Kerala

Candle Bush (Cassia alata)

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Cassia alata is an erect tropical, annual herb with leathery compounded leaves found in the Western Ghats of India. The plant grows quickly to a height of 6-12 ft and can live for many years. It has waxy yellow spikes on the tip of each branch for which reason they are also known by the name candle bush and seven golden candle sticks. The spikes elongates as the period of blossom progresses. Flowers are pollinated by carpenter bees and caterpillars of migrating butterflies feed on this plant. Continue reading →

Malabar Raven (Papilio dravidarum)

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Endemic to the Western Ghats of South India, the Malabar Raven butterfly is common in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Despite their rounded wing shapes, these medium sized black-brownish tailless butterfly are in the swallowtail family. Continue reading →

Coffee Flowers

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Coffee plantations are found in the Western Ghats of Southern India on hills and misty mountains ranging from an elevation of 800m – 1500m above sea level. The coffee flowering season is a spectacle to be experienced. It looks like a pale jewel glittering in the crown of the coffee plant. The white blossoms have a beautiful scent which attracts honeybees, butterflies and other pollinators.

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Gold’s Glitter Guarded

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From The New Yorker‘s website, a slide show on the recent article about last year’s discovery of gold buried in a temple in south Kerala, and a remarkable set of observations from the photographer assigned to that story:

In India, deities can own property, and this temple, dedicated to Vishnu, has been accumulating gold for centuries. “I was asked to photograph it from the outside; it is strictly forbidden to take photos inside,” Goia said. “Jake and I found ourselves jumping from office to office calling whatever number possible to try to get permission to access the security area.”

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Nature Walk at Periyar

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The Periyar Nature Walk gives visitors the opportunity to explore the dense Periyar wilderness, enjoying nature, sighting wildlife, hearing the rustle of wind and smelling the wild blossoms. The trek often passes through evergreen and moist deciduous forest interspersed with marshy grasslands.  Continue reading →

Red Star Glory (Ipomoea hederifolia)

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Red Star Glory is an annual twining plant with bright scarlet flowers found in the Western Ghats of India that appears as the monsoon trails off. Its scientific name is Ipomoea hederifolia but it is also known by the names Scarlet creeper, Scarlet Morning Glory and Star Ipomea. The plant grows vigorously to a height of 10 ft. with elongated heart shaped leaves with pointed tips. Continue reading →

Mangala Devi Temple in Thekkady

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The 1000 year old Mangala Devi Temple is a good example of the traditional architectural style of South India. It is situated on the northern boundary of the Periyar Tiger Reserve 1400m above sea level. Continue reading →

Funny Macaques (Bonnet Macaque)

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Bonnet macaques are found only in South India, occupying wet lowland to dry deciduous forest, up to a height of 2100 m. They are usually quite sociable and are seen mostly in groups.

This photograph was taken near Kumily close to the lower Camp road side by Mr. Shaji. Bonnet macaques of this area mostly seem to be waiting for travelers passing by in hopes of getting some food or fruits from them. Visitors usually feed them to watch the macaques eat and their funny facial expressions, but actually this is a mistake for both animals and people, and should be discouraged.

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Periyar Sightings: April 29, 2012

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Mr. Manu from Cochin was a recent guest at Cardamom County from 28 April 2012 to 29 April 2012. He has shared some of his excellent photography with us from his visit to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Backwater Fishing

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Kerala is a land of rivers, lakes, lagoons, rivulets and beautiful canals filled with rich and diversified fish fauna, many of which are rare and endemic species. Fisherman ply the Vemabanad Lake, Ashtamudi Lake and Kayamkulam Lake as well as the backwaters still using using traditional methods, including Chinese fishing nets as well as small nets that are cast by hand.

