
Black Kite perched on a blooming Silver Oak tree
wildlife · birds
A Black Kite (Milvus migrans) perched high among the branches of a Silver Oak (Grevillea robusta), also known as the Southern Silky Oak.
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Dhak trees are also known as Tesu, Palaash or Flame of he Forest (butea frondosa or monosperma in Latin!) Their flowers start to appear around holi and in olden days, their flowers used to be soaked in water to prepare an entirely organic colour to use on the festival of holi... Today, we prefer manganese, silica and an assortment of chemicals and artificial colours! They look like mini flames lighting up the forest floor or canopy... The ground is covered with dropped flowers from this rugged forest tree that survives without water for stretches of time and is also resistant to termites. These trees are now rarely grown in India as the Indian horticulturalist or gardener prefers exotics that require more care and aren't a tenth as hardy as the good old Dhak tree. See a forest department n
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A Black Kite (Milvus migrans) perched high among the branches of a Silver Oak (Grevillea robusta), also known as the Southern Silky Oak.

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