NOEL ELLIS' GOOGLE BLOG

    Surprises don’t seem to end in the Ellis’ Garden. This morning I had a rare encounter with a shrew, and later in the afternoon, as the sun moved across the sky, a beautiful white-waterlily bloomed in one of the small tubs which we had hung on the front railing.   There is a short story behind these water lilies which I would like to share.   Water lilies became one of my favourites while experimenting with plants that could survive successfully in our desert conditions. The challenge was to find plants which could withstand the intense heat, bright sunlight, and also survive the severe winters.   In this process, waterlilies proved to be among the best. They endured the vagaries of weather and rewarded us with a smile whenever they bloomed.   From November onwards, they enter dormancy. But come February, they slowly return to life. The leaves which had disappeared begin to emerge again. This is the ideal time to work on them for repo...

❤ Dil Khush 🧡

   The Ellis’ garden is always full of surprises. Something new, something different keeps cropping up or visiting our garden. It could be a bird, insect, reptile or even a plant. One has to keep a keen eye to notice them and acknowledge their presence.   As I sat in the veranda breaking roti into bite size pieces for the sparrows and doves, from the corner of my eye, I could see them chirping excitedly. They knew their breakfast would be served very soon. Having fed the fish, refilled grains in the grain feeder, spreading bajra on the road was not enough for them. They wanted roti and roti was served.   From the corner of my eye, an unusual movement got noticed under the pot stand. Recently, I had shifted two aquatic plant bowls to the veranda, to make space for the rain lilies. Somewhere behind those bowls I saw a silhouette. It could have been a lizard, or a chameleon. I have not seen them that active in our garden so early. Could it be a mouse?  ...

  MAGHI PURNIMA through my lens

https://naturewithnoel.wordpress.com/2026/06/28/sunday-the-longest-day/ Do watch the embedded you tube video to assimilate the article better. Many thanks and regards my friends.

  Honey bees on the job:27 June 2026 Waterlily flowers is their office

LOVE ALL

It was a difficult situation yesterday. Our hummingbird feeders where our sunbirds feed from were almost empty. The sunbird clan kept visiting their favourite feeder out of the two. Finding no juice, they could reach with their beaks, they would move to the second one.   The second one was reaching its rock bottom too. The idea was that once they finished the contents of both, I would lower the feeders and refill them. Birds kept coming at regular intervals. Moment they saw me, what a ruckus they would create. I was also toying with their thoughts knowing full well that they are raising an alarm and complaining to me that the feeders are running dry.   Initially, we had just one feeder. But when the sunbirds started visiting recurrently and in quick succession, it became a hit. It also became a meeting ground for many sunbird couples. Probably, they sat on the sides of the extensions to come and land. They would then be exchanging love notes and love bites.   ...

  Last evening I decided to take the plunge into our two fish tubs in the veranda. Algae had engulfed the tubs. Now, the fish were clearly visible, which was the first reason to break into a broad smile.   Many fish had perished. New ones had to be added. Off I went to the roof to catch some. Little girls, ranging from half an inch to two inches are very difficult to catch. If you think you can pick a particular one, it is the most difficult task.   Before I caught any fish, my eyes lit up with joy on reaching the rooftop. I smiled from ear to year when I saw a new waterlily staring at me in its full bloom.   About four years back, we started our waterlily collection in the Sun City. We had one which grew wild in our previous station. One thought growing them is a cake walk. It wasn’t.   Five years back, having shortlisted a few waterlily sellers, one ordered six colours of waterlilies. The success of the mission was dismal. We had ordered th...

 22 JUNE 2026  💙 Dil Khush ❤

  Snowflakes have been a part of our garden for three years now. Initially, we just had the white ones, we added the yellow ones later. In winters, the situation became grim, when due to severe cold we had almost lost them. However, their tubers stayed hidden in the shallow earthen pot and have now come to bloom.   Among the many plants that have found a home on our rooftop garden, few are as delicate and fascinating as the “Floating Heart.” Unlike the water lilies, the Floating Heart attracts attention and is quite different. Their small floating leaves, slender stalks, and small flowers that look like tiny stars or snowflakes rest gently on the water.   What makes this plant special is the life it attracts. A bee visiting the flowers, transforms an ordinary moment into a lesson in nature's interconnectedness. The plant, a living participant in a small ecosystem supporting insects, fish, birds and countless unseen organisms.   Botanically it is from th...

  NEET exams are around the bend. Tensions are mounting more in the Education Ministry to seal the areas from where paper leaks happen. The education minister is being tested actually.   The ‘Paper Mafia’, must still be on a look out to puncture the system. They would do it again for a ‘few dollars more’. Sleuths would be on a lookout. I hope they nab all those who dare to play with the future of our kids and bring them to book.   One reason the paper leak controversies have attracted so much attention is because a breach could occur at many stages, like question creation, digital storage, printing, transport, centre administration, or post-exam handling. Basically, where there is human handling of the exam paper. Those loopholes must be plugged.   I remember my preparation for the prestigious Staff College exams. Rumours used to float around that the question paper is being set in one of the Commands, especially for an exam called Tac-B. This was a pra...