4 - Sparky's 'Nostalgic' World

Hello, Sparky here.

Ø It’s getting warm by the day and to all of us here on Banyan Island, it means there’s a feast right around the corner. There’s a huge Mango tree on another corner of our island and every summer all the islanders eagerly wait for summer for a never-ending Mango carnival.   

Ø  As to how the Mango tree came to grow on the island is a story that we squirrels pass on from generation to generation. I believe a lot of other animals and birds also do the same.  When the animals and birds return to their respective homes with their bellies full of mangoes, the adults gather the young ones around them and tell them of how the Mango tree came to be. This has been told so many times that I don’t think anyone knows the true story anymore.   

Ø  This is the squirrels’ version of the tale. ‘Like animals and birds have young ones, the trees also have babies. They do this by producing seeds. But just producing seeds is not enough. Seeds need a gardener’s help to reach the ground and sprout. So, the trees hide the seeds within delicious and fragrant fruits which we animals and birds eat and also carry it away from the mother tree, so it can begin its life without having to compete with the mother tree for sun and space. Some trees use wind or water to distribute the seeds, some depend on animals and birds. The size of the seed is based on this ‘plan’ of how the trees disperse the seeds. It’s taken many millennia and centuries for the trees to come up with these plans which ensure their best chance of spreading the seeds and ensuring the survival of its species. This is Evolution. As to the Mango tree on our island, there was a time when a tall Eucalyptus tree on the island across us fell and became a bridge between the 2 islands, that’s when my great-great-great grandparents crossed over to our island. Great Grandma carried a Mango when she crossed over and Great Grandpa carried, guess what, a fruit of the Banyan. They buried it in the mud to eat it on another day but plenty of other food being around, they forgot all about it, and that’s how the Banyan and Mango trees came to be.’

Ø  Other Animals and birds have similar legends. I have heard the monkeys tell of how their ancestors in their search for a new home came here a 1000 years ago when the river had still not formed the islands as we see it today. Back then, the area was covered with wild banana plants, many of them bent down heavily with fruits at the time the monkeys came here. At this point, the storyteller monkey never misses to tell his/her audience of how those bananas had seeds in them. Their ancestors enjoyed the bounty of the bananas and decided to make it their home. The monkeys had eaten a variety of fruits from other places before they came here and as they stayed to feast on the bananas, they pooped and spread the seeds of their earlier feasts all around and so were born the Mango and the Banyan, and many other trees around.

Ø  No matter how tall the tale is or who takes credit for having brought the trees here, what’s important is that all of us consider the trees to be our very own and take care not to harm it in anyway. If humans were half as wise as us, they wouldn’t go around polluting the land, rivers, oceans and air that they depend on.           

         

Ø  Aside of the Mangoes, there is another event that’s on our minds right now. The Pre-Monsoon Showers. As it gets hot, the warm air (with moisture collected through evaporation) rises upwards to cooler regions of atmosphere where the moisture turns to ice particles. As these ice particles fall, they melt and come down as rain. The moving ice particles rub against each other generating electric charges which cause lightning and thunder. Sometimes, certain conditions keep the ice particles from falling, until they grow in size and cannot be held up any longer, they then come down as hailstones. These showers are also called ‘Mango Showers’ because it helps the mangoes ripen early.

Thunderstorms are a powerful force of Nature. We usually pick up the change in weather conditions and seek shelter in time. We then quietly sit and wait for it to pass.   

Ø  A memorable event from last week was when a human father and son came to the island in a wooden row boat. Whenever we see humans go by the island in their boats we watch their progress till we are sure they aren’t coming to our island. We are wary of them and like to be left alone because of the stories we hear about them and their activities from visitors.

This pair of humans did come to our island. They tied their boat to an overhanging root of the Banyan and brought a big sack kind of thing from the boat to the Banyan. They called this sack like thing a ‘rucksack’! They had a lot of things in it that they took out one after another. They spread a cloth on the grass, brought out few boxes with food and a lot of other things. The son had books and different coloured things that he scribbled the paper with, he called them Crayons. He had so many of them but kept complaining that the yellow crayon was missing. His father told him to finish his drawing leaving out the yellows for later, he could go home and fill up the yellows. That was funny. How are the trees to be green without the yellow sunlight falling on them?

