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<blockquote data-quote="netlife007" data-source="post: 5436517" data-attributes="member: 79514">Pitawala Patana&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; - Of carnivorous plants and endemic mediyas -&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <img src="http://amazinglanka.com/attractions/pitawala_patana/images/m-21-1.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The Knuckles mountain range, called so because it resembles the knuckles&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; of a clenched fist, consists of 35 peaks which rise above 900m, perhaps the&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; highest aggregation of such peaks in a single mountain range. However, the&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Knuckles landscape is not restricted to the mountains alone.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Approach it from its end in the Matale district along the Rattota-Illukkumbura&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Road and you will come to Pitawala Patana, a large and splendid grassland.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; it is a rare type of grassland that evolved in response to a particular ecological&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; condition and can be found nowhere else in the country. It consists of&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 10ha in area. A semi evergreen forest on somewhat deeper soil surrounds the&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; grassland.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The Pitawala Plains ends in a sheer drop. It is certainly nerve&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; wracking to glimpse into the depths, hundreds of metres below, yet a&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; visit to the plains will not be complete without the visitor having taken&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; in the beauty of the valley below from that vantage. The landscape somewhat&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; resembles that of Horton Plains and as does its precipice [to world’s&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; end].&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pitawala Patana is home to two endemic species. One is a frog known&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; as Dumbara Galpara Mediya and the other is Patan Ala, a type of grass.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; There are also many carnivorous plants that trap unwary insects.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The soil in the plains is not very rich in nutrients and thus certain&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; plants have adapted to find the required nutrients from insects. Kadulessa,&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; one such carnivorous plant species, has a sticky serum that traps unwary&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; insects.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Text and pix by Malaka Rodrigo&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <a href="http://www.lakbimanews.lk/" target="_blank">www.lakbimanews.lk</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; , June 14, 2009&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Getting there&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; From Colombo go to Kandy and then go to Matale in A9 route.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; From there, turn to Raththota road and come to Raththota town. Take&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; the right turn from the three-way junction in Raththota town. It will lead&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; you to Ilukkumbura - Puwakpitiya. the turn to Riverstan is at the 28th km&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; post, and 3km down in Ilukkumbura road you can find Pitawala Pathana, and&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; in about another kilometer's distance is the Pitawala Pathana Mini World's&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; End.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="netlife007, post: 5436517, member: 79514"] [B]Pitawala Patana[/B] - Of carnivorous plants and endemic mediyas - [IMG]http://amazinglanka.com/attractions/pitawala_patana/images/m-21-1.jpg[/IMG] The Knuckles mountain range, called so because it resembles the knuckles of a clenched fist, consists of 35 peaks which rise above 900m, perhaps the highest aggregation of such peaks in a single mountain range. However, the Knuckles landscape is not restricted to the mountains alone. Approach it from its end in the Matale district along the Rattota-Illukkumbura Road and you will come to Pitawala Patana, a large and splendid grassland. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is a rare type of grassland that evolved in response to a particular ecological condition and can be found nowhere else in the country. It consists of 10ha in area. A semi evergreen forest on somewhat deeper soil surrounds the grassland. The Pitawala Plains ends in a sheer drop. It is certainly nerve wracking to glimpse into the depths, hundreds of metres below, yet a visit to the plains will not be complete without the visitor having taken in the beauty of the valley below from that vantage. The landscape somewhat resembles that of Horton Plains and as does its precipice [to world’s end]. Pitawala Patana is home to two endemic species. One is a frog known as Dumbara Galpara Mediya and the other is Patan Ala, a type of grass. There are also many carnivorous plants that trap unwary insects. The soil in the plains is not very rich in nutrients and thus certain plants have adapted to find the required nutrients from insects. Kadulessa, one such carnivorous plant species, has a sticky serum that traps unwary insects. Text and pix by Malaka Rodrigo [URL="http://www.lakbimanews.lk/"]www.lakbimanews.lk[/URL] , June 14, 2009 [B]Getting there[/B] From Colombo go to Kandy and then go to Matale in A9 route. From there, turn to Raththota road and come to Raththota town. Take the right turn from the three-way junction in Raththota town. It will lead you to Ilukkumbura - Puwakpitiya. the turn to Riverstan is at the 28th km post, and 3km down in Ilukkumbura road you can find Pitawala Pathana, and in about another kilometer's distance is the Pitawala Pathana Mini World's End. [/QUOTE]

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