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Gold’s Glitter Illuminated

/ Crist Inman / 2 Comments

Back at about the time when Michael and Seth had posted their first reflections on this site, and Michael had just encountered his own first truly unusual finding in southern India, the newspapers across India were starting to report on this.  It took me months to be sure it was a true story.  And finally, about Thanksgiving time (USA holiday calendar) I took a moment to reflect on it.  I could not be happier to find that The New Yorker has done the kind of homework I had not had time to do.  If you are not yet a subscriber, now might be a good time to reconsider. Continue reading →

Flower Show – Thekkady

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Thousands of people in and around Thekkady including locals, foreign tourists, students and nature lovers enjoyed the decorated show which included nearly 150 varieties of flowering plants such as Marigold, Dalia, Rose, Hibiscus, and Portulaca. The Agri-horticultural Society of Thekkady has been organizing the Flower Show for the past 5 years. This is the sixth edition of the 10 day event, which ended yesterday.

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Night Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum)

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Night blooming Jasmine is an ornamental, evergreen shrub with a woody base that grows up to 13 ft tall. Frequently found in the Western Ghats of India, this nocturnal plant is also known as Lady of the Night or Queen of the Night due its heavily perfumed flowers that can be smelled from the distance of 10 to 15 yards.

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Gavi’s Gangly Forest

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In early summer the forests of the Western Ghats are roaring with the sounds of insects. Crisp dried leaves crackle underfoot, and monkeys howl in the distance. I didn’t really expect to see animals – any intelligent enough to survive would be sleeping in a cool hollow somewhere. Despite the heat, the woods are beautiful, and the scenes unfolding before my eyes as we trek deeper into the reserve grow more and more unusual, with trees’ limbs and roots seeming to grasp and grope. Continue reading →

Pakal Pooram – Glimpse of Thrissur Pooram

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Photo: Joshy Manjumel

Pakal Pooram is a small-scale version of the grand Thrisssur Pooram.  The Pakal Pooram (Day Pooram) pictured above took place last December in Thekkady as a tourist attraction.

Elephants have been the part of the cultural ethos of Kerala for centuries. The people of Kerala consider this animal a harbinger of good fortune, a remover of obstacles and as a representative of the god Ganesh, an inseparable and integral part of religious and economic life.

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Butterflies of Kerala – Common Emigrant

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Male Common Emigrant

This butterfly is the most common among the six species of Grass yellows that are found in Kerala. Though often found flying languidly over grassy patches, this small, fragile insect has nothing to do with grass. Its food plants are Cassia legume and other legumes. It is on the wing throughout the year, except during winter extremes. It is often seen on garden flowers and on damp patches where the mud is puddled.

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Looking: Over and Out

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India’s Western Ghats are one of our planet’s most biodiverse zones – as well as an intensely beautiful geological spine that separates the southwestern coast of the subcontinent from the southeastern. Kerala’s border with Tamil Nadu coincides with the range, which poses no mysteries. Transportation over the hills and mountains is tedious, and each side has it’s own cultural and meteorological identity; the border makes sense to an outsider. Continue reading →

Latex- Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis)

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The latex rubber tree is a tropical plant native to South America and South East Asia, which is the primary global source of natural rubber. Kerala has over 110,000 acres of land under rubber cultivation – annual production is about 690,000 tons – over 92% of India’s natural rubber.

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Periyar Sightings: April 12, 2012

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Mr. David and Anbella from Luxemburg shared their experience of Periyar with us:

We stayed at Cardamom County and took a visit to the Periyar Tiger Reserve. We were happy to spot many birds and wild boars. Our main goal was to spot elephants, which was unfortunate for us because the forest guide told us they hadn’t been sighted for the past two days. Anyhow we enjoyed the wildlife we did see, even though we didn’t find the elephants. – Mr. David

Mohiniyattam – Classical Dance of Kerala

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Mohiniyattam is a classical dance form which is believed to have originated in Kerala. Mohiniyattam is a fusion of Bharthanatyam with the dynamism and vigour of Kathakali. This dance performed solely by women was once only seen in Temples and Royal Courts.

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