Trees at temples

A pipal tree is usually found in front of temples. Sometimes a combination of two or more species (pipal / jackfruit / mango) mark the entrance to bigger and older temples in Kerala. (In Tamil Nadu you are likely to find combination of pipal and neem trees). It's interesting to see the canopy of mixed foliage, and the different barks growing entwined from their respective roots.
The pipal-mango combine is sometimes called 'Almavu' (intended as a pun for the word for soul in Malayalam).
Pictures of some of them taken during a 'Nalambalam Yatra'. Please click on picture for better views.

The tree(s) at Bharata temple, Koodalmanikyam, Trissur District

The tree(s) at Lakshmana temple, Moozhikulam, Trissur District
The tree(s) at Shatrughna's temple, Payammel, Trissur District.
This kind of parallel coexistence with intertwined barks and roots is likely because the pipal grows easily out of crevasses.
Actual Marriages of trees, and marriage with trees are religious customs in India.
Cross-posted from Feast for Thought

Watering your garden

Gardens tend to consume massive amounts of water; something that's becoming an increasingly scarce resource. Irrigation accounts for the bulk of water use in homes, particularly in drier areas over the summer months. A few of the biggest mistakes made are:

a) Plant selection; usually by using plants that aren't native to the area
b) Sprinklers that throw water up into the air, which is then windblown or evaporates
c) Watering during the hottest part of the day
d) Over-watering

Here's some tips for reducing your garden watering footprint - and to save some money on water rates at the same time. More...In Green living tips...

Tree graffiti

Our friend Prashant mailed these pictures, asking me to put them on this blog. Any tree-lover would be appalled by such defacement .
It is a baser form of exhibitionism that drives some people to vandalize trees this way. The pictures were taken at Mysore Pinjrapole.