The
temperature in the desert has come down but is still touching 40ºC + in the
sun. Man, beast & plants are stressed. However, a welcome relief came when
a heavy squall hit our city.
Trees
extended their arms out as if telling everyone the direction in which the storm
was passing. Some were bending over to say ‘Khammagani’ when two branches came
together to join hands due to the force of the wind.
Many of our
pots toppled over. A few branches broke. Old leaves took flight and dispersion
of seeds took place.
First thing
in the morning was to check the damage. Strong winds had given us the scare.
Rain was welcome as it saved me from the fatigue of watering that day. The
atmosphere was relieved of the dryness and heat. Birds were eagerly waiting at
their grain bowl which was overflowing with rain water. Bajra had got soaked,
they needed fresh grain.
Having
assessed the storm damage, it was time to look around and enjoy the clean,
serene and washed surroundings.
On the
drumstick tree which was planted by yours truly, I heard a familiar call of
Greeny the green pigeon. She sat grooming herself, talking incessantly,
probably thanking me for growing that tree because the mother tree had fallen
to the axe. Greeny and her family used to frequent the mother tree every day.
Seedpods
from that mother tree produced so many seeds. Seeds grown are now fruiting in
abundance providing us with the tastiest and freshest drumsticks for our
sambhar and sabji.
How does a
tree know when it has to shed its seed pods/seeds? Nature has its own way of
telling them. The high-speed winds shuddered the branches and they released the
ripe pods. Pods hit the ground hard. On impact they split open, releasing
seeds. Wings on the seeds carry them away with rain water and winds to a place
where they can grow.
Out of
thousands of seeds just a few survive. Rest of them do not find ideal
conditions to sprout. Some sprouts get axed as weeds. In case they grow up in
an odd place, their survival becomes difficult. Some seeds collected by me have
been planted in nursery bags. Once strong enough to be replanted, they shall be
distributed to all those who want to plant a tree this rainy season. This I do
every year.
What caught
my attention was something sticking to the side of our car which was parked
close to this tree. Two seeds were sticking to its side. Imagine, the car could
have carried them to some place. They would have fallen off on their own and
grown once they dried up.
Flowing
water and winds help in dispersion of seeds. Man, animals and birds too carry
seeds are methods to assist in dispersion of seeds. It was for the first time;
I noticed that a car could also be a carrier of seeds. Probably a pod would
have dropped on the roof and burst. Seeds once released were on their way down
and got stuck near the door handle.
I have left
them there. Just in case we drive them along and leave them at a place to bear
fruit. The only hurdle in the way was the car cleaner. He would neither notice
them nor think the way we think and wiped them off the surface. The housekeeper
would then collect the debris on the road. Those seeds could land up in the
garbage dump/landfill.
I was lucky
to find about ten pods stuck on the hedge. The best pods were selected, broken
open and seeds collected to be planted for distribution two months from now.
Had you
guys thought that a car could also be a medium of dispersion of seeds? I
wonder!!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© ® NOEL
ELLIS
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