Two days ago, when I went for a morning walk in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, the spectacular show of bright crimson flowers attracted my eyes and forced me to stop and take photos. Due to the change of seasons, the trees are shedding their leaves and putting their energy into blooming flowers–and the results are fabulously picturesque.

This is the blooming season for the Indian Coral Tree which is a thorny, deciduous, ornamental tree that grows up to 60 to 80 ft tall. This tree is one native to the Western Ghats.