Sahyadrica

Matheran I spent the weekend at two different places, one in my backyard and the other atop a hill. It was not only pleasant - for me and the butterflies - but damn scenic too. Although we bagged few sightings, but those we sighted were pretty much uncommon! New species of flowers are blooming, and as the monsoon's reign comes to an end, the life seems to bloom at its pinnacle. Devil's Claw - Martynia annua Without wasting anytime, I'll go through the macro world of wonder that I came across. The Butterflies, especially the big ones always amuzed me. But considering they do not pose for me well, I always envy them. One such is the Blue Mormon. We saw it very commonly flying high in the canopy... coming down on us only to fly back up again! It is one hell of a butterfly that never wants to sit! On the other hand though, we saw many, many danaines puddling on specific plants for the alkaloids. All those who do that are males, who come here in searc...

Yeoor Hills BNHS had organized a trail to Yeoor Hills, lead by Isaac Kehimkar, Yuvraj Gurjar and Dr. Amol Patwardhan. We had an ‘official’ letter to be inside the protected area of the Yeoor Hills, and that’s something great! About 50 on and off BNHS members trailed through the green laden hills, scanning the undergrowth and the canopy. The trail was unusual in itself for we found exclusive monsoon species here and there. For more on BNHS, visit here – http://www.bnhs.org/ The trail started at the entrance gate into the actual SGNP area, and as soon as it started, we were greeted by the cold humid air with promises none like anything ever witnessed! To start off with, the flowers are blooming as usual, and so is the Karvi! Although these common flowers adorned the forest floor, so did the Karvi, that blooms once in every seven years! And the sugary treat that is so rare is enjoyed by many, like this fly in the following photograph... The butterflies were commonly seen everywhere...