As a child I remember eating the red fig fruits of banyan and swinging on the strong aerial roots that grew from it branches. Making strings of delicate ‘Bakula’ flowers, plucking sweet smelling ‘Krishna Kamal’, wearing rings of ‘Champa’ flower, climbing mango tree for raw mangoes, washing jamuns fallen under the tree and relishing them ….. I relate the celebrations of festivals with elements of Nature – especially the plants and their role in ecosystem. ‘Gudi Padwa’ marks the starting of new year. Neem leaves are eaten as prasad in order to keep away diseases. Leaves of ‘Apta’ are offered to elders on ‘Dashehra’. Banyan trees are worshipped across India by married women on ‘Vatpurnima’ or ‘Vatamavas’. Our ancestors associated trees like Banyan, Neem, Audumbar with religious beliefs and God. The grand ‘Peepal’ was associated with a demon “Munja”….. So these trees which play an important role in the water cycle and food chains were protected …either due to fear of God or the Demon.
Nature has its own ways to keep the balance among the different communities! There is tremendous interdependence among all factors of any ecosystem. Plants have a unique place in any ecosystem. I want to mention some trees in particular. Ficus trees provide food and shelter to a variety of animals, birds and insects. The pulpy fig is a source of food for monkeys and birds. Monkeys waste more than they eat; they pluck fruits and throw then half eaten or whole. The herbivores like deer eat the fallen fruits. This ensures the dispersal of seeds far and wide.
Fig wasps need the figs of for their reproductive cycle. Fig fruit is a hollow ended stem which contains many flowers. The wasps lay eggs in these figs; when the babies fly out they carry pollen with them, ensuring pollination for the tree.
Neem oil and leaves have antibacterial and antifungal properties. The plant sheds its leaves in autumn and the dry leaves form a layer on the soil. As they decompose they enrich the soil and keep harmful bacteria and fungi away. In a way they cleanse the soil and help other plants to grow heathy.
On the onset of Spring the Peepal looks most beautiful with tiny pink leaves at the tips of its numerous branches. As the leaves grow they get a fresh tender green colour. The leaves have a shiny surface which glows in sunlight. They rustle with the breeze and look amazing. The branches provide suitable space for nests of birds like crow which is very important in a food web as it also acts as a scavenger.
A fully grown Banyan tree is home to hundreds of insects, animals and birds. Insects make their home inside the bark, on the leaves, under the soil below the tree. Centipedes, millipedes, beetles, ants, earthworms and many other tiny creatures make their shelter under the layer of fallen leaves.
Birds feed on the red fruits during the day. The thick evergreen foliage provides room for birds to rest at night. Bird’s droppings enrich the soil underneath the tree. Microorganisms thrive in such conditions. If left undisturbed this soil develops a rich layer of humus. Each tree thus is a complete community of diverse living things. Older the tree; richer will be the community.
I just love the majestic Banyan. During one of my morning walks in May 2017, I observed large number of fruits fallen under a tree. A dried fruit contains hundreds of seeds. I collected a fistful and sprinkled few on the soil in a pot. The monsoons had just set in and the conditions were favourable for germination. The end of June had a beautiful surprise for me. I could see tiny leaves in pairs growing out of the soil. The seedlings started growing fast and soon there were large number of Banyan saplings in the pot. I transferred the small saplings into separate pots. It was joy watching them grow. Each new apical bud and each new leaf was a celebration now! After 6 months saplings were ready. Now I had to hunt for open spaces for these saplings! 12 saplings found good place in open and are growing well. Also, seeds of trees like Silk cotton, Neem, Jamun, tamarind, Karanj and Bahava are easily available. These trees are indigenous variety and can be easily propagated.
Summer is the best season to collect seeds. Watching the plants growing from the wild seeds is a blissful feeling. Once the saplings grow I plant them in open at the onset of monsoons. Peepal and Audumbar saplings grow along roadsides through bird droppings. These saplings, can be planted in empty places. All I would say is “One who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in its shade, has started to understand the meaning of life.”