Kahambiliya creeper, though medicinal has a reputation
attached to it and not the most favoured plant to have on one’s land, by most.
Leaves and stems with bulbous heads sport needle like fuzz that inject a toxic
mix of acid that cause severe skin irritation and itching. Ironic, considering
its roots are used in herbal medicine from Eczema to Hair loss.
The Common Castor/Aradne Merione, in Sri Lanka lays eggs on
these leaves. For reasons above, farmers get rid of this creeper, but for the
Butterfly it is serious habitat loss, and an entire species can be wiped out.
Where ever one finds Porterweed/Balu Nakuta, a Jamaican
native, there will be Butterflies around. This Alien plant provides honey many
species of Butterflies are attracted to and can be found growing side by side with
other native plant species, and now has naturalized into the system.
In this land we walk on, the ground cover is of many species of flowering grasses and plants. There are no maintained single expanses of grass. The tiny ground flowers are ideal for the crazy mix of smaller butterflies with small tongues, and they take flight at each of our steps.
Acacia from Australia is considered An Alien Invasive Species by most including Uncle George. But it can be controlled or put to use to some extent if one monitors carefully. As I follow him around I notice forest patches he maintains within his cultivated area as natural habitats for flora & fauna. They provide habitat and shade for many birds, Bees, insects and mammals as well as its natural Bio mechanisms maintain the soil and surroundings. As we speak, a large Serpent Eagle takes off from a branch of a tall tree in such a forested oasis and he says, where there are butterflies and insects, there are frogs, the snakes hunt the frogs, and the eagles come for the snakes. Perfect.
He shows me a tall Invasive Acacia reaching the sky, and Capparis Sepiara, a native creeper hugs the tree and shrouds it right up
to the heavens. The White Orange Tip Butterfly lays its eggs exclusively on
this creeper.
Our famed Kohomba/Neem, has a torrid relationship with Uncle George.
In the Dry Zone where his paradise lies, they sprout everywhere and has a high reproductive rate as well as displace other species. In a patch of a few feet I can see more than 10 plants lolling about in the breeze. The Government of Sri Lanka does not allow the trees to be cut for wood either. In this area, it has become an Invasive Plant, much like the Mahogany invading Singharaja Biosphere.
The tree has enormous medicinal value and is of economic/commercial potential that needs to be looked into seriously
Photos:
Ginger biscuits dunked in unsweetened tea is a daily Work Essential
Acacia and Capparis Sepiara - sketch
Uncle George with a tall Acacia hugged by the Butterfly creeper, at a forest patch he maintains.
Kahambiliya leaf and the Common Castor Caterpillar
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