Bengaluru - once the Garden City, now a city racing against time and temperature. While traffic clogs our roads and high-rises fill the skyline, we often forget that a rich, living world still thrives quietly above and around us - our trees.

Every February, social media explodes with images of “cherry blossom season” in Bengaluru. But the vibrant pink blooms we admire aren’t cherry trees at all. They’re Tabebuia rosea, a Central American species introduced decades ago. Elsewhere, trees like Muntingia calabura - known locally as “Khas-Khas” or Jamaican cherry - drop sweet, edible fruits all over the pavement. But how many of us pause to notice, let alone taste them?

This series by Good Food Movement is a small attempt to help Bengaluru rediscover its trees. We’ll identify the familiar strangers that surround us, explore their origins, uses, and ecological value, and most importantly, build curiosity and respect for the green life that supports this city.

Because in a time of rising pollution, noise, and soaring urban temperatures, trees are no longer ornamental - they are essential. Cooling our air, calming our minds, and stitching the fabric of a liveable city back together.