jungle fowl, has rather surprisingly adapted to life in tea estates, where it spends the day under the dense cover, and the nights often up in a tree. It is found in well-shaded tea estates even far away from any natural forest. The Ceylon Jungle fowl is an endemic bird of Sri Lanka and has the distinction of being the National Bird of the country.
M.A.M. Unais
The Solar Eclipse of January 15, 2010 is an annular eclipse of the Sun. The eclipse starts at Uganda, passes through Nairobi, enters Indian ocean where the greatest eclipse is taking place in mid of Ocean for a maximum of 11 Mins and 7.7 secondsSri Lanka and India simultaneously will be the first Asian lands.The solar eclipse of January 15, 2010 is an annular eclipse of the Sun. The eclipse starts at Uganda, passes through Nairobi, enters Indian ocean where the greatest eclipse is taking place in mid of Ocean for a maximum of 11 Mins and 7.7 seconds.
Sri Lanka and India simultaneously will be the first Asian lands that are kissed by the eclipse. The moon will cover the sun’s disc during the millennium’s longest annular solar eclipse. Last time when India saw this ‘Ring of Fire’ was on Nov 22, 1965, and it will not be witnessed again before June 21, 2020.
The maximum duration of the eclipse would be 11 minutes 08 seconds over the Indian Ocean, thus making it the longest annular eclipse of the millennium. People in southern parts of the country will be lucky to see the heavenly sight of ‘Ring of Fire’. In India, the eclipse will start around 11 a.m.. and end around 3:15 p.m. Delhi will see the partial phase of this solar eclipse. It will start at 11:53 a.m. and end at 3:11 p.m.
An eclipse of the Sun or solar eclipse can only occur at New Moon when the Moon passes between Earth and Sun. If the Moon’s shadow falls upon Earth’s surface, we see some portion of the Sun’s disk covered or ‘eclipsed’ by the Moon.
After leaving Africa, the path crosses the Indian Ocean where the maximum duration of annularity reaches 11 minutes 8 seconds. The central path then continues into Asia through Bangladesh, India, Burma and China.Solar Eclipse 2010 Update. It’s been 10 years since we have the last solar eclipse and now this January 15, 2010 we will be having one of the longest Solar.M.A.M. Unais
The Yucca and Its Moth
The genus Yucca is one of the most remarkable groups of flowering plants native to the New World. It includes about 40 species, most of which occur in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Although they are often associated with arid desert regions, some species are native to the southeastern United States and the Caribbean islands. What truly sets this genus apart from other flowering plants is their unique method of pollination: A specific moth that is genetically programmed for stuffing a little ball of pollen into the cup-shaped stigma of each flower. Like fig wasps and acacia ants, the relationship is mutually beneficial to both partners, and is vital for the survival of both plant and insect. In fact, yuccas cultivated in the Old World, where yucca moths are absent, will not produce seeds unless they are hand pollinated.
Depending on the authority, yuccas are usually placed in the lily family (Liliaceae) or the agave family (Agavaceae). The name Yucca is derived from "yuca," a Carib Indian name for the cassava or tapioca plant (Manihot esculenta) of the euphorbia family (Euphorbiaceae). Yucca is also the creole word for cassava. "Yuca" is not to be confused with the lovely yellow-flowered morning glory (Merremia aurea) of the Cape Region of Baja California. Apparently the connection with starchy cassava roots is that yucca buds and young flower stalks of are also roasted for food. Yuccas are trunkless shrubs with rosettes of stiff, sword-shaped leaves arising at ground level, or tree-like with distinct trunks and limbs. Examples of the rosette forms include Spanish bayonet (Y. baccata) and chaparral yucca (Y. whipplei). Tree-like forms include the Joshua tree (Y. brevifolia) of the California and Arizona desert region, and tree yucca or "datillo" (Y. vallida) endemic to southern Baja California.
M.A.M. Unais
Solar Eclipse 2010....
