ALSphere Foundation
As the smoky white mist sweeps across the plateau, my eyes are riveted by the colorful carpets. These colorful carpets of ephemeral flowers have made Kaas famous. Pink, yellow, indigo, white, purple… these carpets change hues on a regular basis as fresh flowers bloom, on a weekly basis. Masses of purple-pink balsam (Balsamina impatiens) bobbing in the gentle breeze.
Bright yellow Mickey mouse (Smithia species) spreading golden sunshine all over. Then there are the humans trampling all over in a bid to capture the best selfies. Yet my eyes are focused on the tiny insect trapped in the sparkling tentacles of the Drosera indica, an insectivorous plant. A sundew native to tropical countries, it has delightful, soft pink flowers. But what I enjoy clicking, are its narrow leaves, fringed with gland tips tentacle formed by dots of a sticky liquid that light up in my lens.
We then spread out to search for the Indica burmanii. Tiny, coin-sized herbs, they grow on rocky surfaces. One of the fastest trapping sundew, its leaves shaped in the form of a rosette have snap tentacles that can curl around an insect within seconds. There are excited shouts someone has magically spotted the first Indica burmanii. We run with our cameras and magnifying glasses. Each one awaits their turn to drop to the ground before training their lens on it for some macro shots. The sticky tentacles twinkle and glow in the sun. When we have all had our turns, we move on to the next hunt.
This one’s more tricky as its for the Ceropegia jaini. It’s a rare and threatened herb, endemic to the Sahyadri Hills. Globally there are 200 species, of which 58 have been found in India. 35 species of Ceropegia are endemic to the Western Ghats and most of them are critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable as per the IUCN categories and are also listed in the Red Data Book of Indian Plants. Given the swarming masses of people, we do not want the location of this plant to be revealed as many people are known to steal it and make futile attempts to grow it at home. Instead we quietly approach a forest guard and request his help as we are a study group with authentic credentials. He stealthily takes is to the habitat of the Ceropegia jainii. For a while I’m flustered as I can’t see it. Then I’m down on my knees and yes I spot it! The slender flower stalk is topped by a flower, 2 cm long, tubular, with the tube enlarged at the base and white. The flower is reddish-purple and hairy at the base. My initial shots are hazy and unfocused. After several attempts, I finally manage to get a decent shot. By then we have one inquisitive tourist, sniffing around but we manage to head her off.