It was amusing to many of us to have them visit us. The number of things they had that wasn’t either food or for protection! These two sat there on their cloth (though there was soft green grass underneath), ate food off boxes and drank water from bottles (though there was a river flowing close by), the child drew and coloured (except the yellows), the father read a book and then they played with a ball and chased each other (just like we squirrels do). After a couple of hours they packed all the things back into their ‘rucksack’ and left. Humans are a funny lot, it was good entertainment for us because these humans didn’t disturb us in any way. I hope they return someday.                

Now for some activities to keep you busy.

• Solve the riddles one by one and get a word that solves another riddle.

	I am a little creature that helped one far bigger in size, So proved that no matter how small, each has his use, at the right times.
	I am built by many tiny insects working as one, Look like a mound above ground, But I house a queen and am almost a palace underground.
	I could be just a hole in a tree or a wall, Or made of sticks, mud or grass woven into a ball.  I am ‘home’ to many – both big and small.
	If you can’t figure out a riddle, this is where you will seek, If you don’t find it there either, come back here next week.
	I am an eatable as well as a colour.
	The final riddle – first letter of the answers above will also solve this riddle below:
	I am sour when raw but as I ripen I turn sweet A big seed inside and to eat me is a delicious treat.

•    Complete the Crossword puzzle below:

• Make as many words as possible with the below letters without repeating any of the letters:

L

I

N

S

D

A

·  A Mathematical Puzzle –The numbers in columns 3, 4 and 5 are a sum of the previous 2 numbers. Knowing this logic, find the missing numbers. I have solved the first one to show you how it’s done:

1	4	5	9	14
5	10	15
2	4	6
4	7	11
5	15			55
	7		16	25
		5	9
			10	16

• In the  natural world there are many times when we need to take decisions based on things we see. We know the Mango is ready to eat when its colour changes but to understand the relationship between a set of things and apply the understanding to another is called Analogical Reasoning, this is a special skill only a few species like humans and some of their close relatives have. If you were to believe what the City Crows were saying when they were here, they are supposed to have it too! 
• Here’s some Analogical reasoning questions for you. Understand the relationship between the two words in Column 1 and apply the same logic to choose an answer for word in Column 2. Choose the answer from a, b, c or d. I have solved the first one to show you how it’s done.

• Inspired by the flowers all around me, here is a ‘puzzle-garden’ for you. Find the flowers hidden in the below letters.  

See you all next week with more news, activities and answers to this week’s puzzles.

In the meanwhile, if you would like to write to me, email me at Sparkyatbanyan@gmail.com

Answers to last week’s puzzles:

• Solve the riddles one by one and get a word that solves another riddle:

B	I am the second of the 26.
Lesotho	Find the African continent, find the beautiful country of South Africa, then find a country within it, you will find me.
Owl	I am the one who hoots and is out and about at night, With my incredible neck that can turn almost to the back, everyone’s in my sight.
Spring	I am Sparky’s favourite season
Slug	I am not a Snail, but if you were to imagine a Snail out of his Shell, he would look like me.
Okapi	I have legs like that of a Zebra, to help blend into vegetation,  Face like that of a Giraffe, because we are distant relations. To see me in the wild, you will have to come to Congo for a vacation.
Madagascar	Talking of weird and unique, I am home to many such creature, But I became famous when in my name was made a children’s picture.
	The final riddle – first letter of the answers above will also solve this riddle below:
BLOSSOM	When this happens to trees and bushes around you, It looks like heaven and smells like one too.

•  Complete the Crossword puzzle below:

• Make as many words as possible with the below letters without repeating any of the letters:

A

C

I

E

L

N

P

• A Mathematical Puzzle – Use addition, subtraction, multiplication or division between numbers below to get the answer given:

• Sort the words below from smallest to the biggest:

Village	Town	City	Country	Continent
Snail	Shrimp	Sting Ray	Dolphin	Whale
Squirrel	Monkey	Spotted Deer	Bison	Elephant
Pond	Lake	River	Sea	Ocean
Moon	Earth	Jupiter	Sun	Milky Way
Leaf Bud	Leaf	Branch	Tree	Forest
Ladybird	Butterfly	Sparrow	Myna	Eagle

·  Put the pieces of Photograph in order:

   Seeing this you might understand why I am so fond of this picture. It shows my friend, a Tree Squirrel from Kruger National Park in South Africa checking out a Python sleeping in a hollow of a tree. We squirrels are a curious lot. We can also be bold and fearless when the situation demands like when a mother squirrel has to defend her kittens. She will not shy away from even fighting off a snake.

• Arrange the various stages of the Frog’s life cycle in order of occurrence: