The Common Mormon Butterfly (Adult) This is a Common Mormon butterfly — Papilio polytes. This is also what a caterpillar in my backyard was supposed to become. It didn't! It Started With a Flicker One afternoon I was just passing by my curry leaves plant when I noticed a butterfly hovering differently. Not feeding. Hovering close to a leaf, abdomen curled, touching the surface. Laying an egg. I almost walked away. A few days later I came back and looked carefully. There it wa

Most people who have a garden have seen weaver ants. Many hate them — and for good reason. That bite is sharp, sudden, and leaves a burning sensation that stays with you. Anyone who has accidentally brushed against a mango branch with a weaver nest on it knows exactly what I mean. And the nest itself — that too is familiar. Large leaves folded and packed tight, like those old-fashioned leaf parcels from a grocery shop. The kind vendors used to wrap betel leaves or vegetables

While travelling to Kabini & returning back, we always used to stop at the lake on the way near HD.Kote, which usually have plenty of bird life, like jacanas, coots, ducks, egrets, herons, storks and ibis. Also, sometimes, we could see marsh harriers and kites. This time, while coming back from Kabini, we stopped for some time and were watching for the bird life. We noticed a coot with 2 chicks foraging near the banks in between the grass shoots. It looked like the adult coot