KING COCONUT (THE MAGICAL WATER )

 

King Coconut is a type of Coconut which native to Sri Lanka. It is a popular fruit in the world, and it has many benefits. Scientific Name is Cocos nucifera var. aurantiaca. King Coconut water has sweet taste. King Coconut is an orange colour coconut and Sri Lankan people called it as “Thembili”.

King coconut has liquid edible endosperm (King coconut water) and solid endosperm which is called kernel. King coconut kernel is a delicate spongy material which is rich in antioxidants, flavonoids and phytochemicals.

King coconut water is nutritional beverage which contains sugar, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. King Coconut water is a perfect drink that helps to keep human body rehydrated. Also, it can delay exhaustion. Further, it can be used as a refreshing drink to balance body electrolytes. King coconut is rich in Vitamin C, So it can be used as a dietary antioxidants. It directly influence on rapid intestinal absorption. Other than that, King coconut water helps to blood sugar restoration.

King coconut water has anti-aging effects to the skin. Magnesium maintains low blood sugar level against the type 2 Diabetes. It good at blood circulation in the kidneys. That causes to profuse diuresis. Further, king coconut water affect cardio protection. Therefore, King coconut water is identified as a medicine. It keeps the body away from diseases. And, develops internal functions of the human body. King coconut water is relaxation beverage in the sunny days. It has a cool effect that keep a healthy body. Further, King coconut water is used to make Vines. Also, it is added to various meals. Therefore, it is difficult to identify King coconut as a fruit. It is a medicine as well.

In Sri Lanka, King coconut is mostly cultivated in Kurunegala, Gampaha and Galle districts. Sri Lanka is a popular country for King coconut. King coconut water is exported as a beverage. There is a good demand from other countries.

Saffron

 

Saffron is made from stamens of Crocs flower (Crocus Sativus). Saffron is expensive and popular thing in the world. There are many benefits we can get from saffron. Mainly, saffron is used to increase the beauty and also, it is used as a medicine as well.

Crocus flower has only three saffron stamens. It needs 200,000 crocus flowers to made kilogram of saffron. Then, it needs huge human effort Therefore, saffron is very expensive. However, saffron has large number of benefits.

There are four anti oxides in saffron. They are Crosin, Crocetin, Safranal and Kaempferol. These ingredients repair damaged, irritated skin and keep youngest look of the human skin. Also, it can protect the skin from sunlight. Saffron has large portion of Vitamin C. Therefore, it gives soft smooth skin and remove dark spots and pimples. Moreover, Saffron can increase the hair growth and it can reduce the weight of the body.

Further, Saffron is used to reduce the high blood pressure and mental stress of the people. Recent analysis results found that saffron develops vision of the eyes and it helps to prevent from cancers.

There are many saffron treatments in the world. Indian and Middle East women drink milk with saffron. So, we can add saffron to our glass of milk or water. Also, saffron can be used as a cooking ingrediant. Some people add saffron to rice or milk rice, curd and yought to maintain a healthy life.

However, there is a limit to take saffron with our meals. If we take ,more than 1.5g of saffron per day, it can damage to the body. Therefore, it’s better to e saffron with consultation of the physician.

TYPE OF NERVOUS SYSTEMS IN ANIMALS

   

         During the course of evolution, nervous systems have become more complex. This is largely because animals have become larger and more mobile, requiring more neurons than a sedentary animal. The most fundamental function of aa nervous system is,

• To receive a stimulus
• Transmission of a stimulus to a central “brain”
• Interpretation and analysis of the stimulus
• Proper response by effectors

                       with the evolution of a complex nervous system and bilateral symmetry, cephalization (formation of a head) has taken Place, and the ganglia in  the head became large enough to called a brain, which is the main nervous control center of the body.

there are several type of neural organization in the animal kingdom. In the unicellular from, the single cell functions both as receptor and effector, there are no structural specializations.

In the cnidarians (Coelenterates) specialized cell are found in the body which functions as neurons or nerve cells. These neurons are multipolar and non-myelinated and organized in the from of a diffused nerve net. This nerve network is located in the body wall (mesoglia)

In platyhelminthes a more complex nervous system basically resembling a ladder is present. In its basic from, a nerve ring or pair of cerebral ganglia is present in the anterior end of the body. The neurons of cerebral ganglia is present in the anterior end of the body. The neurons of this nervous system are non-myelinated. From this nerve ring two lateral solid nerve cords originate and passes towards the posterior end of the body. These two lateral nerve cords are connected by several transverse nerves which give a ladder like structure. Therefore platyhelminthes have a rudiment of a central nervous (brain and nerve cords) and peripheral nervous systems (transverse nerves). 

 

HIKKADUWA BEACH

Hikkaduwa seashore is one of the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka.This is a remarkable feature of the beautiful coral reefs and its enormous sea creatures
                                 Located about 100km away from Colombo, this beach is easy to watch and easy to get by train from Colombo

DUMBULLA CAVE TEMPLE

                     The Golden temple ( Dambulla  Cave Temple) of dambulla is the largest well preserved and sacred cave temple site in Sri lanka. The site location in the central port of the Sri lanka at distance of 142Km from the Eastern port of Colombo. 72Km from North of kandy. It is believed that when King Vatta Gamini was fleeing from his enemies in the 1st Century BC, he was sheltered by ascetic monks who lived in these caves. The caves further, enlarged by King Nissankamall in the12th century with five temples built in to them. The Dambulla cave temple has 153 Buddha statues, 4 statues of Other gods including the Hindu Gods, Vishnu and Ganesh and 3 statues of the Kings who ruled Sri Lanka in the ancient times. The 5 important caves of the temple have been transformed in to shrine rooms, Consisting of Buddha statues, Mural paintings and statues of hindu details and Sri Lankan Kings. The Golden Buddha statue is of particular significance rising to a height of 100ft. The work towards the construction of the Golden Buddha statue on March 6, 1998 and installed after three years on Vesak full moon day that fell on may 6,2001 amidst rituals performed by the religious priests.

BEST PLASE TO VISIT IN SRI LANKA

• Kandy - Temlpe of the Tooth
• Dambulla - Cove Temple
• Bentota and Beruwala Beech
• Sigiriya Fort
• Nuwara Eliya
• Yala National Park
• Anuradhapura Ancient City
• Colombo
• Kumana Bird Paradise
• Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
• Sinharaja Rainforst
• Arugam Bay
• Trincomale
• Galle- Fort
• Hikkaduwa Beach

BEE AND FLOWERS

             Karl Frich (1886-1982) was an Austrian zoologist who studied how bees communicate with other. In 1973 he received a Nobel Prize for his work on animal behavior.

             The sent from a flower that has produced nectar through the air. It may stimulate the receptor cell of a honey bee and the insect flies towards it. As it get closer, the bee uses its eyes to find the flower, its eyes are sensitive to ultraviolet light. This make some of the pale markings we see in normal light stand out more distinctly to help the bee identify the flower. Some of the markings are lines running down the inside of petal. They are called honey guides and direct the bee towards the nectar.

             

RESPIRATORY STRUCTURES IN ANIMALS

                           The simplest respiratory is surface, is the body covering. You may have noticed that some animals are small and shaped in a way that allow the body surface of the animal to be the gas exchange surface. However, as animals, as animals become bigger and complex their body surface to volume ratio gets decreased. Therefore, gaseous exchange through their body surface by simple diffusion become inefficient. Thus, s

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

The pinnawala Elephant orphanage is in the kegalle District(Sri Lanka). The road that leads to the orphanage is about two kilo metres from Kegalla town, on the Kandy road.

                It was started in 1975. There are baby and adult elephants in the orphanage. They are all rescued elephants. Farmers shoot at elephants when they come to their villages. Sometimes they throw fire brands to scare them away. Some elephants fall into pits, well and water-holes, when come in search of water in the dry season. Some injured elephants fall on the way. They cannot get up because of pain, hunger and thirst. Such elephants are rescued and brought to the orphanage.

Speed and Grace of the Cheetah

All children are sure to know about the cheetah. You would know that fastest land animal on Earth with the ability to run at speeds of 112 to 120 km/h (70 to 75 mph), accelerating from 0 to over 100 km/h (62 mph) in just three seconds. The speed and grace of this member of cat family have astonished humans and the sight of a stop us in our tracks.

