<figure><img width="740" height="494" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01b99c7e80680e0a3641jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>Every spring Kathmandu turns into a city of flowers blooming with jacaranda and bougainvillea. People wait year-round to escape the otherwise dull and dusty concrete landscape with a vibrant streets of purple, red and green. But very few people know that these beautiful roadside trees and their colourful seasonal flowers are ill-advised for our climate, and can increase road hazard. Trees shelter us from sudden downpours, and during hot summer days, we seek their refreshing shade. In fact, they reduce the temperature of the asphalt surfaces beneath them by as much as 15° Celsius.  Trees purify the air by sequestering carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen, they remove harmful gases and particulate matter. They improve the soil by assisting in nutrient cycling and help regulate surface and subsurface water. And they provide food and shelter to insects, birds, animals, and plants.However, not all trees are suitable for urban streets. We need to select them based on more than aesthetics and convenience. Ecological value and road hazards are equally if not more important considerations when choosing a species.Unfortunately, past strategies and the recent <a href="https://www.moud.gov.np/storage/listies/July2019/NUDS_PART_A.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Urban Development Strategy 2017</a> and <a href="http://dudbc.gov.np/uploads/default/files/ae0b4f05ccb43bd80c1e5c39e3f69267.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal Urban Road Standard 2076</a> have failed to provide clear guidelines for tree selection, leading to haphazard planting along Kathmandu’s roads. Concerns raised by ecologists, conservationists and locals over the years have gone unheard.History of street treesEarly records of roadside trees date back to the 14th century when Jayasthiti Malla (1380-1395) ordered plantations alongside streets and public wells. Later, Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana, brought back exotic species like Eucalyptus, bottlebrush (Callistemon), and Kaiyo ful (Grevillea robusta) from his Europe visit (1850-51) to decorate palaces and roadsides. <figure><img width="1000" height="700" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01bc9c7e80680e0a3642jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>More systematic efforts started in the early 20th century. Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher Rana (1901-1929) expanded Kathmandu’s road network and planted trees, introducing new species like Monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana). Juddha Shumsher Rana (1932-1945) continued planting trees to beautify the roads like Putali Sadak, particularly after the devastation of the 1934 earthquake.Modern urban environmental planning began during the Panchayat in the 1960s and 1970s. The government renovated roads, mandating the planting of either a single line or double line of roadside trees. Part of the newly constructed Arniko Highway (Kathmandu to Kodari) and the Ring Road encircling the capital, had rows of trees on either side. In the 1980s, urban planners suggested three lines of green belt alongside the roads instead of previously mandated one-line roadside trees. As a result, more than a hundred thousand fast-growing trees were planted around the Ring Road.Rana and Panchayat planners were wrong to pick roadside trees such as poplars and eucalyptus based primarily on aesthetics and their fast-growing nature. In recent decades, Nepal has been steadily expanding its road network while integrating green belts, but planners have neglected the inclusion of criteria on species selection.Over time, attempts have been made to suggest a more scientific species selection. