ENTER THE DRAGON

(This article appeared in Parthenos (April-June 2011) - A newsletter of DiversityIndia)

I have always loved Entomology. If not for my choice of the University, I would have earned a Masters in Entomology instead of Plant Pathology. The interest begun with Honeybees as our Professor, Mr. Kulkarni taught us Apiculture during the undergraduate days. Even as some of my friend found it tough to remember the scientific names, let alone spell them correctly, I found myself at ease with the whole business. The course taught me the applied angle of Entomology but the seed of Taxonomy was sown somewhere deep within.

It was sometime in 2008, 9 years after I earned my Masters Degree and after my book on butterflies was being received well that I decided to take insect taxonomy seriously. The Phylum Insecta is so vast that one lifetime would be insufficient to study a single Order. Butterflies or Order Lepidoptera seemed the obvious choice but my selection of the Order Odonata, which consists of Dragonflies and Damselflies probably, has its origin in Amboli, the village where my interest in wildlife can be traced. As a child brought up in a village setting, I was witness to the game of catching dragonflies and tying their tails with thread. I say witness, since I never found the game amusing, one, since I felt pity for them and second since I knew they bite back. I did catch them though, but the smaller ones and observed how they tried to bite anything that was brought close to their mouthparts. But what caught my imagination where those which flew in thousand over open field and never seemed to tire. There would only be few on one day and on another the whole open field would be swarming with the reddish coloured dragonflies. It was fun to see the Small Green Bee-eater hawk them in the air, beat them against the wires, break off their wings and swallow them. Numbers would be so high on occasions that a few would get crushed under passing vehicles. Now I know they are called the Wandering Gliders (Pantala flavescens) and rightly so.

Long-legged Marsh Glider (Trithemis pallidinervis)

That was a very long time back and after graduating I had the opportunity of being associated with the World Wild Fund of Nature (WWF) as a Volunteer and took pride in sharing my knowledge of biodiversity with adults and children alike during many of the Nature Trails and Camps. One hurdle though was the identification of Odonates. With no guide readily available, like the ones for Birds and Butterflies, all the different species remained just Dragonflies and Damselflies for me. By the way somewhere in between I learned that the smaller cousins of the Dragonflies are called Damselflies.

It was my Nikon D80 brought in 2006 that changed things for the good. Armed with a 105 mm Macro lens, I started photographing Dragons and grew to genuinely appreciate their amazing variability. With the collection growing and the need to know their identity made me look for people and sources which would help in identification. The world of the internet was a mine of information and within a short time I had names for most of the photographs. But something somewhere was amiss. I felt like the school kids accompanying me on trails and accepting every word that I said or all identifications that I made without ever questioning their authenticity. That is the time I decided to identify Odonates myself. The seed sown in the college days had finally germinated.

Agriocnemis pieris

What has followed has been a great learning experience full of joyous, proud and frustrating moments. It is ironic though that the basic work done by the British of cataloguing the biodiversity of this Country still remains the most widely used literature for identification of lesser fauna. The three volumes of The Fauna of British India on Odonata by Fraser is a monumental work and one wonders how anybody could dedicate so much time and energy to classify organisms which even in today’s world are not considered significant enough.

Trumpet tail (Acisoma panorpoides)

I also became conscious that the State of Goa has only 39 species documented by various researchers and here I was holding images of more that 70 species. I wonder how in the world we will ever conserve anything that we do not know exists in the first place. The gaps in our knowledge of our surrounding environment are so vast; it makes me wonder what are we searching for on the Moon and Mars?? I felt sorry that very few students and researchers are interested in Taxonomy, which actually is the brick on which the building of science stands. As I explore the interiors and water bodies of Goa in my search for new Odonates, I realize how important Taxonomy is not only for these winged predators but also for all the wide variety of biota that we have around us.

I will continue on my quest, which I am sure is not going to be any easy one, but hope that more and more youngsters take interest in  lesser flora and fauna of this country with a view to aid in their conservation.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD…………..

