Short but Beautiful Life

It is not necessary that a long age is always full of eventful life. Sometimes a short life can be eventful and spread happiness within a short span. One such case is the flowers of Barringtonia tree. These trees bear red colored jellyfish like tiny flowers in bunches from the racemes. There are about ten trees near our home and in every morning a great spectacle unfolds.

These flowers have a very short lifespan. They are on the branches for 4-5 hours only. They bloom in the night. The buds bulbs swell in the evening and flowers come out. By the time it is midnight all the branches are loaded with flower bunches. There is a sweet scent in the warm air under these trees.

It is early morning. The Sun has not risen yet but the golden light is spreading from the East. The magic is about to unfold. The flowers from the branches start detaching first in ones or twos but soon the falling of the flowers turns into a rain. The flowers are showering and soon the whole area blow the tree is carpeted red. It seems that some lover has spread flowers to welcome his beloved.

The process of cascading down is not simultaneous and one tree begins after some time lapse with another. The whole process lasts for 3-4 hours. Not a single flowers remains hanging on trees. Only empty racemes hang like threads. The Sun is blazing now and its harsh rays are turning the heat on. Soon it becomes like a oven. The delicate flowers are roasted and not a trace is left on the ground.

But the process for next day begins again around afternoon when the buds again swell and are ready to burst into flowers. During this short span these trees give the beholders an immense sense of joy and awe.

I also tried to shoot a video but quality did not come good. This videos is available on YouTube in my account.