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3126/banko.v15i1.17042" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Researchers</a> have recommended over 300 potential species for urban forestry in Kathmandu, including a comprehensive list of suitable species that could be planted alongside roads. The list includes native and exotic trees and ornamental plants. These suggestions have been largely ignored.Mitra Pathak, research officer at the National Botanical Garden in Godavari says, “It is unscientific, we are planting whatever saplings are easily available.”Ecologically, the majority of trees planted around Kathmandu are misfits. Swami (Ficus benjamina) for instance is a weed, whilst Grevillea robusta, a deciduous branchy species, and Raj Sallo (Cupressus torulosa), are climatically unsuitable for the city.Urban environment expert Ramji Bogati also laments the lack of ecological criteria. “We should take into account factors like location, soil, nature of the species, in selecting roadside trees,” he says. <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01be9c7e80680e0a3643jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342699040_Diversity_and_Species_Selection_in_Urban_Forestry_Reflection_from_Maitighar_to_Tinkune_Road_of_Kathmandu_Valley_Nepal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tinkune-Maitighar Road</a>, for example, is one of Kathmandu’s better-maintained green belt stretches. But despite having high species diversity, proper tree species selection has been disregarded. Planners mainly opted for exotic species that grow fast, with minimum care, and with a high survival rate instead of evergreen and local species. The 3.2 km road with four rows of plants consists mostly of non-native ornamental trees: fast-growing deciduous poplars, eucalyptus which lowers the groundwater table due to fast moisture absorption, and Jacaranda mimosifolia, an invasive species. Poplar and eucalyptus can damage foundations and develop cracks in pavements because their roots grow close to the soil surface. Some native species planted, such as birch (Betula alnoides) and silk tree mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), both deciduous and fast-growing, were poor choices owing to their open crown and drooping branches that are potential road hazards. Willow (Salix babylonica), native to central Asia, on the other hand, is a better choice because it is elegant, robust and tolerant to air pollution and injuries.Guides to roadside tree selection<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://tid.p3.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nepal-Road-Standard-2070.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal Road Standard 2070</a> has three guidelines for roadside plantations: ensure good visibility by planting trees on sides and shrubs on the median, avoid wide-crowned trees, and ensure tree crowns do not cross the pavement's edge. Yet, even this fails to address important aspects of species selection. In particular, we need criteria to evaluate ecological, economic, and aesthetic values. <figure><img width="2056" height="1286" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01c19c7e80680e0a3644jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><ol><li>  Functional Criteria:Block noise, clean the air, control wind and provide safety and shade to vehicles and pedestrians, and habitat for urban wildlife.</li><li>  Ecological Criteria:Fitting for the soil and climate of the city, resistant to wind, pests, diseases and air pollution.</li><li>  Socio-Economic Criteria:Cost, care, longevity, and reflection of urban identity.</li><li>  Structural Criteria:Fast development, pruning-ability, strong root system, tree shadow, flowering and fruiting, future size, and diameter.</li><li>  Visual Criteria:Colour of leaves, flowers, deciduous vs. evergreen, tree dimension, road width, and planting arrays.</li></ol>Selecting appropriate tree species is often complex but if we engage urban planners, ecologists, and specialists of the field, we can create sustainable roadside plantation guidelines. <a href="https://www3.diism.unisi.it/~mocenni/Note_AHP.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)</a> is an effective tool to aid decision-makers to set priorities and decide the most suitable trees for particular roadside ecologically and aesthetically.We have to be cautious with the types of trees to plant along our roads, beauty can often be misleading. Carefully selected roadside trees can help reduce negative environmental and social impacts of urbanisation, making Kathmandu more resilient in the face of changing climate and overexploitation of nature.Meena Bohara, PhD, is a researcher of ecology and environment. She is the President of <a href="https://ncsc.org.np/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nature Conservation and Study Centre</a>.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141148/636d01c49c7e80680e0a3645jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="103">

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Right trees for right seasons in Kathmandu

<figure><img width="740" height="494" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cec0e9c7e80680e09ad41jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>All photos: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>Nepal is very close to hitting that ominous mark of 10K new cases a day with 9,196 positive RT PCR and RDT tests on Friday, bringing the total active infections across the country to 78,629. There were additional 50 deaths in the last 24 hours.At the current rate of replication of the virus, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/our-health-system-cant-contain-the-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Health Ministry’s projections</a> of the second wave peaking at 15,000 new cases a day by July will fall modest, and soon. It is now evident that the second wave is sweeping Nepal <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/microcosms-of-a-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">faster than most parts of India</a> and the world at 211 cases per 1 million population.Meanwhile, according to the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, 91 reporters working in 25 different media houses have rested positive for coronavirus disease, as of Thursday.Most of them are isolating at home but a few are undergoing treatment in Patan Hospital, Manmohan Memorial, Norvic, Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Centre and Nepal Police Hospital. <figure><img width="768" height="512" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cec109c7e80680e09ad42jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure><img width="736" height="491" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cec139c7e80680e09ad43jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="728" height="485" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cec159c7e80680e09ad44jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="768" height="512" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cec179c7e80680e09ad45jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="768" height="513" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cec1a9c7e80680e09ad46jpeg.jpg" alt="">Of the total new cases on Friday, nearly half of them (4,106) as have been the cases on a daily basis are from Kathmandu Valley, where doctors are overwhelmed with patients and major hospitals have exhausted their ICUs, ventilators and oxygen cylinders.The city’s only electric crematorium designed for Covid-19 deaths was <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-valley-lockdown-till-12-may/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unable to handle the increasing number of fatalities</a>. Currently, of the 5,860 people admitted to hospitals, 728 are in ICU and 231 of them are in ventilator support.But even as the pandemic breaks across the country with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/this-is-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">devastating consequences</a>, Nepalis are unlikely to get a vaccine anytime soon.In a press release on Friday, the Health Ministry spokesman Jageshwor Gautam said that Nepal wouldn’t be able to import more vaccines from India at the moment.“Serum Institute of India has informed us that would deliver the vaccines once they have recovered from the fire and have expanded their capacity, we are not in a situation to buy additional 5 million doses,” he added.After ordering two million doses of Covishield vaccines, Nepal has begun the procedure to buy additional five million shots and as such prime minister K P Oli had announced that the target population would be inoculated in three months.But Nepal is yet to receive one million doses it paid for and India is struggling to meet its own demand as it records an excess of 400,000 new cases a day. <figure><img width="768" height="512" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cec1c9c7e80680e09ad47jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img width="768" height="513" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cec1f9c7e80680e09ad48jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Away from the doom and gloom, locked down <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kathmandu-turns-into-flower-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu is abloom in Jacaranda</a>, with the streets leading up to Tundikhel painted in purple.Just like last year this time during the first shutdown, nature has taken over the usual hustle and bustle of the city, but there are few on the streets to admire the sight.

Nepal nears 10k daily cases

<figure><img width="740" height="494" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83ec9c7e80680e067764jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>All photos: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>Nepal is very close to hitting that ominous mark of 10K new cases a day with 9,196 positive RT PCR and RDT tests on Friday, bringing the total active infections across the country to 78,629. There were additional 50 deaths in the last 24 hours.At the current rate of replication of the virus, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/our-health-system-cant-contain-the-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Health Ministry’s projections</a> of the second wave peaking at 15,000 new cases a day by July will fall modest, and soon. It is now evident that the second wave is sweeping Nepal <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/microcosms-of-a-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">faster than most parts of India</a> and the world at 211 cases per 1 million population.Meanwhile, according to the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, 91 reporters working in 25 different media houses have rested positive for coronavirus disease, as of Thursday.Most of them are isolating at home but a few are undergoing treatment in Patan Hospital, Manmohan Memorial, Norvic, Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Centre and Nepal Police Hospital. <figure><img width="768" height="512" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83ee9c7e80680e067765jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure><img width="736" height="491" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83f19c7e80680e067766jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="728" height="485" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83f39c7e80680e067767jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="768" height="512" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83f69c7e80680e067768jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="768" height="513" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83f89c7e80680e067769jpeg.jpg" alt="">Of the total new cases on Friday, nearly half of them (4,106) as have been the cases on a daily basis are from Kathmandu Valley, where doctors are overwhelmed with patients and major hospitals have exhausted their ICUs, ventilators and oxygen cylinders.The city’s only electric crematorium designed for Covid-19 deaths was <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-valley-lockdown-till-12-may/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unable to handle the increasing number of fatalities</a>. Currently, of the 5,860 people admitted to hospitals, 728 are in ICU and 231 of them are in ventilator support.But even as the pandemic breaks across the country with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/this-is-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">devastating consequences</a>, Nepalis are unlikely to get a vaccine anytime soon.In a press release on Friday, the Health Ministry spokesman Jageshwor Gautam said that Nepal wouldn’t be able to import more vaccines from India at the moment.“Serum Institute of India has informed us that would deliver the vaccines once they have recovered from the fire and have expanded their capacity, we are not in a situation to buy additional 5 million doses,” he added.After ordering two million doses of Covishield vaccines, Nepal has begun the procedure to buy additional five million shots and as such prime minister K P Oli had announced that the target population would be inoculated in three months.But Nepal is yet to receive one million doses it paid for and India is struggling to meet its own demand as it records an excess of 400,000 new cases a day. <figure><img width="768" height="512" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83fb9c7e80680e06776ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img width="768" height="513" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83fe9c7e80680e06776bjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Away from the doom and gloom, locked down <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kathmandu-turns-into-flower-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu is abloom in Jacaranda</a>, with the streets leading up to Tundikhel painted in purple.Just like last year this time during the first shutdown, nature has taken over the usual hustle and bustle of the city, but there are few on the streets to admire the sight.

<figure><img width="1638" height="1050" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121148/636ce5a49c7e80680e096720jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>The Gastrochilus calceolaris orchid is popular in homes, hotels and office, but is absent from the government’s own Checklist of CITES Listed Flora of Nepal. All photos: KAMAL MADEN</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s unique topographical and ecological diversity gives the country a range of orchids found in a very few places on the planet.  Many of them have medicinal qualities and economic value, but the absence of regulation and enforcement of existing laws have led to the over-extraction of some of the rarest and most valuable types of orchids.  Orchids are epiphytes, which means they use tree limbs for support, and do not need the soil to grow, dangling their roots to gather moisture from the air. There can also be terrestrial and lithophytic orchids that use rocks for support. The climatic conditions that make Nepal ideal for orchids are also what make the country a haven for orchid smugglers.  There are some 44 genera and <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=9786#.YHwVoC0RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D9786%23.YHwVoC0RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1618837305395000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGWK9Vuxq-xerHC26Bf1RyJC1x1-g">507 species of orchids</a> found in the cloud forests of Nepal’s Himalayan foothills—nearly 100 of them with proven medicinal value. <figure><img width="1444" height="984" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121148/636ce5a79c7e80680e096721jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Dendrobium fimbriatum</figcaption></figure>Every year Nepal exports 10,000 tonnes of medicinal plants to 50 countries, among them are 24 species of orchids and 12 are of the Dendrobium variety which are said to have the chemicals needed to make drugs to treat various types of cancer.In fact, the first time Dendrobium aphyllum and Dendrobium crisantham and three other species were identified was by Danish surgeon and botanist Nathaniel Wallich in 1830 when he visited Nepal while heading the Royal Botanical Garden in Calcutta. There are some 30 species under the Dendrobium genus, and 12 of them are found in Nepal. Many of these are legally exported to various countries around the world. However, there are reports of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=5648#.YHwVpi0RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D5648%23.YHwVpi0RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1618837305395000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHy1cvpz5yv4GPVAiJ1GLN3_NA7eg">widespread plunder of orchids</a> from Himalayan forests by smugglers.An estimated 800 tonnes of orchids is said to be smuggled into India every year from eastern Nepal alone. Meanwhile, there is a thriving underground trade in Dactylorhiza hatagirea (पाँच औंले) to China even though it is a protected species in Nepal.  <figure><img width="718" height="914" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121148/636ce5aa9c7e80680e096722jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Dendrobium densflorum</figcaption></figure>Nepal is party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which has categorised endangered species and plants into three appendices on the basis of conservation. The orchid Paphiopedilum venustum is included in Appendix 1 because it is on the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/between-existence-and-extinction-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/between-existence-and-extinction-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1618837305395000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGSXlB6KtjEABsZMOn2yYyS-owqgw">verge of extinction.</a> There are 128 species of orchids in Appendix 2, among which there are 29 belonging to the genus Dendrobium. Orchids in this list are endangered, but not near extinction, and their export is allowed under certain conditions. The ‘Lady Slipper’ orchid named Paphiopedilum venustum is included in the CITES Appendix 1. This species is in very much demand because of its delicate beauty, which is why it has been extracted almost to extinction.  Also among the orchids of Nepal listed in the Critically Endangered category is Gastrochilus calceolaris which is popular in homes, hotels and office, but is absent from the government’s Checklist of CITES Listed Flora of Nepal. In addition, a dozen or so orchids that fall under the IUCN red list which are endangered or critically endangered, are not yet in the list either.  Likewise, Gastrodia elata which is much in demand for its medicinal properties in the treatment of cancer, gastritis, and bacterial infections is listed in Appendix 2 of CITES and is critically endangered in Nepal. This points to regulation failure in which export licenses have been given for critically endangered species. <figure><img width="718" height="870" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121148/636ce5ad9c7e80680e096723jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Dendrobium emoinem</figcaption></figure>A workshop on 30 March by the non-profit Greenhood Nepal discussed the challenges for Nepal to protect its remaining orchid diversity. It emphasised greater awareness among officials and locals about orchids in the cirtically endangered list.Even employees of the Department of Forest and Soil Conservation have no idea how to identify different species of orchids, the workshop was told. Since only the stems or roots of orchids are sold, it is even more difficult to tell if they belong to a protected species. The exception is the Dactylorhiza hatagirea which is easily identified because of its five finger-like appendages.The government has formulated laws to regulate the trade of critically endangered plants, but documents do not identify those on the list. This has made it easier to legally export banned species, and to smuggle them as well.

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Saving the treasure trove of Nepal’s orchids

<img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121140/636ce3a99c7e80680e096668jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>"I can’t help myself when I see flowers,” says <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Planting-painting,3224" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">botanical artist and illustrator Neera Joshi</a>. “ I have to paint them.”Outside her studio, the spring garden is blooming with bright pink azaleas, orange daisies, and lush calla lilies. They were splashes of colour against a city shrouded in smoke this week. Inside, Joshi sits cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by framed <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/a-new-york-miracle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">botanical artwork</a>. On Tuesday, 32 of her paintings will be on display at Siddhartha Art Gallery for a three-week-long exhibition supported by the Nepal Britain Society.“Many people do not know what botanical art is because they have never seen it,” explains Joshi. “It is a means visual communication that will enable Nepalis to recognise and appreciate our rich and varied biodiversity.” Indeed, the relatively unknown art form typically comprises botanical illustration and botanical art. While both styles need to be scientifically accurate, and require equipment different from other art forms, botanical drawings are more scientific, the figures need to be precise and to scale, and they contribute to scientific studies and plant identification.<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/years-of-botanical-art,3222" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Botanical art</a>, meanwhile, allows for more focus on the aesthetics and the creative process. Joshi plays to both of those styles in her artwork. Half of her collection for the exhibition includes flowers native to Nepal— from wildflowers of Champadevi done in greens and browns to the soft pink Luculia gratissima and Himalayan blue poppies. The other half are exotic plants, ranging from orchids in pinks and yellows to kalakaua, magnolias, and more. <img width="1250" height="1667" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121140/636ce3ab9c7e80680e096669jpeg.jpg" alt="">Joshi experiments with multiple mediums in <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=13501#.YGqSNy2B0b0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">her artwork</a> while balancing scientific accuracy and artistic expression in her paintings. One of her pieces of mahonia berries, called jamaane mandro in Nepal, is a mixture of watercolour and pen-and-ink, while some of her pieces are half watercolour and half pencil sketch, with a series of smaller, more detailed, and scale illustration of the plant, depicting every stage of its life.[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.nepalitimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2-2.mp4"]Video: SHANTA BUDHA MAGAR “There is little room for free expression, freestyle or imagination with botanical art, and there are lots of rules and regulations,” says Joshi.She prefers being in nature and doing live paintings, and recently trekked up to 3,500m in Gorkha to study flora in previously unexplored forests. Although botanical artists also work with herbariums, a collection of preserved plant specimens, she usually documents flowers live in her field sketchbook, later referring to them to translate her art to watercolour. If the plant is small and manageable, Joshi brings them back home to study.“My mother wanted me to become a doctor,” Joshi says, smiling. “But I studied botany.” Joshi got her Master’s degree in Botany from Tribhuvan University in 1995.Although her father, Ramananda Joshi, was a noted artist, it was only in 1996 that she considered art as a career after her Master’s. “Becoming an artist had never  crossed my mind, although I was raised surrounded by art,” she says.[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.nepalitimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1.mp4"]Video: SHANTA BUDHA MAGAR For picking up the paintbrush relatively later in life, Joshi honed her skill swiftly over the next few years and had her work on exhibit for the first time in 1999.“Botanical art is a scientific discipline, and as such, one cannot just paint whatever they feel like,— the portraits of plants have to be meticulous,” says Sangeeta Thapa of Siddhartha Art Gallery. “Neera is among the very few botanical artists in Nepal, and she stands out from the crowd of contemporary artists because she’s doing something very unique and something she’s really passionate about.”Her work has been on display at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and more recently at the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/nepals-botanical-art-in-wuhan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wuhan International Botanical Art Exhibition</a>, where three of her paintings were exhibited virtually, owing to the Covid pandemic. <img width="1250" height="833" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121140/636ce3af9c7e80680e09666ajpeg.jpg" alt="">“Most Nepalis don’t know indigenous flowers from exotic ones, which is especially concerning at a time when conservation of biodiversity is so important,” says the artist, who also trains students and budding Nepali artists at her Studio Petals.“I hope this exhibition will provide exposure to botanical art and generate interest among young Nepalis,” she says. “This will help in education, conservation and research."Neera Joshi’s collection of botanical art, The Beauty of Nepal’s Flora, will be exhibited at Siddhartha Gallery from 6-26 April.

