Strawberries, Cherries and the Angel’s Kiss in Spring, My Summer Wine is made from all these things When Lee Hazlewood wrote these lyrics in the spring of 1966, he would have undoubtedly been surrounded by Spring sunshine and blooms all around, or so I imagine. Spring aka Basant is the season that has inspired poets and painters through time immemorial.
Sitting in my little white wood garden, Common Mynas and Pied Starlings are vying for attention as they chatter incessantly on the blooming fish palm, perhaps negotiating who gets the right of way to build the nest. Across the lane, a benign resident spreads seeds and there’s a pandemonium each morning, nearly a mad eating frenzy where Brahminy Starlings, Bulbuls (both Red-vented and Red-whiskered), Rufous Treepies clamour for a foothold on the ledge, so their already full beaks can take in more. Birds are feeding like crazy these days. All because the Spring season has kicked in a hormonal rush within most resident birds to get into their breeding finery and build nests to lay eggs for the season. Most smaller birds like Purple Sunbird, Ashy Prinia, House Sparrow, and Tailorbird will lay more than 1 clutch of eggs through the next couple of weeks. And soon, the little fledglings will be out and about, in park hedges, residential gardens, vacant plots with tangles of wilderness left.
While birds are busy with their feeding, breeding cycle, flowers are on their fine displays to complement them. Crimson is the colour of the season. Gorgeous Silk Cotton (Semal) flowers can be seen blooming across the colony. Red being the common variety, the less common orange Semal can also be seen in Malibu. While the canopy of these flowering trees is a magnet for birds, the underlying carpet of these giant crimson flowers is a photographer’s delight. Soon, we’ll have Jacaranda, Amaltas and Siris blooming. Here and there, one sees the Red Coral tree, blooming with its scarlet-coloured claw-shaped flowers. Malibu gardens are also extremely pleasant and elegant. Take a stroll through any of the lanes and various designs of Malibu gardens can be a sure shot way to enjoy this beautiful spring weather.
