Trashed!

Behind Motorola building, near parking lot

I have been noticing some new rubbish dumps in campus lately. So this Sunday morning, I thought they deserved a photo session of their own. I don't know who has been throwing this stuff around- it's basically made up of coffee cups, chips packets and biscuit wrappers. Perhaps it's coming from one of the canteens in the Motorola building? This one was taken in the area behind Motorola where the new construction is coming up. How does one find out more about this dumping? Can the Green Club people do more about this? Is the Green Club alive?

More 'dirty' pictures here and here.

New Year

IIIT has its own snake god near a large termite mound. I don't know the local name, but looks like it's been here for a while. I hope this year it will exert a benign influence on the residents of this campus- both humans and wild animals.

Wandering Glider

One of the things I like to do these days is watch dragonflies hovering and darting around the grasses near the coffee shop. There are really large swarms of them in campus. I recently got a chance to photograph this one:


This species of dragonfly is called the 'Wandering Glider' or 'Globe Skimmer' (Pantala flavescens). It's one of the most adaptable insects- once the dragonflies lay their eggs in the pools that the monsoon creates, within 72 days, the larvae transform into dragonflies. Then, these collect in huge swarms sometimes with other species of dragonflies. Apparently, the emergence of these coincides with the Onam festival and their local name in Kerala is Onathumbikal.

The dragonfly is also one of the most daring, undertaking long sea voyages and migrating to some of the most inhospitable places to find a suitable place to breed. This ability has allowed it to thrive all over the world. It has been known to fly fearlessly even in heavy rains, giving it the name of 'Typhoon Dragonfly'.



Their transparent wings and slender bodies would've never given a clue about such resilience! I always thought of dragonflies as rather delicate insects, catching some microscopic prey on the wing. Now, I think of them with some new found respect- there aren't too many creatures that small who can navigate tropical storms with ease!

Some more info is available here:
Onathumbikal
Globetrotter Dragonfly

Scorpion

After the rains many interesting creatures come out into the open. This scorpion was one of them last night. It prefers living underground most of the time and is nocturnal. Although it is feared for its bite, the venom in the scorpion sting is not fatal for human beings. It can cause some discomfort but not death.

The picture below, of a dead scorpion was taken in the morning. Toads, frogs, snakes, squirrels and now scorpions are in my list of roadkills in the campus. It's rather sad but I don't know what can really be done about it. I was also informed that some of the security staff were deliberately killing the scorpions when they found them. I suppose it was done in the interests of safety but these scorpions won't harm unless provoked. It's the same paranoia that results in many snakes getting killed as well. I hope some of these scorpions survive the monsoon!

Crimson Rose

I found this beautiful butterfly basking high up in a tree this morning.

Owlets

Our campus has a number of leafless trees, that are excellent perches for birds like the cute Spotted Owlet.
There is a bare tree near the library which used to be the haunt of a pair of Spotted Owlets on our campus. For the last few months they had disappeared from this place. Then late one evening I was surprised to find them sitting on the goalposts on the football field! This seems to be one of their favourite perches. If you check these carefully at night, you may just see them !

Most people think that dead wood, or bare trees are useless, but in fact they can be really important for birds as perches, roosts for the night or if the wood is of a suitable variety as a potential places for a nesting hole. At the same time, it's also interesting to observe how birds are so resilient--they adapt themselves to artificial perches like streetlights, electricity poles, pylons and goalposts!

Here is a Spotted Dove on a lamp post:

Orchid tree

Bauhinia variegata

This beautiful tree has been in flowering since September. It is found in several places on campus, and currently the tree on the way to Jersey is the one flowering most profusely. There are other trees of the same kind on the road near the canteen. It is also called Orchid tree because the flowers are said to resemble orchids. A closely related species is the official flower of Hong Kong. The Hindi name for this tree is Kachnar.

If you notice, there is another interesting tree in flowering on campus. This is the Indian Cork Tree (Millingtonia hortensis). It has white, very sweet smelling flowers. This tree is also at the turning for Jersey. Next time you go for a cup of tea, have a look at the flowering trees as well!

Botanical information from:
Flowers of India
Wikipedia

Tussar Silk Moth

The monsoon is the best time to watch insects, and sometimes you don't even have to leave the hostel room! This moth is a Tussar Silk Moth that was found in the hostel. As the name suggests, the moth's larvae are used to produce a type of silk.

I have found a number of interesting moths in the buildings on campus. Check out this one (Family: Noctuidae) and this fellow (known variously as Carpenter Moth, Goat Moth).

Russell's Kukri

Variegated/Russell's Kukri

This snake was found dead on the road in campus one evening, probably run over by a passing vehicle. It's a non-venomous snake with the scientific name Oligodon taeniolatus. If anybody knows the Telugu name for this snake, let me know! It's called a Kukri snake because of its teeth, which resemble the Kukri, a curved Nepalese knife. The teeth are specially adapted for breaking open eggs of birds and other reptiles which are its main diet. You can check the Wikipedia article for more information. Incidentally, Dr. Patrick Russell was the author of a book on Indian snakes in 1796.

I have found a number of frogs killed in the same manner by speeding vehicles on campus. It would be nice if something could be done about this. Suggestions anyone?