I am on my way to Vasco after successfully conducting a camp for students at Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary. 85 students have participated in the camp with 10 volunteers imparting knowledge on various aspects of wildlife. As I drive and ponder over the last four days, there are many moments to choose from, but the most vivid of them all is the pair of mating Tamil Tree-Brown (Lethe dryperis) butterflies crushed under the wheels of a vehicle while still attached to each other. That it happened in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary, a place where the right of way belongs to the denizens of the forest, is further disturbing.

Female Jackal on the Airport road

I cross the BITS Goa campus along the airport road and see another road kill further ahead, this time, what looks like a dog. That is common I say to myself as I pass the dead dog by the road side with a pool of dried blood by its head and some coagulated around the nostril. After going beyond, I wonder if I actually saw a dog or was it something else. Parking ahead I walk back only see my worst fears becoming true, it’s a female Jackal (Canis aureus indicus) hit by, I am sure, an over-speeding vehicle. That the individual is a suckling female, evident from her enlarged tits, adds to my disgust. This one accidental death, means slow but sure death to the pups housed somewhere in a den of hunger or predation.

Road kills of wildlife are a common sight on Goan roads, especially snakes in the monsoons, birds which fly low, civet cats and the occasional leopard. Frogs and snakes get “butchered” in the rains. I use the word butchered with deliberate emphasis since they actually die in hundreds. Low flying birds like the Greater Crow-pheasant or Coucal (Centropus sinensis), the Bulbuls also meet this fate. I & Pankaj Lad reported the Slaty-legged Banded Crake (Rallina eurizonoides) as a new record for the State of Goa to a Journal and the paper is under review. That the proof of its presence is in the form of a dead specimen found on the road is not a very pleasing fact. I shudder at the thought of the fate of these animals after the proposed road widening in the State.

The image speaks for itself

That the larger mammals and birds might suddenly get on to the road and get hit before the vehicle can be controlled is understandable and can be excused but not over-speeding. Over-speeding is what kills. An animal colliding with a slow moving vehicle can get hurt but need not get killed. I do drive fast at times but have on many occasions sighted animals further on the road giving me enough time to slow down or stop. I have lost count of the number of occasions when I have alighted from the vehicle to pick up a snake and release it safely by the road side. Also animal behavior gives away its intents. One needs to be careful when a dog is behaving fidgety…..It is sure to cross the road. A Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphrodites) can be very unpredictable. But being nocturnal it is easily sighted at a distance by glowing eyes and one get enough time to slow down to avoid it. And finally do not forget the horn. It works wonders on animals. Also keeping your eyes on the road at all times will go a long way in reducing animal kills.

I personally feel it is a matter of being sensitive towards these creatures which will automatically put brakes on our wheels

WAX DART (Cupitha purreea) - A New record for Goa

One December 24, 2010 enroute to the Sonal Waterfall near Toduo Village in Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, I, Sangam Patil and Omkar Dharwadkar documented the Wax Dart (Cupitha purreea), a skipper butterfly belonging to the Hesperidae Family which was earlier known only from the Southern Western Ghats. Found commonly in North-East India, the butterfly is rare in the South. The underside of this species is unmarked and sulphur yellow in colour. The documentation of this species from the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary from where 3 species of butterflies were recently reported for the first time, highlights the biological diversity and conservation importance of this area. 

LOST IN THE WOODS!!

This poem is inspired & dedicated to the jungles of the Western Ghats, where more than often I wish to get lost in the woods. That someone like me could pen a poem, that too a long one, as I sat watching the Savri Waterfall cascade in Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary is a testimony to the stimulating effect of the jungle. During my recent visit to Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh similar feelings clouded my mind and hence this post. 

LOST IN THE WOODS!!

