Life Lessons from Madhu Malti

Madhu Malti? मधु मालती।  Names of twins? No! Then what?

It is the name of a flower which changes its colours and blooming time over the days. It is best grown outdoors in filtered sunlight. It has a mild and sweet fragrance.

In English, the Madhu Malti is known as the Chinese Honeysuckle. It is also called the Rangoon Creeper. In Telugu it is called Radha Manoharam (knowledge courtesy K Satyanarayana of Hyderabad). It is a climber which grows fast and flowers profusely. See the pictures below:

We had posted few pictures of the flowers on our social media handles, taken after a recent shower. One of the readers then researched and wrote back the following:

"The flowers change in colour with age and it is thought that this is a strategy to gather more pollinators. The flower is initially white and opens at dusk. This attracts hawkmoths with long tongues for pollination. On the second day it turns pink and on the third it turns red attracting day flying bees and birds. The flower also changes from a horizontal orientation to a drooping pose."

Thanks Anchita Nidhindra for educating us. After her feedback, we took some more pictures of the flowers and correlated it with the above observations.

Life Lessons

Like all the creations of mother Nature, Madhu Malti also has many life lessons for us. Here are a few which we have observed.

Peace: The flower initially blooms in white colour which conveys a sense of peace for all. It remains white only for a day as if to convey that 'start your day with a prayer - peace for all'.

Punctuality: The flower blooms at dusk on day one. It senses the light level every evening and starts blooming. We humans can learn a thing or two about being punctual in our day to day life!

Adaptability: We all know that change is the only constant in life. But how many of us adapt with the changing situations in life. Bereavement, ill health, work stress, job loss are many such issues which overpower us because we are unable to change our thinking or action. In contrast Madhu malti flowers constantly adapt with the change.

Team Work: Madhu Malti flowers bloom in bunches and stay together till they fall. Lesson for all of us to remain steadfast as individuals as well as when working in teams. See the video of the flowers swaying together.

Falling With Grace: Time comes for Madhu Malti flowers to fall off. It falls with grace. Lesson for all of us- when the time comes, remain graceful even when you retire or move on in life !

As we saw the tiny flowers and the tall climber has many lessons for us. That is Nature's way of teaching us, provided we are willing to learn.

Do observe the Nature around you. Pause. Observe. Feel the mysteries.

Here are the links to some of our earlier stories related to Nature.

Tree Bark As Rat Poison - read about a tree whose bark acts as a poison for the rats who eat away the roots of plants in a garden or field!

Nature's Clock - How the custard apple fruit synchronises its arrival with Diwali every year in one part of India? Like a geo-synchronous satellite, Diwali dates change every year. But the custard apple starts to ripen in the tree on dot! Read on.

Brahma Kamal A Smart Plant - Smart watch, smart cities and now a smart plant! How does it synchronise its blooming around a full moon night? Read on.

Hope our stories have triggered some inquisitiveness about Nature in you. Do share your observations of the world around you!

We close with a picturesque quote (PQ) by Lady Bird Johnson who said 'Where flowers bloom so does hope!'

Thanks for browsing.

     -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Secunderabad/ 29th May 2023

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