Don Bosco High School,
Matunga, Mumbai,
10 Sep, 2015
Mumbai, September 10: A group of Nature Club enthusiasts of our
school visited the Sion Fort Garden along with their teacher, Mrs. Barkha Shah,
as part of a Green line activity, under the guidance of Ms. Gauri Gurad, a
plant expert.
The Nature trail was organized to watch birds, insects and trees.
The students observed and learnt about the following plants
and insects.
1) Dragon fly ( Ditch jewel):
There were many dragon flies hovering over the fort. Dragon flies
are indicators of nearby water bodies because they lay eggs in water. There was
only one species ditch jewel in huge numbers showing a bad sign of polluted
water bodies.
2) Lantana camera:
It’s a common invasive weed that attracts lots of butterflies.
3) Rui fruits:
Rui fruits look like moustache. The leaves and flowers are offered
to lord Hanuman on Saturdays. It gives out poisonous latex which tiger
butterflies feed on.
4) Pongal oil tree or karanj:
The seeds of this tree are used to extract biofuel. The leaves in
the photo are infected by gall insects that live and lay eggs inside the
leaves.
5) Bryophytes and pteridophytes:
These plants are non flowering and are seen in rains. Moss are
small plants growing on walls and fern species adiantum was seen growing along
with moss.
