Photo Feature
Impatiens and a Bee
<p><em>Fresh droplets cling to the petals of a wild balsam </em>Impatiens <em>sp. as a bee approaches seeking nectar, in Wayanad, Kerala. The genus has an interesting etymology – when ripe, a balsam fruit pod tends to curl up inwards so forcefully, that the seeds are ejected at a distance. Hence ‘impatient’. The Nilgiris phytogeographical region is home to around 40 species of Impatiens, of which almost half are endemic to this small area</em>.</p>
<p><strong>Photo: Saurabh Sawant</strong></p>