Post dedicated to Karthik

When I went to Alappuzha, I certainly didn’t imagine that I would be seeing birds or butterflies…but the lovely Kayaloram resort gave me just such an opportunity!

Someone had actually decided to make a “Butterfly Corner” on the campus, and put up photos of the butterflies that could be seen there. However, the receptionist (Mary) told me, “This was done some time ago…it’s all dried up now, Madam, you can’t see any butterflies.”

Thankfully, her information was completely inaccurate….with the possible exception of a few of the butterflies listed, (Eg. the COMMANDER and the PEACOCK PANSY) I saw EVERY butterfly, even the beautiful

SOUTHERN BIRDWING

which is the largest butterfly in India! Here’s a quick shot I got of it, fluttering past:

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Here are the helpful butterfly posters: this, this, and this: How helpful it is to have someone take such an initiative! I found these two SKIPPERS proceeding in an orderly line on a leaf: and one on a leaf alone: the SOUTHERN RUSTIC was a new butterfly for me, and I was thankful for the help in the id: the MALABAR RAVEN was listed as the "Malabar Ravan" and I was wondering if, indeed, Rama's archenemy had come to be named among the butterflies, before I realized that it was the Raven! The COMMON MORMON (not the Moron!) sat around, I should call it the Mormo as its tail seems to be missing! The GREY PANSY was relatively easy to photograph as its flight is not quick: another Pansy that was around was the CHOCOLATE PANSY: the BLUE TIGER was also easy to catch, while it sat on the flowers: So, too, the COMMON CROW: The COMMON EMIGRANT also co-operated: But there were two butterflies which were VERY difficult to catch. One was the BLUEBOTTLE: and the other was the TAILED JAY.... I didn't get even a half-way satisfactory shot of it!....these two kept flitting about in the most infuriating manner, and while I was concentrating on them, the Southern Birdwing suddenly flew past...oh, I was one frustrated photographer for a while, until I decided I wouldn't bother too much! Uma tells me this dragonfly is the COMMON PICTURE WING (male) - (Rhyothemis variegata): I am waiting for her to help out with this one, too...she did, and this one is the female! :) I also got these flies on the flowers: The common birds were all around me, and it was a delight to watch this WHITE-CHEEKED BARBET enjoying the mango fruit! Of course, the GREATER COUCAL skulked around just out of sight, but I got this quick shot of the bird on a cottage roof before it skulked off again: DARTERS are not that common near Bangalore, so it was nice to see a lot more of them on the backwaters, sitting on the floating pieces of wood and Water Hyacinth: In the resort, this RUFOUS TREEPIE jumped around in the arecanut palm trees, and was easy to capture: Along the waterways, there were far less Common Kites than in Bangalore, and several beautiful BRAHMINY KITES ...this one sat next to our resort, and often fished in the waters (never very successfully, as far as I could see!) LITTLE CORMORANTS are, next to Crows, the most common bird in the area, and here's one preening itself after being in the water: This STORK-BILLED KINGFISHER kept flying in and out, and in the pouring rain, this is the only shot I could get: and high up in the trees of the resort, this BLACK-HOODED ORIOLE appeared in a flash of yellow: Another tree at dusk yielded the sight of this large FRUIT BAT: The flora, too, was varied and beautiful. These MOSS SPORES on the Lily leaves looked so pretty: High up on the tree where the Oriole was, this BRACKET FUNGUS bloomed: The resort had several plants of BIXA ORELLANA which I had seen earlier in Agumbe: I was told that this plant was called "Oddalam" (it looked a bit like Frangipani): ..and that the fruit was extremely poisonous...! Right in front of our room, this HAMMERHEAD SLUG slowly made its way to the soil:

Of course, this

WATERLILY

which always seems to glow from within, makes a lovely closing shot, of the various living things that I was privileged to see in Alappuzha!