                             Scientists think that about 10,000-12,000 years ago, at least 99 percent of the world king cheetah population may have died within a short period, resulting in the population getting as low as one pregnant female. The main difference between the king cheetah and the normal spotted cheetah is in the cat pattern. The standard cheetah’s fur coat is usually yellow, tawny or golden in color with a circular spotted pattern of small black markings, 0.75 to 1.5 inches in diameter, distributed fairly evenly across its body. The animal also displays the famous black ‘tear streaks’ down either cheek.

How Cruel the man on earth..?

              According to a wild life magazine, the total number of insects so far is in between one and two million.

               And….about ten thousand new species are identified annually.

     It could take another of that magazine, who is a conservationist, birdwatcher and active and dedicated supporter of wildlife conservation organizations… insects are the most abundant and successful animals on earth.

              Do you know the total number of other species living in this world today…?

                               The same wildlife magazine reveals that also …., But…, the total number of species living in this world today…, is staggering.

             These species are broadly categorized into Mammals, reptiles, Fish, Crustaceans, (shellfish like crabs and lobsters) amphibians, birds, insects and plants.

               Accordingly, there are nearly 4,600 species of mammals, 6400 species of amphibians, 8250 species of reptiles, 9700 species of birds, 26000 species of crustaceans, 20000 species of fish, 310000 species  of plants, and estimated four to six million insects living today.

       The variety of species in the forests of the world tigers, wolves, elephants, serpents, eagles, painted storks, caterpillars, luminous beetles. Insects, plants with leaves that close upon touch and pitches trap insects, was amazing. Don’t you think so…?

                                     The world’s largest mammal is the Blue whale, which can grow over 33 metres, long, and the smallest is the tiny bat from Thailand. Its size is about the size of a bumblebee and weighs just two grams.

                    The highest number of amphibians of any country on the earth is reported from Brazil. That is 751 species.

                           The largest living bird is, without doubt – the Ostrich. That magnificent bird stands a 2.7 metres high and weighs as much a 160 kg.  

                  The smallest bird in the world, is the ‘Hummingbird’ from Cuba, which weighs a mere 1.6 grams.

               However large number of animal species may be, many are under the threat of extinction, owing to poaching of wildlife, over fishing of the oceans, destruction of wildlife habit and climate change. 

          All of which have been brought by the most successful species on this earth-‘The man’. The number of species under threat is alarming..!

                              One fifth (1/5) of the mammalian species, one tenth(1/10) of birds, one third(1/3) of fish, one half(1/2) of plants, are under the threat of extinction, unless… immediate action is taken, to save them.

Sri Daladamaligawa

Kandy (Ancient Senkadagala) is the last capital of the Sinhala Monarchy the History of which goes back to at least five centuries before the beginning of the Common Era. The city is surrounded by a ring of mountain ranges and Sri Lanka’s largest river Mahaweli Ganga.Kandy enjoys a salubrious climate and still breathes the ancient lifestyle of the people.The heritage of Kandy, Architecture, Sculpture, painting, Dance and Music, all such cultural traditions are endemic to Sri Lanka.Kandy remains the home for all denominations of major world religions. 

SIGIRIYA

                                You have all heard about Sigiriya and perhaps you have visited it. It is a small village ten miles off Dambulla in the district of Matale in Sri Lanka. Visitors go there nearly every day to climb its huge Rock of ancient fane and see the beautiful paintings on a part of its walls as well as the interesting ruins found there. This Rock id very steep and is about 600 feet in height. It was once the “fortress” of king of eighteen years. Here is the story of this king.

THE CEYLON ELEPHANT

The elephant is the king of the Ceylon jungle. No other animal dares to challenge his kingship. In their wild state, elephant live in small herds, about twenty-five in each. A full-grown male is usually the leader of the herd. Such a leader, in all his majesty and dignity, roams the jungle with his followers. Some elephants have tusks from which we obtain ivory; but “tuskers” are now rare in Ceylon.

