Patience and intelligence beat the strength

Patience and intelligence beat the strength, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

This little spidy is waiting patiently for his dinner. We can see how intelligent and talented he is.

Taken at Kadavoor, Kerala, India

Short-horned rice grasshopper

, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

Playing with short-horned rice grasshoppers in our paddy field

Taken at Kadavoor, Kerala, India

False Daisy

False Daisy, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

Eclipta prostrata

Synonyms: Eclipta erecta, Eclipta alba, Eclipta punctata, Verbesina prostrate

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. (syn. Eclipta prostrata L.), commonly known as False Daisy , yerba de tago, andbhringraj, is a plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. Root well developed, cylindrical, greyish. Floral heads 6-8 mm in diameter, solitary, white, achene compressed and narrowly winged. It grows commonly in moist places as a weed all over the world. It is widely distributed throughout India, China, Thailand, and Brazil. In ayurvedic medicine, the leaf extract is considered a powerful liver tonic, rejuvenative, and especially good for the hair. A black dye obtained fromEclipta alba is used for dyeing hair and tattooing. Eclipta alba also has traditional external uses, like athlete foot, eczema and dermatitis, on the scalp to address hair loss and the leaves have been used in the treatment of scorpion stings. It is used as anti-venom against snakebite in China and Brazil (Mors, 1991). It is reported to improve hair growth and colour
Taken at Kadavoor, Kerala, India

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipta_alba

www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/False%20Daisy.html

www.missouriplants.com/Whiteopp/Eclipta_alba_page.html

Trumpet Tail

Trumpet Tail, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

He was sitting on ground level in a bumpy area so it is difficult for me to lower the camera to capture him.

Acisoma panorpoides, male

Common Names: Grizzled Pintail, Pintail, Trumpet Tail

A small blue dragonfly with bulged abdomen, closely associated with water, commonly found among reeds in ponds and tanks. The species has a very weak and short flight. Breeds in marshes associated with tanks and ponds.

Taken at Kadavoor, Kerala, India

http://www.ias.ac.in/initiat/sci_ed/lifescape/odonates-dragonflies.pdf

http://odonata-malaysia.blogspot.com/2009/05/libellulidae-acisoma-panorpoides.html

www.greglasley.net/pintail.html

www.asia-dragonfly.net/globalResults.php?Species=1289

Rice flowers in the paddy field

Rice flowers in the paddy field, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

Rice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa. As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies. It is the grain with the second highest worldwide production, after maize ("corn").

Since a large portion of maize crops are grown for purposes other than human consumption, rice is probably the most important grain with regards to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by the human species.

Rice takes 150–200 days to mature in warm, wet conditions. During its growing period, it needs to be flooded either by the heavy monsoon rains or by irrigation. This restricts the cultivation of swamp rice, the usual kind, to level land and terraces. Outside Asia, centres of rice production include the Po Valley in Italy, and Louisiana, the Carolinas, and California in the USA.

The rice plant is unique among cereal crops in that it is grown standing in water. The rice stem is adapted to allow oxygen to pass downwards to the waterlogged roots. The grain is usually white, but there are red, brown, and black varieties. The thin skin of the grain is rich in oils, minerals, and vitamins.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_production_in_India

Taken at Kadavoor, Kerala, India

Nut Sedge

Nut Sedge, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

Botanical name: Cyperus rotundus

Common names: Common Nut Sedge, coco grass, nutgrass, purple nutsedge

Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge family)

Nutsedges are perennial weeds in the sedge family that superficially resemble grasses. Nutsedges grow mainly from tubers or "nutlets" formed on rhizomes, mostly in the upper foot of soil. Leaves are V-shaped in cross section and arranged in sets of three at the base. Stems are triangular in cross section. Tubers of yellow nutsedge are produced singly while purple nutsedge tubers are produced in chains, several on a single rhizome.

Taken at Kadavoor, Kerala, India

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_rotundus

http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Common%20Nut%20Sedge.html

www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/WEEDS/nutsedge.html

Stonebreaker

Stonebreaker, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

Phyllanthus niruri

Malayalam: Keezhanelli

The annual herb Phyllanthus niruri is best known by the common names Stonebreaker(Eng.), Chanca Piedra(Sp.) and Quebra Pedra(Port.), Seed-Under-Leaf(Eng.) but has many other common names in assorted languages, including dukong anak, dukong-dukong anak, amin buah, rami buah, turi hutan, and bhuiaonla. The herb is known as Nela Nelli in Kannada. It is a widespread tropical plant commonly found in coastal areas. It is a relative of the spurges, belonging to the leafflower genus of Family Phyllanthaceae.

Extracts of this herb have shown promise in treating a wide range of human diseases. Some of the medicinal properties suggested by numerous preclinical trials are anti-hepatotoxic, anti-lithic, anti-hypertensive, anti-HIV and anti-hepatitis B.

It blocks DNA polymerase, the enzyme needed for the hepatitis B virus to reproduce. It also prevent from jaundice,diabetes, dyspepsia, ulcers, sores, swellings, ophthalmia and chronic dysentery. Whole plant is useful for the treatment of some forms of gonorrhea, menorrhagia, dropsy, menorrhagia and other genito- urinary affections of a similar type. A poultice of the leaves mixed with salt cures itch and other skin affections. It is bitter, astringent, cold, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and useful in liver disorders, cough, asthma, jaundice, spleen disorders. Phyllanthus may help decrease the amount of hepatitis B virus found in the blood stream.

Taken at Kadavoor, Kerala, India

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllanthus_niruri

www.rain-tree.com/chanca.htm

www.motherherbs.com/phyllanthus-niruri.html

Ground Skimmer

Ground Skimmer, originally uploaded by kadavoor.

Ground Skimmer (Diplacodes trivialis) Female

Other names: Chalky percher, Blue percher

A small greenish yellow or blue dragonfly with black markings. One of the commonest dragonflies in gardens, fields and playgrounds. This dragonfly usually perches on the ground and rarely flies above 1m. Breeds in muddy puddles, tanks and pond edges. Flight throughout the year. Distribute throughout Oriental region and Pacific islands.

http://www.asia-dragonfly.net/globalResults.php?Species=1349

http://www.nerdybirders.com/html/dragonflies/groundskimmer.html

http://www.ias.ac.in/initiat/sci_ed/lifescape/odonates-dragonflies.pdf

http://cms.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/misc/JCUDEV_015397