Shristi Karki

The anatomy of a flower

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0059c7e80680e083dd2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2520" height="1680"/><figcaption>All photos: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>This year's Dasain was a subdued affair as it coincided with Covid-19 spreading like wildfire across Nepal, and especially in Kathmandu Valley. It now looks like Tihar, which this year falls on 13-16 November will also be the same.These annual five-day celebrations will kick off from 13 November with Kag Tihar when crows are worshipped as the vehicle for Yamaraj, the god of death. On the other days, it will be the turn of the dogs to be revered, then the cow. The Newa community then marks its new year and the worship of self, Mha Puja.With the coronavirus still spreading, the daily death toll now hitting 30 per day, most families are in a dilemma about the rituals, which requires brothers and sisters, for instance to pay their respects to each other on Bhai Tika. Most will be doing it wearing masks, keeping distance in well-ventilated rooms or outdoors.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0089c7e80680e083dd3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2212" height="1475"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be00c9c7e80680e083dd4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2520" height="1680"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be00f9c7e80680e083dd5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2520" height="1680"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0129c7e80680e083dd6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2520" height="1680">In Gundu, Bhaktapur, 40-year-old Saraswati Bista is all set for Tihar and has cultivated the makhmali flowers that are much in demand for Bhai Tika, on the last day of the festival.The 40-year-old has been farming the flowers for the past six years and used to make Rs100,000 by selling the garlands. However, even Bista is not expecting good sales this season.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0159c7e80680e083dd7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2555" height="1703"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0199c7e80680e083dd8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2052" height="1368"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be01c9c7e80680e083dd9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2520" height="1680"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0209c7e80680e083ddajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2196" height="1438"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0249c7e80680e083ddbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2520" height="1680"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be0279c7e80680e083ddcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2052" height="1368"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636be02b9c7e80680e083dddjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365">“I have gone ahead with the plantation despite the unprecedented economic crisis but many of us farmers have been forced to plant makhmali in much smaller scale this year due to the pandemic,” she says.Earlier this year during April-May wedding season, farmers across the country were forced to throw away the flowers they cultivated for sale, or feed it to livestock as weddings and big receptions got cancelled due to the coronavirus scare.

