Monsoon

Impatiens are a genus of plants belonging to the family Balsaminaceae. The family Balsaminaceae consists of two genera. One being Impatiens and the other Hydrocera with only one species - Hydrocera triflora. Impatiens is however a large and diverse genus with more than 1000 species of plants. Impatiens are commonly called as Balsam, Jewelweed, Snapweed and Impatiens as well! Okay. Now that you’ve acquainted with the family and the genus, let’s talk about their distribution and their diversity in Western Ghats. ...

Introduction Velliangiri hills are a series of hills in the Western Ghats. It is located in the Boluvampatti forest range of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Velliangiri hills is a popular pilgrimage center in Southern India. It is also called as “Southern Kailash” by the devotees. Every year, pilgrims go by walk through the wilderness across the seven hills to pay their homage to Shiva who is sat at the top of the seventh hill. Usually pilgrimage is allowed only during the dry seasons of March, April and May. It is the most suitable time for trekking these hills as it rains here the rest of the year and makes the pathways really slippery and dangerous. Even more, during the monsoon months, with the bountiful rains, the forests will be lush and there will be huge number of elephants roaming these forests. ...