Giant Jewel Beetle feeding on Tendu leaves

[Neil Soares]

Hi,   Thought this might be interesting…..      Photographed this Giant Jewel Beetle [a Sternocera sp. possibly S.chrysis] at my farm last weekend gorging on Tendu [Diospyros melanoxylon] leaves. After extracting the juices it would discard the fibrous pellets.    Sending a few photographs.                            With regards,                               Neil Soares.

[Ushadi micromini]

so all it does is eat and poop?

voracious and dirtying his own neighborhood???

nice depiction , Neil
Usha di
=========

>  Giant Jewel Beetle on Tendu 1.jpg
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>  Giant Jewel Beetle on Tendu 2.jpg
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>  Giant Jewel Beetle on Tendu 3.jpg
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>  Giant Jewel Beetle on Tendu 4.jpg
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>  Giant Jewel Beetle on Tendu 5.jpg
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[Ushadi micromini]

and in pic 1, what is the heart shaped leaf peering down at the top?
interesting venatiions...
seems to be a vine growing up on the tendu...
Udsha di

===

On Jul 29, 10:15 pm, Neil Soares <drneilsoa...@yahoo.com> wrote:

[Geeta]

Looks like Dioscorea--possibly D. bulbifera.

On Jul 30, 5:30 am, Ushadi micromini <microminipho...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Smilax004]

Dear Geeta,

There is only one leaf belong to Dioscorea that too only in the first
picture. The main plant in the pictures is Diospyros melanoxylon
leaves as Neil ji mentioned.
One more interesting point I would like to mention here that recently
a scientist in ATREE Bangalore fond out that leaves of Nothapodytes
nimmoniana is been eaten by a

Dear Ushadi,

That is their nature not only insects most of the animals do so. What
do a domestic cow do? Who cleans its surroundings? are they concerned
about the same? In forest/nature, animals move around and they don't
concerned about the cleanliness of the surroundings, caused by them.
But there is system that works on it, such as dung beetles on dungs of
mammals and in no time the area gets cleaned. Fungus degrades the
wastes or decaying/dead substances. Rain washes away the surroundings
of insects and any disturbance of the plant (as what you see in the
picture) would help to drop down all such kind of foreign materials.

In nature there is a system (or several systems) that works well to
keep up the momentum. It is we who don't work as per the rules of
nature hence need to work on each and every thing that we do.

Regards,
Giby

[Neil Soares]

Hi,  The Dioscorea bulbifera was just an incidental finding. Please check these photographs where there are at least 6 climbers per frame. They are all taken at my farm at Shahapur.                      With regards,                        Neil Soares. --- On Sat, 7/30/11, Smilax004 <giby.ku...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Ushadi micromini]

Thanks Giby....for the lesson... your language tone sounds
like you just put me in my place, good for you...
you must now be at peace...
and may be we can now be friendly....

Usha di
==========

[ushadi Micromini]

Dear Neil:  Thanks for sharing...
are these VINES volunteers or did you transplant/ plant 'em by design?
I would not know which is which... could you tell me, please?
DOES YOUR AIR POTATO PLANT DEVELOP the typical potaoes?
Have ever eaten them?

I became interested in Dioscorea...  as a tribe...while studying
ethnobotany of ne states of india including Assam, Bengal,
Tripura  Nagaland etc...the genus is of utmost importance as
food to natives of ne hill states of India....as tubers..leaves
are all eaten, often as staples...

But even before that, while  studying western herbal medicine,.
became interested  in Dioscorea .as sources of steroid diosgenin...
which in hands of industry is base for making synthetic
hormones.... but of cource you knew that..  and that one leaf
sort of reminded me of something I seen somewhere, there by
that initial  question....

 THE MORE MORE I READ ABOUT BOTANY OF INDIA..
ITS BECOMING CLEARER BY THE DAY THAT THE
WESTERN GHATS HAVE A VERY DIVERSE and ..
HIGHLY EVOLVED BOTANICAL MIX... AND MANY
 THINGS NOT IN OUR COLLECTIVE HORTICULTURAL
 HABITS REMAIN TO BE  " DISCOVERED"  ANEW , ESP
WHEN WE CAN ALL BE ARMED WITH RECORDERS
 AND DIGITAL CAMERAS...AND TALK TO EACH OTHER
SO RAPIDLY..!!!   EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING OUR
COLLECTIVE  KNOWLEDGE ....

Regards,
Usha di
==========

[Mohan V. Chunkath]

Dear Dr. Neil Soares,
Thanks for the nice Sternocera beetle photographs. Looks like S.
marseuli but difficult to determine from photographs.
Regards,
Mohan

[Neil Soares]

Thank you Dr. Usha and Congratulations on being chosen ‘e-flora woman of the month’!    The photographs were all taken in their natural surroundings – none are planted.    Some of the climbers seen are :   -Ampelocissus latifolia [Wild Grapes] -Mucuna pruriens [Common Cow-itch] -Wattakaka volubilis [Green Milkweed climber] -Dioscorea bulbifera -Dioscorea pentaphylla. -Calycopteris floribunda [Paper Flower climber, Ukshi] -Cissus repanda [Ghendal] -Dalbergia volubilis [Alai] -Cryptolepis buchnanai [Wax-leaved climber] -Zizyphus rugosa [Toran] -Cyclea sp. -Capparis zeylanica {Ceylon Caper] -Embelia basaal [Wavding] -Carissa congesta [Carvanda]     The D.bulbifera do develop bilbils but have never eaten any though they are much sought after by tribals.      Sending you a few photographs.                          With regards,                            Neil Soares. --- On Sun, 7/31/11, ushadi Micromini <micromi...@gmail.com> wrote:

[ushadi Micromini]

Dear Neil...
Please call me Usha... no Dr is necessary...
I am learning here...  and I grew up not using epithets nor titles...
first name basis only... even bosses...

