It바카라s March. People in Shimla are waking up to a pleasant breeze, unlike the icy cold winds of the past few months. The winter chill is gradually fading and clear blue skies are visible again. Routine morning walkers are ditching their warm thermals and quilts and are stepping out of the comforts of their homes.
The forest road바카라lined with tall deodar trees on either side바카라is their favourite stretch. The foggy mornings offer breathtaking views. The evening leisure strollers, on the other hand, are charmed by the magical sunsets that are ameliorating the beauty of the majestic Himalayan range.
Something else has changed. The landscape, these days, looks like a canvas바카라there are splashes of pink, red, maple and white. It바카라s the season of rhododendrons. The blooming of the buransh flowers in the hill town marks the early arrival of spring바카라April is when the spring season usually begins in Shimla.
Noted author E.J. Buck in his book Simla, Past and Present has devoted one full chapter to the trees of Shimla. He introduces rhododendrons as 바카라the glory of the Himalayan spring바카라. He writes in the book: 바카라The flowers (bloom) of rhododendron바카라greet our annual arrival with a blaze of rich crimson and scarlet. Flowers are commonly crimson-scarlet, occasionally white, pink or rose or marked with purple or yellowish spots. It is certainly the fact that the colouring depends somewhat on aspect and elevation.바카라
Many nature lovers and poets have celebrated rhododendrons in folksongs, literary writings, love-stories and poems. 바카라Rhododendrons bloom in clusters and stand out for their fascinating look. Though the plant is found in other parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Nepal, but its presence in Shimla enables us to boast about our rich biodiversity and diverse flora and fauna,바카라 says Uma Thakur, a writer and a poet.
Though the blooming of rhododendrons has made the landscape prettier, some people, especially environmentalists, are a bit worried. The bloom has happened almost three weeks early for the second consecutive year.바카라They are terming the early bloom as disappointing and a symbol of 바카라climate disruption바카라 in the Himalayan region. 바카라The changing pattern of the flowering of rhododendrons requires deeper study. This is not a good sign,바카라 says Thakur.
Plant scientists in Shimla are attributing the early bloom to weather advances, warming of days and the gradual decline in snowfall patterns.
바카라A rise in temperature implies low chilling in plants in the mountains where snow regulates their growth. Rhododendrons fall under this category. Maybe the quality of flowers is different in terms of juice or phenolic contents but it is immaterial as it blooms in wild habitats. This year, we have had exceptionally poor snowfall. Therefore, these changes are obvious,바카라 informs Vijay Singh Thakur, a scientist and the former vice-chancellor Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan.
Suresh Attri, principal scientist in the Department of Environment and Climate Change, admits that the early blooming of rhododendrons is certainly a matter of concern among those associated with the environment and forestry fields.
바카라Besides the changing flowering pattern, scientists are also concerned about the shifting of the baseline of rhododendrons. A few popular varieties have become rare and variation in rainfall pattern and the rise in temperature is shifting the altitudes at which rhododendrons bloom,바카라 says Attri.
Climatic changes affecting the bloom of rhododendrons is concerning as they also have medicinal value. They have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Some private fruit wine manufacturers in Himachal Pradesh have also harvested these flowers as they are used in making the finest wines and cider. The flowers also attract birds and bees seeking nectar.
The plant is said to be a powerful air purifier and maintains a cleaner and healthier environment. It absorbs pollutants, particularly nitrogen dioxide, from the air. 바카라It also prevents soil erosion and retains moisture,바카라 says Attri.
India바카라s first rhododendron garden has come up in Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand that houses more than 30 species of the flower; five are exclusively found in Uttarakhand.
The Nagaland government has declared Rhododendron as a state flower and started a project to conserve and save some of the species facing a threat due to deforestation, habitat loss and climate change.
Reports say till now only four species of Rhododendron have been found in Himachal Pradesh. These include arboretum (the tree form), campanulatum (tall shrubby form), anthopogon (small shrubby form) and lepidotum (small shrubby form).
