Wandering destination: Tungareshwar WLS

Cool water streams at Tungar WLS

Morning at Tungar WLS

Stunning destination for nature lovers. IT has something in every season. water falls and flowers in monsoon. Butterflies in pre and post monsoon season. Charming birds in winter season. Racket tailed drango, Asian Paradise flycatcher, Verditor are few notables.

To reach Tungar, take bus from Main gate to Andheri railway station. Frequent locals from Andheri drops u at Vasai road. Take share auto to "Tungar Phata" and then start walking towards WLS. Entrance is at about kilometer inside from the main road. No ticket is charged presently and no permission required for nature walk. One can either follow the water streams or the road. Another part of Tungar WLS is Chinchoti waterfall. Alight  at Naygaon station, catch share auto to reach Chicnhoti fata. 

Water stream, Chinchoti during December

Tungar WLS and Chichoti waterfall

Woods are lovely dark and deep.....Tungar WLS

Swapnil and Abhay sharing lite moents at Chichoti water fall

Wandering Destination : Matheran

Road to heaven?...Matheran

A famous tourist weekend destination and hill station. Pollution free zone due to some strict rules regarding vehicles and envioronment. Basically its a plateu at a height of about 1800 mt. Temperature in summer doesent go above 30 deg.cel. Pretty good destination for photography post-monsoon. Stunning waterfalls,  exquisite landscapes, mesmerizing fog, curvy roads, breath taking valleys, grand panoramas, drizzles, in short everything for memorable weekend. Birds in and after winter is good attraction.

We went there for butterflies three times in different season with different approaches. All the three trips proved miserable. Lifers for us was peacock royal sighting. Otherwise the common ones.

To reach Matheran, one can opt by-road option or peaceful local train option. Get down at "Neral" station and take a share taxi to Matheran. Toy train takes pretty long, about 1.5 hours. It may be fun post monsoon. During monsoon the train doesnt run due to land slide dangers. Taxi drops visitor at entrance. No vehicle is allowed further this point. Charge for Neral-matheran taxi is 60 Rs (March 12) and entrance ticket is 25 Rs (March 12). Parking charges as per vehicle type. 

Panoramic view of Matheran valley

Flowering Trees - Cannon Ball Tree ( नागचाफा / कैलासपती)

 

Flower of Canon Ball Tree

Bunch of flowers and fruit string

Second in the flowering Tree series, is the post on "canon ball tree". It is listed as rare tree and flower in India [1]. It grows up-to 80 ft high and flowers in around December. Flower has six petals. Reddish inside and yellowish outside. Tremendously aromatic and smell can be felt strongly in near-by area. Inside structure is horizontal "U" shape. This inner structure is the reason it is offered to Lord Shiva and hence name in Marathi, as some thinks.

This Brazilian native takes its English name due to characteristic canon-ball like shape of its fruits. Fruits have rusty colored hard shell and are heavy. Number of fruits are connected in string and tree bears them directly to the trunk. The Cannonball Tree possesses antibiotic, anti-fungal, antiseptic and analgesic qualities [2] and hence used for medical purpose.

Quick Facts:
Common Name: Canon Ball Tree
Botanical Name: Couroupita guianensis
Family: Barringtonia
Marathi Name: कैलासपती / नागचाफा/ नागलिंग
Location on campus: Only one in parking lot near staff club.

Flower close-up

Ref:

1. http://www.flowersofindia.in/catalog/slides/Cannon%20Ball%20Tree.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couroupita_guianensis

Flowering trees - Cassia fistula (बहावा)

grape bunches-like flowers

IIT Bombay hots many flowering trees, which are unusual to find in Mumbai city. This is the first article in the series of "flowering trees". The series will be covering details about some of impressive trees present on the campus. 

