#ravishing

Ravishing, by Eshani Surya

Novel grade: C+ (3/5)

This one message from Ravi made me laugh and cry 😭💞

Hello Doctor

Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who & behind the scenes.

When a casual evening walker first spots this flower, their immediate impression is often that it has died—especially since the bloom hangs upside down, a common sign of a dead flower. But that’s not the case here.

This exquisite, ravishing, and yet extremely toxic flower is called Brugmansia, commonly known as angel's trumpet.

One might wonder why it’s named "angel's trumpet." A careful look at the picture reveals the answer: the photo is taken from below, pointing upward toward the sky. This perspective is no accident. Brugmansia flowers characteristically grow in a pendulous (downward-hanging) direction, a trait shaped by evolution for pollination and other ecological reasons.

Most Brugmansia species are pollinated by nocturnal moths (and occasionally bats). These pollinators become active at dusk and during the night. To attract them, the flowers release a powerful, intoxicating fragrance in the evening that grows even stronger after sunset.

Native to the tropical lowlands of South America, these plants evolved their downward-facing blooms to protect the nectar from rain and excessive evaporation while keeping it easily accessible to hovering moths.

This pendulous, trumpet-like shape is one of the defining features of Brugmansia—and it’s exactly why they’re called "angel's trumpets": the blooms resemble trumpets being played downward from the heavens by the angels...Just like how it's played in Mahler's 2nd symphony ("Resurrection"), especially in the final moment. Ending in a thunderous, transcendent explosion of choral-orchestral joy, proclaiming resurrection and victory over death.....

ICTS, Bangalore 04/02/2026

This ravishing world. This achingly bittersweet, ravishing world.

-- Justin Cronin