What's around us?

"Some of the days in the November carry the whole memory of summer as a fire opal carries the colour of moon rise." -                                                         Gladys Taber Hiya! We are at the end of the November and I am here to share my November adventures today. Life  is an adventure which gives you a new experience every day. Meeting new people, visiting new places, exploring the things what exists around me. Moreover encountering the wild species is much more seductive for me.  November is an ideal time for outings as the sky remains clear blue and  days are warmer. Recently I made a visit to Mudigere, Chikkmagalur, India and the experience I perceived was an amazing one.  Mudigere is a town in chikkmagalur district of Karnataka state. It is a complete hilly area with many homestays, coffee plantations and water falls. We halted in a homestay named 'Betta da baagilu' which means 'door of the hills'. Betta da baagilu' home

 "Mosquitoes remind us that we are not as high up on the food chain as we think" Greetings viewers! It's not the first time that I am writing about the mosquitoes yet I have come up with another article about the mozzies. Well I had expressed enough menaces caused by them but this article is to convey that why actually mosquitoes suck blood?  Mosquitoes are one of the highly evolved insects. There are about 200 species of mosquitoes each one having their own feeding habits. Some species depends on plant saps and nectar like other insects, some species are associated with amphibians and reptiles, some livestock and some species humans. They are the facultative or obligatory ectoparasites on animals.  Among these only a few of them depends on human blood. It is much important to know that males of any mosquito species won't feed on blood of any animals. While maintaining the mosquito colony in the laboratory we used to use soaked raisins to feed newly emerge

Good day everyone. Do u know which is the most softest thing in the world? Cotton, baby cheeks, hair, feather etc. Well I would say that feather is the softest thing ever in the world. They add on the beauty of birds. Appears in various colours, size, shape. Have you ever tried to collect feathers of birds? When I was a kid, my friends used to keep the features of peacock inside the book thinking it will double. Sounds funny, Isn't it? I guess even you might have heard some of the myths and superstitious beliefs about feathers. If u have any of them in your mind share it in the comment box.  Feathers of male peacock, Pavo cristatus.   Collected by Basavanth (Student).  I have a small collection of feathers, most of them are collected by my students. Someone have said this right, "feather appear when angels are real". Initially I didn't had any plans of making this a hobby, but as I started collecting them admiring their beauty and feeling it's softness

I wish everyone a very happy and prosperous Diwali festival.  Diwali or deepavali  is the festival of lights for Hindus. Diwali festival is celebrated for 5 days, ritual pooja is done in the morning and evening time, the house is decorated with lighted lamps and bursting crackers.  Bursting crackers is not appreciable since it causes adverse effects on the environment. It leads to air pollution and noise pollution. Air quality index in Delhi has crossed 300 this year. The AQI indicates the concentration of particulate matter in the air. Its not just being a cause pollution, crackers are also affecting animals and it's behaviour in various ways.   A cute little pup from Chikkamagalur, Karnataka We have a dachshund dog as a pet, we call him 'dickkie'. He is a very playful pet and friendly. He is not so happy to meet strangers and become aggressive at times. He has good time sense and prefers to have his two meals per day on time. Despite these things he is a bi

To eat is necessity. But to eat intelligently is an art. Hi viewers! I wish everyone a very happy and prosperous Dasara. Let's eat veggies in this festive season in healthy way. Vegetables plays a very indispensable part in our daily diet. In India, since most of the people are vegetarians, vegetables are in great demand. There are over 2000 species of vegetables with great nutritional benefits. It's not just the pulp which is nutritional but peels of certain veggies are of great benefit too. In today's articles let me share some of the most useful vegetable peels which we simply shed off.    You might have used these vegetables peels for compost, fodder or in cosmetics. Apart from these benefits, they can be added in our diet and get enriched. Vegetable peels are rich in fibre and antioxidants which is good for your gut. Scroll down to known how good our vegetable peels are which is piled up in our kitchen like other garbage.  1. Potato peel: ( Solanum tub

Streptopelia chinensis (spotted dove) Wubuu-croo, ....Wu-bwrrrooo.... I sing all through the September Dancing loud clapping my wings till December I walk in front of her with my stiff collar After displaying my wide tail and wings Untill I perch to the ground from steeps On a loose coven made with sticks Together we both warm our chicks People call me Streptopelia chinensis  Bird with brown feathers and breast vinous Found blisfully in scrubs and gardens See me alone or in a small flocks yet monogamous Wubuu-croo, ....Wu-bwrrrooo.... I sing all through the September - Michahial San

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.” ― A.A. Milne.   It was a tedious thursday morning, I was in my cabin preoccupied with the things which I had to deal in the upcoming classes that day, previous day I had let my students for the field to collect something good for the taxonomical studies. I never expected I will get such a significant surprise the next day. It was a student who managed to discover a small little erect plant with its amazing infloresence happened to be Vitex negundo . Life is full of surprises! life teaches us from unexpected events every time. Initially I thought Vitex is a common plant growing on the waste lands, but it surprisingly turned out to be a vital plant with lots of medicinal benefits. Today's whole story is about Vitex negundo a vital shrub.  Vitex negundo commonly called as nirgundi is another sacred shrub offered by the mother nature for mankind. It is mainly used