The monsoon was fast approaching

Dark clouds gathered over the skies

The mystic woods beckoned me

To come to their abode and fly

Out I set with my camera

To capture a winged beauty

What I did not foresee

Was the magic of the woods and it’s majesty

I followed the birds and the butterflies

Unmindful of the jungle moods

Within no time I found myself

Lost in the woods!!

I was scared and I panicked

Knowing not what to do

Mother Nature told me not be scared and be true

She said she would guide me and

tell me what to do

The dark woods and the beasts

I found to be friends

How unlike humans

Who turn foes and rarely friends!

I had water to drink and fruits to eat

Leafy cushion to sleep and rocks to sit

My friends in the woods allowed me to be the first

To enter the river and quench my thirst

How happy was I to experience this mood

I hope all of you one day get lost in the woods!!

Fluffy Tit

The Fluffy Tit (Zeltus amasa) is an uncommon butterfly of the forested regions. Found from Goa Southwards it has recently been documented from the forests of the Tillari region in Maharashtra. Though tiny, it is one of the most handsome of butterflies in our forests and the flight period in Goa is from February onwards till the monsoons. This image was taken on the trail to the Mainapi Waterfall in the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, a paradise for butterflies and butterfly watchers.

TRANSFORMATION.....

Only recently, in discussion with a friend, I learnt that the butterfly is referred to as Prajapati in Bengali.

While the names such as Fulpakharu in Marathi, Titli in Hindi, and our own Pako were well-known to me, this reference in Bengali to the Hindu deity Prajapati ( the Lord of Creation) got me thinking.

I presume it is the sheer beauty, the wonder of flight, and the transformation from the crawly caterpillar to a winged wonder that have evoked such admiration from everyone who encounters them.

The makeover of a caterpillar into a pupa, and then a butterfly, is one of the most amazing transformations seen in the living world.

 The image depicts the life-cycle of the Common Mime (Papilio clytia) on its host plant, the Cinnamon Tree (Cinnamomum zeylanicum). The pupa which attaches itself to the stem of the plant appears like a dry twig broken at one end, and is an excellent example of camouflage.

The adult butterfly exhibits two mimetic forms in both sexes. The dark form Clytia mimics the Common Indian Crow (Euploea core) while the striped form Dissimilis mimics the Blue Tiger (Tirumala limniace).

This mimicry termed as the Batesian Mimicry has evolved wherein a palatable species mimics an unpalatable species thus sending warning signals to a predator to stay away.

THE GOA THAT I KNOW, AND NEED TO KNOW

I am originally not a Goan, being a native of the neighbouring district of Sindhudurg and born in Kolhapur. 

I was always lovingly referred to as Ghanti by my friends, only to have realized over time that the Goa that I know, and have grown up to love, is far different from theirs. And I am more a Goenkar than many of my Goan friends who claim to be (with no ill will to them!!)

Having been brought up here, and traversed through the most remote nooks and corners of the State, very often on foot, I have grown to admire and love the incredible range of floral and faunal diversity more than anything else. It is a very special component of our heritage, which unfortunately is not appreciated as it should be. Worse, it is neglected.

Goa is unique in its geographic position, lying at the confluence of the Northern and the Southern Western Ghats. It exhibits floral and faunal assemblage that are distinctive of the both. Unlike the British, who conducted extensive studies on the biodiversity all around the rest of India, natural history was a neglected subject under the four and a half centuries of Portuguese rule, and has remained neglected since then except for a few sporadic studies.

I have had the opportunity to closely observe and study the faunal components, especially the lesser-known fauna. My emphasis has been on Avifauna, Butterflies and Odonates (dragonflies)

I have had to face very difficult odds, with very few experts in the field in Goa, and further very few interested in the subject.

More recently, there are more youngsters are taking to the field, and we are already seeing promising results. Lot more needs to be done, though.

Ultimately, the knowledge we earn through field studies needs to be made user friendly so that we can communicate with a broad audience. Education and awareness will always be the key to conservation success.