Bamboo

A super host

The bamboo clump where the path slopes down to the well has flowered. It is twenty five years old.. The green bush has browned over the months, its lively green giving way to brittle stems and spikey clusters. of seeds. One would have imagined a dead clump to be lifeless. In a sense it is quite so. This particular bamboo, in all likelihood will wither away in time. But by flowering, it continues to sustain life.

Within the columns and the spaces, life still thrives. Shy birds like the Blue faced malkoha, Greater Coucal, and Koel disappear into the chambers encased in thorny spikes, without a trace.. The thorny confines also happen to be an ideal place for the Blue Faced malkoha to ambush absent minded butterflies from.

Foraging parties of munias, bulbuls and parakeets perch precariously, pecking away at seeds. It is well over three months and the stocks of seeds seem to be inexhaustible.

The carpet of dislodged seeds attracted less visible occupants of the wilderness around the farm.. One evening walking briskly down the path i was halted by a rare sight. A whole family of Red Spur fowls were so busy scratching the floor and pecking at seeds , they were oblivious of my presence for a good five minutes, offering a fine view. Had it not been for the treats the bamboo offered It would have been difficult to spot these secretive pheasants.