Favorite pictures from 2010

I am ending 2010 by posting five of my favorite pictures from this year. I wish all friends and visitors to the blog a very happy and peaceful 2011.

Mellow Yellow Monday

Indian Roller

Black-eyed Susan vine

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday # 100

Alphabe-Thursday: L for Leprechaun

More info about Leprechaun. Posted under Alphabe-Thursday Letter L.

Homework and fun!

Pups

Posted under Camera-Critters #140 and Mellow Yellow Monday #99

Alphabe-Thursday: K for Kingfisher

Posted under Alphabe-Thursday Letter K

Myna

Posted under Wordless Wednesday, Camera-Critters #139 and Mellow Yellow Monday #98

Sukhoi Su-30MKI

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is an air superiority fighter jet jointly developed by Russia and India for the Indian Air Force.

Openbill Stork

Butterfly

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday #98

Wordless Wednesday

Grasshopper

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday #96

Alphabe-Thursday: I for Intimacy

These soft porn movies are played at nondescript movie theaters to satisfy the carnal hunger of people deprived of intimacy or access to Redtube. Posted under Alphabe-Thursday Letter I

A tiny drop

Posted under Watery Wednesday #114

Dianthus

Posted under Ruby Tuesday

Dry Leaves

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday #95

Dragonfly

Posted under Camera-Critters #136

Alphabe-Thursday: H for Hippopotamus

Posted under Alphabe-Thursday Letter H

Drizzle

Paper wasps

Posted under Camera-Critters #135 and Mellow Yellow Monday #94

Beverages

Marbles

Rose

Posted under Ruby Tuesday

Betel nut

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday #93

Ferrari

Posted under Alphabe-Thursday Letter F and Weekend Reflections # 58

Betel nut tree

Posted under Wordless Wednesday

Rose

Posted under Ruby Tuesday

Mellow Yellow Monday

Common Mormon

Posted under Camera-Critters #133

Dragonfly

Gazania

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday #91

Alphabe-Thursday: D for Droplet

Posted under Alphabe-Thursday Letter D

Reflections in a canal

If at first glance you are not able to tell that this is a reflection, then look again. With the exception of the weed on top, the grass in the bottom, the duck and some tiny things floating on the water this is all reflection.

Canna fruits

Just a casual search in wikipedia got me the following interesting uses of this plant:

• The seeds are used as beads in jewelry.^[12]
• The seeds are used as the mobile elements of the kayamb, a musical instrument from Réunion, as well as the hosho, a gourd rattle from Zimbabwe, where the seeds are known as "hota" seeds.
• In more remote regions of India, cannas are fermented to produce alcohol.^[13]
• The plant yields a fibre - from the stem - it is used as a jute substitute.^[14]
• A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making paper. The leaves are harvested in late summer after the plant has flowered, they are scraped to remove the outer skin and are then soaked in water for 2 hours prior to cooking. The fibres are cooked for 24 hours with lye and then beaten in a blender. They make a light tan brown paper.^[14]
• A purple dye is obtained from the seed.^[14]
• Smoke from the burning leaves is said to be insecticidal.^[14]
• Cannas are used to extract many undesirable pollutants in a wetland environment as they have a high tolerance to contaminants.^[15][16]
• In Thailand, Cannas are a traditional gift for Father's Day.
• In Vietnam, canna is called dong riềng and its starch is used to make cellophane noodles known as miến dong.

Posted under Ruby Tuesday

Mellow Yellow Monday

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday #90

Alphabe-Thursday: C for Chameleon

Posted under Alphabe-Thursday Letter C

Bats

Wordless Wednesday

Posted under Wordless Wednesday

Hibiscus

Posted under Ruby Tuesday

Mellow Yellow Monday

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday #88

Aerobatics

Butterfly

Posted under Wordless Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday

I found this weird spiky green fruit near my house. The fruit was split revealing the red seeds whose color is probably nature’s device to attract birds who are the primary agents of seed dispersal. I have no idea what this fruit is called. I don’t think it is edible. I found it quite apt for a Ruby Tuesday post.

Bee splurge

Posted under Mellow Yellow Monday #87 and Camera-Critters #128