How to grow a succulent?

You do not know what a succulent is? No problem.

They are group of plants (more than 50 types) that store water in their leaves. The leaves look thick and may have slightly pointed end but their roots stay at the surface and do not go deep. They may be confused for cactus. They make easy to maintian plants that are grower friendly.

Here is a picture of one of them.

Actually we had one such plant and recently it died.

Driven by curiosity, I just took one of the leaves and it appeared to me that the leaf end had pinkish roots. The roots were small and I decided to stick the leaf into the soil and see what happens.

Lo and behold! the plant started growing.

Some of the leaves from the plant that died fell on the ground. I took some of them on the ground and stuck them in little pots. Well, well, they too started producing new plants. Who knows I may be in business!

Never seen such huge flowers

Lunching at Suntory Restaurant in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping center, I took this picture through the window. They were amazingly large, something I had never seen.

But alas! They were fake flowers stuck into the plant to provide a visual effect. Still, it was stunning.

History made at Panmunjom

Once in a long while you get some good news. The peace treaty between North and South Koreas is one such event. It gladdens the heart of one who loves peace and bringing together of people who share language, history, emotion and nature.

Indeed, history was made at Panmunjom. We all hope it brings lasting peace, not the words on a piece of paper but one that is enduring and everlasting.

What could be more comprehensive is to have a treaty between all the major players in that region, North Korea, South Korea, China and Japan. That would be the best thing that can happen. Who knows, it may indeed in a not distant future.

Here are snapshots from around the World. I think the leaders of both Koreas must be congratulated. We also look forward to the much-anticipated meeting between leaders of North Korea and the United States of America.

This is what Koreans were looking at till yesterday
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Armistice_Agreement

This happened to day. News coverage around the world

Visit and enjoy the 2018 Sumie Exhibition at City Hall in Honolulu

On April 27th the exhibition closes. It is an unique event with exhibits by all those who participate in the Sumie Society of Hawaii.

If you cannot make it. you can still see it here:

https://youtu.be/7KplR7ZdRKA

The Venue :

The following were randomly chosen. The YouTube video has most of the exhibits (almost all).

Must see: Chennai's Snake and Crocodile park

It was one of the best visits of mine in the December of 2011. I visited with my family on a bright sunny morning (see video) and the crocodiles were out in the sun, as if sunning themselves.

This park was born out of the good work of conservationist, herptologist, Padmasri Romulus Earl Whitaker.  He is an wildlife conservationist and founder of the Madras Snake Park, The Andaman and Nicobar Environment Trust (ANET), and the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.

Madras Crocodile Bank Trust was established with the aim of saving three Indian endangered species of crocodile—the marsh or mugger crocodile, the saltwater crocodile, and the gharial, which at the time of founding of the trust were all nearing extinction.

Here are description of these crocodiles from Wikipedia.

Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
The gharial, also known as the gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae, and is native to the northern part of the Indian Subcontinent. The global wild gharial population is estimated at fewer than 235 individuals, which are threatened by loss of riverine habitat, depletion of fish resources, and entanglement in fishing nets. As the population has declined drastically since the 1930s, the gharial is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Saltwater crocodile
The saltwater crocodile, also known as the estuarine crocodile, Indo-Pacific crocodile, marine crocodile, sea crocodile or informally as saltie, is the largest of all living reptiles, as well as the largest riparian predator in the world. Males of this species can reach sizes up to 6.30 m and possibly up to 7.0 m in length. However, an adult male saltwater crocodile rarely reaches or exceeds a size of 6 m weighing 1,000 to 1,200 kg. Females are much smaller and often do not surpass 3 m.

Mugger crocodile
The mugger crocodile, also called the Indian, Indus, Persian, Sindhu, marsh crocodile or simply mugger, is found throughout the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the three crocodilians found in India, the others being the gharial and the saltwater crocodile. It is a medium-sized crocodile that mostly inhabits freshwater lakes, ponds, sluggish rivers, swamps and marshes. Males of the species are said to grow up to 4–5 m in length. As with other crocodilians, females are smaller. The mugger crocodile has the broadest snout of any extant crocodile, giving it an alligator-like appearance. It is a more heavily armored species with enlarged scutes around the neck. Adults are dark grey or brown, while hatchlings are tan colored.
Watch this incredible video.

https://youtu.be/S3zfV3tZZ00