Spectacular pictures...never imagined I will see the flowers and bulbils together... thank you..  ... this is very nice, thank you...
the only ones  I recognized as having seen, eaten or otherwise familiar with are the
Karanda,  wild grapes, ghendal pata,  and some unclassified Dioscorea

I have only studied and seen sample seeds in a ziplock plastic bag at that...Mucuna pruriens..  when does it flower?  and fruits?  Do you ever collect them?  I would love some seeds if you do...  Ayurvedic material , u know...

Usha di
=======

[Neil Soares]

Hi,  From my records over the last few years, Mucuna pruriens generally flowers in October and fruiting occurs between October to March. Have never thought of collecting the seeds as they grow wild and also because the pods are covered with fine stinging hair.               With regards,                 Neil Soares.

[Ushadi micromini]

Neil:
good, may be I 'll need to find some sturdy (leather preferably)
gardening gloves...
for you or your mali... ha ha if I was hell bent on getting the
fruits pods and seeds ....
Thanks for the pictures....
lovely...
Usha di
=======

On Aug 2, 10:40 pm, Neil Soares <drneilsoa...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi,

>  From my records over the last few years, Mucuna pruriens generally flowers in October and fruiting occurs between October to March. Have never thought of collecting the seeds as they grow wild and also because the pods are covered with fine stinging hair.
>               With regards,
>                 Neil Soares.
>

> --- On Tue, 8/2/11, ushadi Micromini <microminipho...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> From: ushadi Micromini <microminipho...@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:75472] Re: Giant Jewel Beetle feeding on Tendu leaves
> To: "Neil Soares" <drneilsoa...@yahoo.com>
> Cc: "efloraofindia" <indian...@googlegroups.com>
> Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 4:25 PM
>
> Dear Neil...
> Please call me Usha... no Dr is necessary...
> I am learning here...  and I grew up not using epithets nor titles...
> first name basis only... even bosses...
>
> Spectacular pictures...never imagined I will see the flowers and bulbils together... thank you..  ... this is very nice, thank you...
> the only ones  I recognized as having seen, eaten or otherwise familiar with are the
> Karanda,  wild grapes, ghendal pata,  and some unclassified Dioscorea
>
> I have only studied and seen sample seeds in a ziplock plastic bag at that...Mucuna pruriens..  when does it flower?  and fruits?  Do you ever collect them?  I would love some seeds if you do...  Ayurvedic material , u know...
>
> Usha di
> =======
>

> On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 2:01 PM, Neil Soares <drneilsoa...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>   Thank you Dr. Usha and Congratulations on being chosen ‘e-flora woman of the month’!
>    The photographs were all taken in their natural surroundings – none are planted.
>  
>  Some of the climbers seen are :
>  
> -Ampelocissus latifolia [Wild Grapes]
> -Mucuna pruriens [Common Cow-itch]
> -Wattakaka volubilis [Green Milkweed climber]
> -Dioscorea bulbifera
> -Dioscorea pentaphylla.
> -Calycopteris floribunda [Paper Flower climber, Ukshi]
> -Cissus repanda [Ghendal]
> -Dalbergia volubilis [Alai]
> -Cryptolepis buchnanai [Wax-leaved climber]
> -Zizyphus rugosa [Toran]
> -Cyclea sp.
> -Capparis zeylanica {Ceylon Caper]
> -Embelia basaal [Wavding]
> -Carissa congesta [Carvanda]
>
>     The D.bulbifera do develop bilbils but have never eaten any though they are much sought after by tribals.
>      Sending you a few photographs.
>                          With regards,
>                            Neil Soares.

> --- On Sun, 7/31/11, ushadi Micromini <microminipho...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 10:40 PM, Neil Soares <drneilsoa...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>  The Dioscorea bulbifera was just an incidental finding. Please check these photographs where there are at least 6 climbers per frame. They are all taken at my farm at Shahapur.
>                      With regards,
>                        Neil Soares.
>

> --- On Sat, 7/30/11, Smilax004 <giby.kuriak...@gmail.com> wrote:

>  Mucuna pruriens, Khajkhujli flowers 1.jpg
> 155KViewDownload
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>  Mucuna pruriens, Khajkhujli flowers 2.jpg
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>  Mucuna pruriens, Khajkhujli pods 1.jpg
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>  Mucuna pruriens, Khajkhujli pods 2.jpg
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>  Mucuna pruriens, Khajkhujli pods 3.jpg
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>  Mucuna pruriens, Khajkhujli pods 4.jpg
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>  Mucuna pruriens, Khajkhujli pods 5.jpg
> 103KViewDownload

[Madhuri Pejaver]

Called Khajkuyali in Marathi Madhuri --- On Tue, 2/8/11, Neil Soares <drneil...@yahoo.com> wrote:

[ushadi Micromini]

So, Neil, How does one keep a diary for all the flora and fauna on a farm...
how detailed and how often do you  walk around (systematically I guess) and record?
How big does it get, and how do you track... ie a cross index of all info?


Usha di
==============

[Neil Soares]

Hi,  Have maintained a detailed log-book [with photographs where-ever possible] of the flora [trees,shrubs,climbers and herbs] & fauna [mammals,reptiles,amphibians,birds,arthropods,fish etc.] of my farm / forest for the last 15 years.                           With regards,                             Neil Soares

[Neil Soares]

Hi,  Would like to close this thread now, please.                     Regards,                      Neil Soares.

--- On Wed, 8/3/11, Neil Soares <drneil...@yahoo.com> wrote: