Small Strides-Giant Leap

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It has been cooking in my mind for quite some time, to engross myself in the laps of nature. I had known Vinod Sriramulu (Mamu, we call him fondly) since 2004 and never in the remotest corners of my mind had I thought that he would be the tipping point for my transformation.
First stride was to watch him (follow) do this magic on Facebook. Mesmerized by his works, I had convinced myself that it’s time for me to follow my passion and it’s not that hard. Seeing his post on FB regarding National Butterfly Trail Day, I had contacted him and informed him about my willingness to participate at the Kallar Trail.

Second Stride was when he put me on to Subash Pullikal from Vaniambalam to join him along with Muhamed Sherif to conduct this National Butterfly Trail Day at Nilambur. This was on 05/03/2017 and it is still fresh in my memory. We had spotted more than 50 species on that day and I was like a small child running here and there pestering them with basics. They had the patience to deal with me though I was clueless how they got it (Now I understand how it’s acquired).

Myself, with the team from Nilambur, Kerala

As a novice I had the difficulty in getting the shot and used to pester them a lot.  It’s like my presence wasn’t being much productive. But somehow I had taken this and this is my first shot and close to my heart.



I had shots of Common Leopard, Malabar Raven, Common Blue Bottle Mud puddling on that day and it was satisfying. 05/03/2017 was my induction day and I fell in love with these amazing flutters. That was a dream come true day for me and would be thankful to Vinod, Subash and Muhamed for letting me in and introducing me to this unseen other world.

There’s no turning back from there on. Butterflying turned into a daily affair in my life and these are the shots in order of the find. 1. Painted Lady, 2. Tawny Coaster, 3. Striped tiger, 4. Dark blue tiger, 5. Common Emigrant, 6. Mottled emigrant, 7. Crimson tip, 8. Lemon pansy, 9. Common rose, 10. Great egg fly, 11. Yellow pansy (male), 12. Blue pansy, 13. Yellow orange tip, 14. Common grass yellow, 15. Common Mormon, 16. Zebra blue, 17. Dark grass blue, 18. Lesser grass blue, 19. Lime blue, 20. Plain grass yellow, 21. Common crow, 22. Common jezebel, 23. Joker, 24. Common jay, 25. Common castor, 26. Black rajah, 27. Common lime, 28. Peacock pansy, 29. Common evening brown, 30. Commander, 31. Common banded awl, 32. Small salmon arab, 33. Common gul, 34. Yellow pansy (female), 35. Blue Tiger.

I feel I have been evolving as the days pass by. I am studying the lifecycle of the Plain Tiger in the field as I write now. I have been observing the behavioural patterns of the Lemon Pansy and the Great Egg Fly. I have been observing flight patterns of Common Castor and Tawny Coaster. I am working towards documenting these interests as I evolve further.

I would say, this activity has become my second life and not a single day goes without noticing these beauties. I have gradually started taking my daughters and wife with me every weekend for butterflying. They are familiar with Plain tigers, Common Mormon, Common Lime, Crimson rose, and Common rose. It gives me immense pleasure when they identify these species by name. Hope to see them turn into conservationists one day.

 It’s my dream of inducting many such enthusiasts into this field of conservation/study of these beautiful creatures and involve themselves in the beauty of nature.


By

Rajesh Varma Dasi, Vijayawada, AP

The author can be contacted at <rajeshvarma.d154@gmail.com>







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