Lifescapes Gallery

He may be the monarch of all he surveys, but this is one member of the avian royalty who’d much rather avoid the spotlight, thank you! No flashbulbs, no glitzy ‘coming out’ balls, and definitely no obliging those pesky jungle paparazzi, no matter how noble their intentions. If you want a glimpse, much less a Read more >>

Black-naped Monarch, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 24 Comments »

Very few people have seen this sleek, green beauty up close. Those who do manage it haven’t seen her again. Or seen again, if one were to go by a popular myth in southern India. For the green vine snake is reckoned to strike you blind with her arrow-like head if u poke your nose, Read more >>

Green Vine Snake, Coorg | Posted in Coorg, Reptiles | 25 Comments »

How does one tell the men from the boys? The good from the bad? The villains from the heroes? Simple! A Coorg paddy farmer would tell you to just get them all together, and give them a good thrashing (or ‘threshing’ as the politically correct term goes). This will cause the straw to stalk off, Read more >>

Winnowing, Coorg | Posted in Coorg, Plantation | 41 Comments »

All work and no play makes Jill a good bee. And a ‘live’ bee. For it’s not unknown for the hive bosses, to knock off Worker Bees suspected to be sleeping on the job. No sir… it just won’t do. There’s a lot of work to be done. Hives to be built, honey to be Read more >>

Worker Bee, Coorg | Posted in Coorg, Insects | 19 Comments »

If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, the way to his stomach has, for millennia, been a closely guarded secret. Throughout history, men and women who’ve sought to put the spice back in their lives, have depended on one rare ingredient. Pepper, that pungent and precious berry from the treasure chests Read more >>

Pepper, Coorg | Posted in Coorg, Plantation | 13 Comments »

We all know about women and diamonds, but emeralds are some birds’ best friends. We are, of course, talking about the ‘Emerald’ Dove that struts around bejeweled, with her trademark emerald green under parts, accessorized with a black and grey banding on the back. The male of the species is not shy of flaunting his Read more >>

Emerald Dove, Coorg | Posted in Birds, Coorg | 49 Comments »