The Solar Eclipse of January 15, 2010 is an annular eclipse of the Sun. The eclipse starts at Uganda, passes through Nairobi, enters Indian ocean where the greatest eclipse is taking place in mid of Ocean for a maximum of 11 Mins and 7.7 secondsSri Lanka and India simultaneously will be the first Asian lands.The solar eclipse of January 15, 2010 is an annular eclipse of the Sun. The eclipse starts at Uganda, passes through Nairobi, enters Indian ocean where the greatest eclipse is taking place in mid of Ocean for a maximum of 11 Mins and 7.7 seconds.Sri Lanka and India simultaneously will be the first Asian lands that are kissed by the eclipse. The moon will cover the sun’s disc during the millennium’s longest annular solar eclipse. Last time when India saw this ‘Ring of Fire’ was on Nov 22, 1965, and it will not be witnessed again before June 21, 2020. The maximum duration of the eclipse would be 11 minutes 08 seconds over the Indian Ocean, thus making it the longest annular eclipse of the millennium. People in southern parts of the country will be lucky to see the heavenly sight of ‘Ring of Fire’. In India, the eclipse will start around 11 a.m.. and end around 3:15 p.m. Delhi will see the partial phase of this solar eclipse. It will start at 11:53 a.m. and end at 3:11 p.m.An eclipse of the Sun or solar eclipse can only occur at New Moon when the Moon passes between Earth and Sun. If the Moon’s shadow falls upon Earth’s surface, we see some portion of the Sun’s disk covered or ‘eclipsed’ by the Moon.After leaving Africa, the path crosses the Indian Ocean where the maximum duration of annularity reaches 11 minutes 8 seconds. The central path then continues into Asia through Bangladesh, India, Burma and China.Solar Eclipse 2010 Update. It’s been 10 years since we have the last solar eclipse and now this January 15, 2010 we will be having one of the longest Solar.M.A.M. Unais
The Yucca and Its Moth
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| Blossom of chaparral yucca (Yucca whipplei)showing a male and a female yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata) |
The genus Yucca is one of the most remarkable groups of flowering plants native to the New World. It includes about 40 species, most of which occur in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Although they are often associated with arid desert regions, some species are native to the southeastern United States and the Caribbean islands. What truly sets this genus apart from other flowering plants is their unique method of pollination: A specific moth that is genetically programmed for stuffing a little ball of pollen into the cup-shaped stigma of each flower. Like fig wasps and acacia ants, the relationship is mutually beneficial to both partners, and is vital for the survival of both plant and insect. In fact, yuccas cultivated in the Old World, where yucca moths are absent, will not produce seeds unless they are hand pollinated.
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| Chaparral yucca (Yucca whipplei) |
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A stately Joshua tree
(Yucca brevifolia
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| A female yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata) in the upright pollination position on the pistil of Yucca whipplei. She forces pollen down into thecentral stigmatic depression, thus pollinating the flower |
Yucca leaves contain bundles of elongate fiber cells which can easily be pulled out of the leaf blade like strands of thread. The strong leaf fibers are used for cordage and rope. [Sisal rope is actually made from the leaf fibers of the related genus Agave, specifically the Mexican species A. sisalina.] Bleached, sun-dried yucca leaves from the Arizona species Y. elata are used for white coils in Papago Indian baskets. Greenish-yellow designs come from unbleached yucca leaves, while red patterns are produced by a natural dye from yucca roots. The black designs come from the long, curved pods of Proboscidea parviflora ssp. parviflora, better known as devil's claws or unicorn plants.
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| Mojave yucca (Yucca schidigera), a native species.Unlike the chaparral yucca (Y. whipplei),it produces a compact flower cluster, a distinct basaltrunk on old specimens, and leaves withconspicuous marginal fibers. Although its rangeoverlaps that of Y. whipplei, it requires a different species of yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella |
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| Yucca elata, The dried leaves of this species are used in Indian basket |
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| Stigma lobes and central stigmatic orifice of the Mojave yucca(Yucca schidigera). The female yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella)forces a little mass of pollen down into the orifice so that it makes contact with the recessed receptive area,thus pollinating the plant |
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| Feathery stigma lobes and central stigmatic depression of the chaparral yucca (Yucca whipplei). The female yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata) presses a pollen mass into the central stigmatic orifice,thus pollinating the plant and insuringseed production and food for her larva |
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| Close-up view of the head of a female yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata) showing the prominent,coiled, maxillary palpi. She uses her prehensile palpito collect, compact and carry a pollen ball (pollinium).These enlarged, specially adapted palpi are absent in the male yucca moth |
Each spring, male and female yucca moths emerge from their subterranean cocoons. They crawl to the surface and fly to nearby yucca plants. During this moth emergence period, male and female moths presumably rendezvous with each other and mate. At this time the yucca plants have developed erect flower stalks and the flowers open one-by-one into a magnificent inflorescence. At maturity, yucca pollen grains adhere into sticky masses called pollinia, two inside each chamber of the anther. Unlike most other flowering plants, the pollen is not dispersed as individual grains. The gravid (pregnant) female yucca moth collects up to a dozen pollinia within the yucca flower and forms them into a golden mass. She uses a pair of long, curved, prehensile appendages in the mouth region (called maxillary palpi) to collect, form and carry the pollen ball. Male yucca moths (and most other moth species) do not have these greatly enlarged, specially adapted palpi.
At this point the female is ready for egg laying. It is presumed that the moths fly to another plant, as in the well-documented behavior of another yucca moth Tegeticula yuccasella. The female moth crawls into a flower and positions herself on the side of the ovary, head outward, and inserts her egg-laying device (called an ovipositor) into the ovary wall near the partition between adjacent ovary sections (carpels). The ovary wall is thinnest near the partition between carpels. A single, slender egg is inserted into the ovule chamber (locule). Now she is ready for pollination--the crucial event that enables the perpetuation of all yuccas in the wild.
