Today’s outing was both more interesting, and longer-lasting, than I had anticipated. I’ve been to the Ramakrishna Ashram several times, and we’ve always just walked a little past the campus and come back. So today I was very surprised to be able to go for quite a longish trek up hill and down dale!

Here are a few of us, in the morning, with the Swamiji of the Ashram:

Here we are, setting off in orderly way, in single file! It was nice to be able to meet after a very long time. I didn't know he'd come back to Bangalore and for the first few minutes was thinkng if it WAS him or someone who looked like him! It was great to be with him and Ulhas, and their group, because they look at all creatures, great and small, AND trees and plants, as well. I am indebted to them for showing me the SUNDEW PLANT but apart from that, we sighted many birds, including several SMALL MINIVETS: (Ulhas will be putting up the birds,butteflies,mammals and others list, I'm afraid I was lazy about it today!) Small things that we saw included this pupal case of a dragonfly: Several more of those "float-down-on-a-single-thread-of-silk" moth caterpillars, that I had seen near the Zoo area: This gorgeous and un id nymph of a bug on a outcrop: A LYNX SPIDER was enjoying breakfast: So was a dragonfly, a WANDERING GLIDER: There were a few brilliantly coloured bugs in the rock pools: Here's Siddappa, our guide, who remained fresh as the proverbial daisy at the end of the outing! Harsha told me that the AGAVE is the tallest infloresence: I got this young woman beginning the "kOlam" for the Dashami festival: Climbing up the rock was not easy in the hot sun, but we were rewarded with the beauty of the rock pools once we'd climbed up: And...here's a 360 degree view from the top of the sheet rock near the Shivanahalli ashram (I think this is Ragihalli Betta) What natural beauty I have, half an hour from my home! And of course, from the top we could see some larger creatures....here's a TUSKER: which we were trying to photograph: Quite tired, but very satisfied with all that we'd seen, we came back to the Ashram to have "uppittu", with chutney, and coffee: The Ashram people are always so hospitable! </lj-cut> Let me close with this DANAID EGGFLY which posed for us: A wonderful outing, though it took far longer than I'd planned on! For more pictures, click here Off to Kabini very early tomorrow...back on Wednesday, with more memories, hopefully!