Archive for August 2009
Up The Ghat
Lower ghat road of the Palani Hills on an exquisitely clear pre-monsoon day.
Endemic Impatiens (jerdoniae, monroenii, violescens and hookeriam) all with restricted ranges in the Southern Western Ghats (with hookeriam also found in Sri Lanka). Photographed with gratitude at the Vattakanal Conservation Trust.
Mid-elevation (@1,200 meters) evergreen forest on the southern slopes of the Palani Hills.
Mountain lizard(Salea horsfieldii) in the upper Palani Hills
Looking east to a new dawn over the southern escarpment of the Palani Hills. The distinctive hat-shaped Perumal peak (@2,100 meters) is on the extreme left.
Circumnavigating Sinharaja
Sri Lanka’s Sinharaja rainforest occupies a large and rugged area in the South West part of the island. Our family explored its remote Morningside borders on a long, circuitous trip to the southern coast in May. Shortly after I lead another OSC IB Diploma field trip beach to the Kudawa entrance side of the forest. The school group enjoyed four full days of forest walks, data gathering and rich rainforest experiences. The forest was relatively dry and there were rewarding views of bird flocks, reptiles (three different Green Pit Vipers!) and more.
A large Sri Lankan Green Pit Viper (Trimeresurus trigonocephalus) on Sinharaja's Moulawella Peak
The endemic but locally common pitcher plant (Nepenthes distillatoria) in Sinharaja.
A view over the canopy of Sinharaja's lowland rainforest. Near to the Kudawa entrance on the north-western boundary
