Walking on Lower Shola Road…
Sunlight in the shola (composition#1)
Bombay Shola, the small path of indigenous high altitude tropical evergreen forest, is a naturalist’s delight located near the bustling center of the hill station of Kodaikanal. It provides a habitat for endemic birds, a dazzling variety of plants and large creatures such as Indian gaur (Bos gaurus) and Malabar Giant Squirrels (Ratufa indica). For residents and visitors alike it is a place of solace, a place that takes one back to a time before the lake, the buildings and crowds of humans. These are some of my reflections on the forest from walks over April and our summer in Kodai. For further reading on the forest see my November 2010 article in Frontline.
Large scaled pit viper (Trimeresurus macrolepis), from Pambar Shola photographed at Bombay Shola.Palani Hills, Western Ghats
Study of a shola tree (west and east views) on Lower Shola Road.
Creation light on Lower Shola Road near the Bryant Park (eastern) side of Bombay Shola.
Odonata in the marshes below Bombay Shola and by the lake: (Clockwise from upper right): Orthetrum triangulare (male), Orthetrum luzonicum, Archibasis oscillans (possibly), Orthetrum luzonicum again.
Gaur and vehicle on Lower Shola Road, Kodaikanal, Palani Hills.
White Bellied Shortwing (Brachypteryx major) and Grey Breasted Laughing Thrush (Garrulax jerdoni), two endemic shola birds, photographed on Lower Shola Road.
Shola crown at the bottom of Violet Lane in Bombay Shola.
Excellent Posting Ian. This is an wonderful way to show the beauty and conservation importance of these fragile ecosystems. There is a spelling error int he dragonflies title – it spelled ‘Odanta’ instead of Odonata. Best wishes and continue your good work.
Chris
Dr G. Christopher
2011-11-15 at 6:17 am
Hi Ian,
I really enjoyed your writing and pictures over the past few months. In this post I especially liked the one titled “Sunlight in the shola (composition#1)” and “Shola crown at the bottom of Violet Lane in Bombay Shola”. Have you thought of making prints?
In all my walks in this area I hadn’t come across any Odonata. Was it too early at 9 in the morning?
I have been pursuing 4×5 black & white photography for a few months – and made a picture at the very same location – http://justtones.blogspot.com/2011/03/tiny-trickle-through-bombay-shola.html
Arvind
Arvind
2011-11-20 at 2:42 am
amazing shots!
manjchady
2013-01-30 at 7:41 am
Ian your are awesome scribe-par excellence visuals, you were all ways our guru.
Hats off de Lad from Palnis.
g’ole israel bhooshi
isrel bhooshi
2013-09-05 at 10:43 am