Preparing for a muted Tihar

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf359c7e80680e078039jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1491" height="608"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Tourist guidebooks do not recommend visiting Nepal in the monsoon. Even if visitors come, they are strongly dissuaded from going to western Nepal in the rainy season because the flights are even more irregular than usual.This year, there were no tourists at Rara Lake in remote Mugu district even during the spring trekking season. So, at the height of the monsoon this week, a few Nepali visitors had the place all to themselves.At 2,999m, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/raras-rare-beauty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/raras-rare-beauty/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596003243007000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHqL4qoZq_enWNY9ygK6LBNvGE-IA">Rara in winter</a> is a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/snowbound-rara/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/snowbound-rara/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596003243007000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGiszAhvkTF5Zwpl2XGN-daLyGgTw">snowy wonderland</a>. In spring it is a <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18102#.Xx-1VdIza70" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18102%23.Xx-1VdIza70&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596003243007000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHUSzY-kEJ6hukYCDr47Z1kfr6FXQ">birder’s paradise</a>. But it is now in the rainy season that the shores of Nepal’s largest lake burst into flowers. Multi-coloured blossoms carpet the vast clearing below thick pine forests on southern reaches of the lake at Mili Chaur.This is where Mahendra, Nepal’s poet-king, sat under a lone juniper tree in 1964 and penned his famous ode to the lake: ‘Rara ki Apsara’. On the king’s order, the 10sq km lake and its surroundings mountains that soar to 4,500m, was declared Rara National Park in 1976. Mahendra’s juniper tree is still standing at the middle of Mili Chaur.At this time of year, the surrounding forests are deep green as veils of monsoon clouds glide down the slopes to the lake. The pine, juniper and spruce with rhododendron and oak are draped in lichen and orchids, and the forest teems with musk deer, red panda, and in the higher reaches, ghoral mountain goats. The lake is home to 270 of Nepal’s 867 bird species.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf389c7e80680e07803ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="334"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf3a9c7e80680e07803bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1489" height="614"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf3d9c7e80680e07803cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1488" height="593"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf409c7e80680e07803djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="376" height="576"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf429c7e80680e07803ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="376" height="576">Even though foreign tourists have stopped coming, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18102#.Xx-jxdIza70" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18102%23.Xx-jxdIza70&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596003243007000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGvY3X63wB_PxHcCO-B55EZmRWHHA">better road access to Rara</a> and an upgraded airfield at Talcha means that locals from Jumla and Gamgadi walk up to the lake to take selfies amidst the flowers.

Rara in the rainy season

<figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121120/636b8d6b9c7e80680e06b34bjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>All photos: BIKRAM RAI</figcaption></figure>The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc in all sectors, from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tourism and hospitality</a> to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/save-farms-empower-farmers-nepal-citizens-appeal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agriculture</a> and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/cash-flow-crisis-for-migrants-and-families/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remittance</a>. The floral industry is no exception. The first month of Nepali calendar Baisakh is considered auspicious for weddings. The favourable season for cultivation means commercial floriculture makes among the biggest profit this time of the year. In fact, 20% of all annual flower sales is to credited to this time period. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-affecting-food-security-in-nepal-wfp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19 affecting food security in Nepal</a>, Nepali TimesExcept, this time around there is no market or demand, thanks to the nation-wide COVID-19 lockdown, which has now lasted over a month and has been extended to 7 May. “This is the first time in two decades of my life cultivating flowers that I have seen such a big loss,” says Udav Raj Giri of Nargarjun Municipality, adding that flowers worth Rs2 million had been destroyed in the last month alone.As a result, farmers have been either forced to throw the flowers away or feed it to the goats and cows.  <figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121120/636b8d709c7e80680e06b34cjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Flowers being cultivated for commercial use. The COVID-19 pandemic hit during the favourable season for flower cultivation.</figcaption></figure><figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121120/636b8d749c7e80680e06b34djpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>A farmer cuts flowers that have blossomed.</figcaption></figure><figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121120/636b8d789c7e80680e06b34ejpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Flowers being thrown away due to the lack of market. The floral industry has suffered huge losses in the last month. </figcaption></figure><figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121120/636b8d7c9c7e80680e06b34fjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Farmers have been forced to feed flowers to cattle.</figcaption></figure>Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/wildflower-app-celebrates-nepals-flora/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wildflower app celebrates Nepal's flora</a>

