Dragonflies ruled the air. When they evolved some 300 million years ago, they were unquestioned masters of the skies. They were also large – a fossil dragonfly had a wingspan of about 75 cm! Today, we do not have such…
Snowy Angle Darpa pteria
We (Vidya Venkatesh and I) recently ventured into the forests of Jeypore-Dihing in Assam between April 24-29, 2011. The primary intent of the trip was butterfly-watching. Though 2 days of our trip were washed out due to heavy rains, the…
The Birthwort and the butterfly
Aristolochias are also popularly known as Birthworts besides many other names given to them. The family is represented by about 500 species world over. Most birthworts are creepers and several species with very showy flowers are grown in gardens as…
Long-tailed Tree Mouse
I returned home from work as usual, rested awhile, had a cup of tea and walked up to my room on the first floor. Having put my bag away, I switched on the light and walked into the bathroom to…
Red Velvet Mite
I was walking down the forest track. A little distance from where I was, was a little red creature lumbering down towards me. When I was just a few feet from it I knew what it was. And, this one…