Natural ecosystems in Sri lanka

Tropical Rain Forests                  -  Sinharaja
Dry Misxed Evergreen forests  -
Montane Foreses                        -
Thorn Forests, Scrub lands        - 

Bird's Paradise                            - Kumana
Elephants                                   - Ceylon elephants
                                                   -Elephant Orphanage

Coral Reef                                -Hikkaduwa beach

IN PARADISE OF KUMANA

Boarding the yala National park to the east is the well- known bird sanctuary, Kumana. As you approach Kumana you hear a rather noisy invitation – the sound of thousands of birds calling one another. Here a large variety of indigenous acquatic birds gather from April to July marking Kumana a birdwatcher’s paradise. There are herons, Storks, egrets and spoonbills nesting in the trees above, Water hens, Purple coot and jacana build their nests in the swamp below.

The Beauty of Sri Lanka

 

Once they called her the “Glittering petal of the Indian ocean". And again as  "The Living paradise on earth".  Further  they went on to say "The Isle of virtue";"The barn of far east". Now it is the Sri Lanka; 

our motherland. Endowed with natural & cultural beauty, she marches through 21st century.

                 With wide diversity of nature, she host most of living beings of animals & plants, prevail on earth. Travelling through the country, experiencing the typical tropical conditions of sandy breathtaking beaches, wetty & watery  feeling of rainy forests and cool, breezy, misty secludes of mountains  , are a matter of few hours. Populated by a nation; nourished by the teachings of Great Buddha, she inherits a rich culture, which runs over 2500 years of written history and her  warm, welcoming holspitality has largely spread all over the globe too.
 

RAINFORESTS

The importance of Rainforests

Tropical rainforests are located around the equator. The temperature around the equator is high. Hence the rate of water evaporation is high. As a result there is frequent rain in rainforests. They are found in South and Central America, Africa, in the islands around Australia and Asia. The rainforests are important to human existence and the surroundings. Rainforests are rich source of medicinal plants, food and useful forest products. They maintain about 50% of the plant, animal, bird, reptile and insect species of the world. These forests help to maintain a regular rainfall. They also stand as a buffer against floods, droughts and erosion. These forests produce a significant amount of the world’s oxygen. 

“Sinharaja” Rainforest in Sri Lanka.

The sinharaja forest is the only undisturbed rainforest left in Sri Lanka. It is about 9000 hectares in extent. Many of the plants are rave. Over 60% of the tree species are found only in the lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka. If these species of tree are allowed to get destroyed, the world would lose them altogether. So it is important that much effort is made to conserve this rich, valuable and fragile habitat.

             The sinharaja rainforest is the largest rainforest reserve in Sri Lanka. In 1840 Sinharaja became a crown property. In 1988 the Sinharaja was made National Wilderness area. In1989 UNESCO included the Sinharaja Forest in the World Heritage list, as the fist National Heritage of Sri Lanka.

                                The sinharaja forest is home to many rare animal, birds, butterflies, insects, reptiles and trees. Ferns and mosses grow well as the climate is humid because of heavy rainfall.

          

The vegetation

Vegetation means trees, shrubs and woody climbers. The average height of tree in the Sinharaja varies between 35 to 40metres. Some trees are above 50 metres.

The animals and the birds

Sinharaja provides a habitat for animals. The plants provide them with food. There are large mammals as well ones living there. The purple faced monkeys can be observed easily. They move about in groups. There are herbivores, carnivores as well as mixed feeders. The wild pig, the sambur, the mouse-deer and the barking-deer are some that you find in the Sinharaja. There is also evidence of the presence of the leopard. Among others are the rusty spotted cat and the fishing cat. There are many other varieties of small mammals.

                            Studies have recorded 147 species of birds. Some threatened species of birds are found in the Sinharaja. Among them are the blue magpie, the white-headed starling and the ash-headed babbler.

Reptiles

Studies have recorded 45 varieties of reptiles. These include snakes, lizards and tortoises. The viper and the cobra are among the venomous species. Conservation of sinharaja is of vital necessity. It ensures the maintenance of water resources. It also controls floods, which is a constant threat due to heavy rainfall in the area.