Tree for today is Cassia fistula, commonly known by Amaltaas / Golden shower tree or Indian Laburnum [1]. In Marathi it is named as 'Bahava' (बहावा). In Ayurvedic medicine, golden shower tree is known as aragvadha, meaning "disease killer" [2]. Its a tropical ornamental tree, may reach up-to 50 feet height. It is host plant LHP for Common emigrant and Mottled emigrant butterfly species. 

Golden shower tree is obvious name due to bright and cheerful display by thousands of fragrant small flower. Pendant like (grape bunches-like) bouquet of golden colored yellow flowers are eye catching. These flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies [1]. Flowering season for the tree is in the months of March to May. Sometimes the tree is seen without a single leaf when flowering. The golden shower tree is the national flower Thailand; its yellow flowers symbolize Thai Royalty [2]. Its also state flower of Kerala. A postal stamp was issued by the Indian Postal Department to commemorate this tree. 

Quick Facts:

Botanical Name: Cassia Fistula
Family:  Gulmohar

Flowering season: Late spring

Location on campus: Out side DRDO and QIP quarters.

Reference: 

1. http://www.flowersofindia.in/catalog/slides/Amaltas.html

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassia_fistula

Wandering destination: Around Mumbai

Greater Flamingo at Shivadi

IIT Bombay campus hosts innumerable varieties of birds, flowers, trees and butterflies. However, it has natural and ecological limitations. Every living species around Mumbai cant be seen in the campus. Some of the species are jungle dwellers and prefers thick, unattended forest. For example some butterflies species like Baronet, Tinsel, Western centaur Oakblue are seen in the jungles of SGNP and Tungareshwar WLS but IITB Campus. To explore more wonders about nature, apart from campus, there are some immediate destinations near Mumbai sub-urban. Here is consolidated information about one-day return spots.

Lungs of Mumbai, SGNP

Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP): Campus shares some of its boundaries with SGNP. SGNP, a  protected are of about 104 sq. km., spreads from Borivali to Thane.  An estimated 800 types of flowering plants; 284 kinds of birds; 5,000 species of insects; 36 types of mammals; 62 reptiles and 150 species of butterfly can be found. some distinguished features of the park are nature trails, Karvy flowers blooming after every 7/8 years, Kanheri caves. Ticket for individual is 20 Rs and park can be accessed from 6 AM to 6 PM. From IIT, BEST or NMMT buses drops you at the very entrance of the park. Private vehicles are allowed inside the park with some fees. For trekking and nature trails, prior permission is required.

Jungles in SGNP

Shiwadi bird watching spots

Shivadi: Famous for Flamingo's. Many other water birds (gulls, waders, snipers, herons,etc) can be seen in the mangrove forest. Best time of the day would be morning to visit. The are plenty of spots to seat calmly and watch bird activities. Take a train from Kanjur to Shiwadi, with one change over at Dadar. Start walking towards sea coast and ask for Jetty. Jetty is the best spot among many. Siwari fort could be an attraction for some, Colgate gate is another point to watch birds closely.  

Yeoor Hills: This is entry to SGNP from Thane. Buses from IIT Main gate to Mulund and then catching bus towards yeoor takes about 45 minutes to reach the destination under normal circumstances.

Tata power plant at backdrop, Shivadi

Map of Nagla Block

Nagla: Another extension of SGNP. Its far from the disturbances by the tourists. For butterfly lovers, there can be few surprises post monsoon season. Some exotic species of butterflies like Silver streak Blue, Chocolate Albatross, Orange Awlet, Acacia Blue are often sited. To reach Nagla, take a bus from Main gate to Mulund and then from Mulund to Hotel Fountain. Walk about a kilometer towards Ahmedabad on the highway and there u are. On right side there are some houses and thats the way in to the Nagla block.

Mahim Nature Park: Situated in the midst of city and spread over a large area on the banks of Mithi. Very well maintained and can be good starting point to watch nature closely and comprehensively. It hosts every natural element : birds, butterflies, flowers.Entry fee is 10 rs. Permission required to take photos. A bus from Gandhinagar bus stop drops very near to MNP.