The Blue Lotus

A Blue Lotus photographed in Arankelle

The Blue Lotus, also known as the Red and Blue water lily, Blue star water lily and Star Lotus is native  to the Indian subcontinent. It has now spread to many countries and is valued as a garden flower. More images and info after the jump.

Koddiyar Bay - Sri Lanka

We visited Trincomalee, on the north eastern coast of Sri Lanka, in December 2009. 27 years had passed since my last visit and I was really looking forward to the trip. I was a toddler when we were up there last and, as a result, can't remember anything of the trip. These areas were inaccessible for a number of years due to the civil war which prevailed on the island. The war came to a bloody end in May of 2009 and since then, tourists have started traveling to these areas.  Read on for more info and images.

Indigo Dropwing

These shots of a male Indigo Dropwing were taken in Kandy. I found it flying around near the swimming pool and noticed that it kept settling in the same place at the edge of the water. It allowed me to get quite close to photograph it but I was limited by the 1.4 meter minimum focusing distance of the lens. More images and info inside. 

Embekke Devalaya - Kandy

Embekke Devalaya (temple), which is famous for its elaborate wood carvings, was built in the 14th century during the reign King Wickremebahu III who ruled in Gampola from 1357 to 1374. UNESCO has identified these carvings as "the finest products of woodcarvings to be found in any part of the world". Many of the carvings depict legends which describe the origin of the devalaya. More images and info after the jump.

Views from the verandah

I hadn't been up to our place near Kandy, in central Sri Lanka, for over three years and I was determined to go up there for a couple of days in January, when I was last at home. Read on for more images and details of how they were taken.

Indian Roller

The Indian Roller is a stocky bird measuring around 26-27cm in length and can only be confused within its range with the migratory European Roller. It is found in open grassland and forest areas ranging from Iraq to Thailand. More images and info after the jump.

Plain Tiger

The Plain Tiger, also known as the African Monarch, is a common butterfly found throughout Asia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae subfamily of the brush footed butterfly family, Nymphalidae. It is also supposed to have been one of the first butterflies used in art. A 3500 year old fresco in Luxor features this butterfly and is the oldest known illustration of the species.  More images and info inside.

Anuradhapura in Black and White

Here are a few more images taken in the Western Monasteries area of Anuradhapura. For more info and images on the Western Monasteries, check out  http://devwijewardane.blogspot.com/2010/01/western-monasteries-anuradhapura.html. Other black and white images of Ruwanveliseya are available at http://devwijewardane.blogspot.com/2010/02/ruwanweliseya-anuradhapura-sri-lanka.html.

More images inside.

Black-hooded Oriole

The Black-hooded Oriole is a common, widespread garden and forest bird. It is a resident breeder in southern Asia ranging from India and Sri Lanka, east to Indonesia. Read on for more images and info.