When flowers become feed for the livestock

https://youtu.be/aG3NqSX0Sk8Woodcraft embellish Kathmandu Valley’s traditional architecture, adorning columns, eaves, windows and door frames with meticulously carved figures of gods and goddesses. Historically, these anonymous works of devotional art were carved by generations of the Shilpakar clan, whose surname was derived from their ancestral profession.Indra Prasad Shilpakar is from a long line of the woodcarvers from Bhaktapur who has decided to give new life to the craft by using traditional motifs, but adding artistic license with new elements. He has separated these pieces from architecture and created them as freestanding structures of art, modifying some background designs and poses of the gods.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108131140/636a4ebb9c7e80680e04fcd0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108131140/636a4ebe9c7e80680e04fcd1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="853">"Woodcarving on temples are strictly defined by rules that follow the storyline of the scriptures,” Shilpakar explained during a walk around his ongoing solo exhibition at the Taragaon Museum this week. “But outside of the architectural frame, I try to experiment.”Shilpakar has a degree in fine art from Tribhuvan University and he says the background in  contemporary art helps him try out new aesthetics so that traditional woodcarvings can also be viewed separately as individual pieces of art.In his day job these day, Shilpakar works in the restoration of Patan’s Bhai Dega temple which was destroyed in the 1934 earthquake. There he tries to replicate missing pieces of the temple based on old photographs and damaged pieces. After work, he is back at his basement workshop in Bhaktapur where with his father Indra Kaji Shilpakar he works on traditional carvings.Indra Kaji is not too enthusiastic about his son trying out new styles and selling them in galleries. He says: “Work in exhibitions ultimately end up in private collections, and only a few people will see them. On the other hand, when your carving adorns a temple everyone sees them, and it spans generations.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108131140/636a4ec19c7e80680e04fcd2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="853"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108131140/636a4ec59c7e80680e04fcd3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"></figure>Artist Indra Prasad Shilpakar (right) with his father Indra Kaji ShilpakarNonetheless, the younger Shilpakar says it is difficult to make a living making traditional wood carvings for temples, whereas experimenting with modern forms of traditional art and exhibiting them in galleries can earn the artist extra money.Shilpakar's Taragaon exhibition that ended on Tuesday depicted the best of woodcarving found in temples: windows with intricate patterns of flowers, deities like the Buddha, Ganesh, and Matrika, animals like crocodiles and Garuda, a pair of singing Gandharva and dancing Kinnara.Even more modern renditions of traditional wood carvings are strewn around Shilpakar’s workshop in Bhaktapur. Senior Shilpakar and his son share a passion for traditional woodcraft, and have designed their home keeping true to their Newa heritage. Carved wooden pillars line the ground floor, a traditional wooden staircase leads to the second floor which has intricately-carved wooden windows.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108131140/636a4ec89c7e80680e04fcd4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"></figure>Photos: Monica DeupalaThe attic kitchen has a high, triangular roof supported by wooden balustrades, and the balcony outside is lined with woodwork. The walls have a museum feel with displays of mallets, chisels, gouges and skews in various sizes that were used by their ancestors. "We wanted our house itself to reflect and preserve traditions," says the younger Shilpakar.Indra Prasad Shilpakar feels his family’s ancestral work is still seen as a lowly occupation, and he wants to be recognised as a creative artist as well. He says: "It is sad that we don’t know the names of the masters who created the exquisite carvings on our temples. They were never known as artists. But here in this gallery I am known as an artist in my own right.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108131140/636a4ecb9c7e80680e04fcd5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4000" height="3000">Wood Carving: The Art of the Newars of Nepal Solo exhibition of wood art by Indra Prasad ShilpakarTaragaon Museum, 1-9 July

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The anatomy of a flower

Preparing for a muted Tihar

Rara in the rainy season

When flowers become feed for the livestock

In with the old, in with the new