Why Is Bengaluru Blushing With Pink Flowers?

When anyone visits Bengaluru for the first time, a comment I assure you are bound to hear is, “There are so many trees here!”

While natives will argue that this is not even the city’s full potential of housing trees, the serenity remains unbeatable –– and if you have had the good fortune of venturing out in the city recently, you must have come across the spread of a blush of pink across the streets, parks and gardens, owing to the sudden bloom of a particular flower.

The flower, Tabebuia avellanedae is not a native of Karnataka’s capital city, but was most likely introduced by the British for ornamental purposes under their rule –– as part of maintaining uniform colonial beauty across their various colonies. Easy to misinterpret these flowers as Cherry Blossoms, they have been providing a steady and soft cover to Bengaluru’s charm with their dusty pink shade. In fact, some would argue it looks unlike India.

The British took off in 1947, and (fortunately) left us with this plant species. According to FirstPost, “One of Bengaluru’s most celebrated horticulturists, SG Neginhal subsequently planted them as avenue trees in the 1980s, ensuring that clouds of pink embellished the streets during winters for years to come.” For this, we cannot thank him enough!

While the ‘pink trumpets’ bloom every year between December and March, the year 2021 seems to have brought them in full swing. Almost as if the city cannot resist blushing because of our admiration toward it, this roseate blanket is a sight we wish all our readers could witness. Bengaluru has been infamous for its natural beauty, but this year’s origami-like, Cherry Blossom doppelganger takes the cake.

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