After inserting her egg into the flower ovary, the female moth (still carrying a pollen mass in her coiled palpi) climbs to the top of the ovary. Uncoiling her palpi from the pollen mass, she draws them back and forth over the stigma, pressing pollen into the central stigmatic depression. This insures pollination of the flower in which she has deposited an egg. Germinating pollen grains send hundreds of sperm-bearing pollen tubes into the ovary, resulting in the fertilization of hundreds of ovules (immature seeds) inside, some of which provide food for the hungry moth larva.
The yucca moth larva hatches inside the green developing ovary of the flower during late spring and summer and begins to feed on the maturing seeds. It remains inside the ovary (seed capsule) through the summer and fall, high on a branch of the flower stalk. The seed capsule is composed of three sections or carpels, each with two columns of seeds. At maturity during the fall, up to 38 flattened black seeds lie in tightly packed tiers within each column, resembling coins stacked in a dispenser. In the column containing the moth larva, six to 14 of the seeds in the lower portion of the tier are fastened together with silk, and a robust, pinkish larva occupies a cylindrical feeding cavity within these joined seeds. According to Powell and Mackie (1966), yucca capsules may be occupied by more than one larva, but the average number is usually one or two. Although the larva is a seed predator, it only consumes a small percentage of the hundreds of seeds within the capsule. Since the larva develops into a moth that pollinates the yucca plant, the relationship is clearly beneficial to both partners. By comparison, the relationship between the Mexican jumping bean (Sebastiana pavoniana) and its symbiotic moth (Laspeyresia saltitans) is clearly one-sided. The moth is a seed predator but plays no role in the pollination of its host shrub.
By late fall, dark brown yucca seed capsules split open between the seams of the carpels, releasing hundreds of black seeds. The pinkish moth larva remains inside its little feeding cavity of fused seeds within the capsule until the first autumn rains. Then it emerges from the capsule and drops to the ground. Some authors report that the larva lowers itself on a strand of silk, but I have never observed this on Yucca whipplei. Upon reaching the ground the larva burrows into the soil and constructs a silken cocoon covered with grains of sand. The cocoon may be spherical or elongate, about 6-8 millimeters long. The larva remains in its cocoon during the winter months until spring rains and warming temperatures presumably stimulate pupation and the emergence of an adult moth. Cocoons observed in captivity did not contain a pupa until shortly before the emergence of a moth in spring. It is imperative that the adult moths emerge when yucca plants are once again in bloom so that this remarkable cycle between a moth and a plant can be renewed.
As winter approaches in San Diego County, chaparral yuccas release their seeds as the basal rosettes of leaves die and turn gray. This marks the completion of a life cycle that began with a small black seed at least six or seven years earlier. The following spring new yuccas will sprout from seeds, and a continuous succession of beautiful yucca flower stalks will appear as long as there are undeveloped areas of natural vegetation and yucca moths to pollinate the flowers.
Original Author W. P. Armstrong
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| Several pollinia (pollen masses) and a stamen from the flower of chaparral yucca (Yucca whipplei).The 2 anther sacs at the top of the thick stalkcontain little pollen masses called pollinia (2 inside each anther sac). The female yucca moth(Tegeticula maculata) collects up to a dozenpollinia and forms them into a golden ball of pollen |
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| Close-up view of the abdomen of a female yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata) showing the slender ovipositor used to insert an egg into the ovary of a Yucca whipplei flower |
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| Cross section of the ripened ovary of Yucca whipplei showing 6 columns of flattened black seeds (2 columns per carpel) |
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| Cross section of the seed capsule of Yucca whipplei in October showing the robust larva of a yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata) |
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| Longitudinal section of the seed capsule of Yucca whipplei in October showing the larva of a yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata) inside its feeding cavity in one of the seed chambers |
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| The sand-covered, silken cocoon of the chaparral yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata). The preputial larva remains inside this subterranean cocoon during the winter months. In spring, when yucca plants are once again in the blooming cycle, the larva undergoes pupation and soon an adult moth emerges from the ground |
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| A dead, basal leaf rosette and flower stalk of chaparral yucca (Yucca whipplei) at the end of its life cycle. This species takes at least 6 or 7 years to bloom and then it dies |
As winter approaches in San Diego County, chaparral yuccas release their seeds as the basal rosettes of leaves die and turn gray. This marks the completion of a life cycle that began with a small black seed at least six or seven years earlier. The following spring new yuccas will sprout from seeds, and a continuous succession of beautiful yucca flower stalks will appear as long as there are undeveloped areas of natural vegetation and yucca moths to pollinate the flowers.
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| The ashy remains of a yucca plant (Yucca whipplei). During the heat of a smoldering fire, the leaf rosetteand caudex has been converted into white ash |
Original Author W. P. Armstrong
