Natural splendour of Nuwaragala

by Chamitha Kuruppu

Most of you enjoy going on trips, don't you? Rather than going to places crowded with buildings or people, isn't it fun to spend sometime in a forest or a woodland? Sinharaja, Udawattakele and Roomassala are some of the popular places for such excursions. There is no doubt that a visit to these places will give you an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature. Such trips will also help you to experience and have a closer look at the wonder of biodiversity.

Today, Nature Trail brings you some classic nature pictures taken by our photographer Thilak Perera, during a trip to Nuwaragala in the Ampara District. Once the kingdom of Saddhatissa, brother of King Dutugemunu, 'Nuwaragala' has a number of ruins to prove its ancient importance. It has an old castle and a rock pool built on top of the mountain. It is believed that Saddhatissa who was hiding from his brother lived in Nuwaragala until the death of King Dutugemunu.

Another significance of this trip is that, to reach Nuwaragala, one has to pass 'Polle Badda', a village of the adivasis. A community originally from Dambana resides in 'Polle Badda', a hamlet in the Ampara District. Farming being their main income the community is headed by vannila aththo 'Goba' who still continue to practise their rare rituals and customs.

The pictures featured here have successfully captured the biodiversity of nature and speak volumes about the beauty of Mother Nature. Unless you take time to study and observe very closely, you will not be able to appreciate the true beauty of Mother Nature. The fauna and flora that can be found almost everywhere in the world around us, are part of what we call the natural environment. However, there are many other things in this natural environment, such as rocks, rivers, clouds and rain that are not living at all. But, don't forget that all of these things are essential for life to continue.

You may have seen hundreds of plants and animals in your life, but have you ever wondered what the difference between a plant and an animal is? Both live, feed and reproduce, but it is how they do this that varies. Plants cannot move in the same way as animals can. This means that they have to get their food in one place. And how could they do this without moving? They use their roots and their green leaves, through a process called photosynthesis - to get all the food they need, to survive.

Some plants are very small and simple, while flowering plants can often grow to a great size. There are at least 250,000 kinds of flowering plants. The plants and their flowers come in all shapes and sizes.

Plants grow in all kinds of places too. Some grow in very dry places. Some plants feed on other living plants. Some trees and small plants grow in sunny places, while others grow in the shade beneath trees. There are plants that grow in trunks of trees too!

If you go into a forest area when the weather is damp and warm, you may see toadstools growing from the ground. Each one is shaped like a small umbrella. These are part of a fungal, an unusual form of life which is not an animal and not a plant either. There are many different kinds of fungus. Each kind of fungus makes a toadstool of a different shape and colour. Some fungi, can be eaten, mushrooms for example, are popular all over the world.

Always take time to observe the environment. If you happen to visit a woodland, take time to notice the diverse organisms in that area. All organisms do not live in the same part of the forest. The birds sleep on trees and when they need food, they fly through the forest searching for food. Fish live in water bodies, and other animals like deer and rabbits have their own little niches in the forest.

When they are hungry or thirsty, they go looking for food. The part of an environment in which an organism lives is its habitat. A forest has many habitats. Decaying tree or a trunk might look like a thing of the past and mean nothing to you, but do you know that such decaying trees and trunks are examples of habitats, as they are home to many birds and insects?

See how much you could learn from Mother Nature just by observing her closely. So, the next time you go on a trip, make sure you make the most of it, just like our photographer did. On the other hand, you needn't go to a forest or woodland to enjoy a breath of fresh air or to relax, wrapped in the wonder of Mother Nature. Your own garden, school backyard and the playground are equally good places to study the beauty of biodiversity and also take a break from your routine life.