The Western Ghats or as she is known locally as Sahyadri, is one of the oldest Mountain ranges in India dating back to about 200 million years ago during the time when Indian plate separated from the supercontinent Gondwana and set out its journey towards Asia. Once being a part of Gondwana, then travelled through the Indian Ocean as an island landmass and later combined with Asia makes the Indian subcontinent rich and diverse in terms of life, geography and resources. And for the same reason, Western Ghats also represent the epitome of species diversification and thriving life. The Western Ghats itself is not uniform in terms of topography or species composition because the formation of Deccan plateau from the eruption and spread of basaltic magma during the sea voyage of Indian plate across the Indian ocean has resulted in the loss of biodiversity in the Northern Western Ghats. The Central and Southern Western Ghats, and the Palghat gap separating the two had been comparatively stable and thriving. In addition, these areas provided refuge to those species, from centipedes to ferns, that fled the volcanic eruption of Deccan traps. Carbon dating of the rocks in Nilgiris and Southern Western Ghats shows that these areas are much more ancient than Northern mountain ranges.
Many places in Kerala were once dense forests without any human settlements. Later when the population increased, people started to clear forest areas to build houses and agricultural lands. Many areas suffered great loss of forests and wildlife whereas in many other places, people learned to coexist with nature. Like many other parts of the country, cases of human-wildlife conflict are so common and many policies are being set up to minimise the loss on both sides.
Karimpuzha, a place known by the river that flows through the area is the continuation of Kunthi river that originates from Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad, Kerala. Karimpuzha is situated at the foothills of Silent Valley National Park, just about 40 km to the West. Many villages depend on the river for their livelihood and survival. One such rural area is Karippamanna, located at the banks of the river Karimpuzha. The river is known for its high quality sand that reaches the village after much refining of the rocks into grains during monsoon. There is a small hill area in the village, known locally as Konghampara which translates to “high rock”. Presently, most of the hill region is privately owned except the top part which is rocky and has some patches of forests with native flora. The lower parts of the hill have been converted to agricultural lands predominantly for rubber and banana cultivation.
A view from the top of the hill.
Memecylon sp. This medium sized tree is found in abundance
Natives of the village visit the place as
a sight of picnic and relaxation.
The hilltop is the highest position in the village about 150 m from the sea level and the whole village can be seen from there. The village is a 2 km stretch of settlement and there is about
1 km distance between the hill and the river. My house is just one km distance from the hill and we usually walk all the way to the top every once in a while. As the nearby areas have been already converted for cultivation, the only remaining forest patches are at the top. These forest areas are home to a variety of animals including wild boar, hares, Indian mongoose and a large variety of birds including Peafowl, Brahminy kite, black kite, White Throated Kingfisher, Indian golden oriole and Malabar parakeets. Indian fox and wild cat were also reported by A view of the village from the top of the hill. The Karimpuzha river can be seen from distance the inhabitants of the village. The hilltop is a paradise for butterflies and moths. A wide variety of other invertebrates including grasshoppers, plant hoppers, spiders and dragonflies share this heaven with reptiles including lizards and snakes.
Butterflies as indicators of healthy habitat
Since the area stretches between a perennial river and a hilltop, the village is rich in native flora. This is a favourable jackpot for butterflies and moths as the native host plants and nectar plants will be plenty. The hill top is also rich in host plants for butterflies and moths. The common butterflies seen are Castalius rosimon (Common Pierrot), Caleta caleta (Angled Pierrot), Talicada nyseus(Red Pierrot), Ypthima huebneri (Common Fourring), Catopsilia pomona (Common Emigrant), Tirumala septentrionis (Dark Blue Tiger), Tirumala limniace (Blue Tiger), Danaus chrysippus (Plain Piger), Danaus genutia (Common Tiger), Parantica aglea (Glassy Tiger), Euploea core (Common Indian Crow), Neptis hylas (Common Sailer), Ariadne merione (Common Castor), Ariadne ariadne (Angled Castor), Pachliopta aristolochiae (Common Rose), Surendra quercetorum(Common Acacia blue) Pachliopta hector (Crimson Rose), Pachliopta pandiyana (Malabar Rose), Loxura atymnus (Yamfly), Troides minos (Southern Birdwing), Chilades pandawa (Plains cupid), Lambrix salsala (Chestnut Bob), Appias lyncida (Chocolate Albatross) and so on. The list is much more. One of the best sightings I had was that of the Tajuria cippus (Peacock Royal) butterfly during one of my hilltop treks. Surendra quercetorum (Common acacia blue) butterfly is also a wonderful sight for a butterfly enthusiast like me. The few Vitex altissima trees on the hilltop are one of the favourite for blue butterflies(Lycaenidae).
In order from left: Loxura atymnus(Yamfly), Tagiades litigiosa(Water Snow Flat), Tajuria cippus(Peacock Royal)
The tiger butterflies, during their migration season in November are seen in large numbers on the hill top. The perfect shade for them to gather and the presence of nectar sources help them to get comfortable in these forest patches. This year, the migration of tiger butterflies was reported during August, earlier than usual. Numerous tiger butterflies including Blue Tiger, Dark Blue Tiger, Striped Tiger, Glassy Tiger, and Common Indian Crow butterflies were found on the hill top in groups of 50 or so. They were seen feeding the nectar of Lantana plants and hanging to the branches, showing courtship behaviour and resting.
Butterflies seen on the tree Vitex altissima. In order from left: Spindasis vulcanus(Common Silverline), Acraea terpsicore(Tawny coster), Zizeeria karsandra(Dark Grass Blue)
The presence of different varieties of butterflies and moths, and that too in high numbers indicate the presence of different host plants. It also shows the different types of predators that depend on these scaly winged lives. The overall richness of these insects point to the overall health of the habitat and the resources available in there.
Future challenges to the habitat
The habitat that is locked up in the hill is the surviving stone for all these beautiful beings and the native flora found in there. The growing population in the village and the encroachments of land for cultivation is a serious issue of the future. A stretch of forest patch running down on the other side of the hill is slowly being converted to rubber plantation and without proper care, it will be just a matter of time that the remaining forest areas in the top be occupied and cleared for plantation. Once this stretch of forest is gone, all the beautiful birds, mammals and insect life will be at stake and they will eventually be extinct locally. Also, the rainwater management done by the vegetation and rock system in the hilltop serves water to the nearby agricultural lands including banana plantation, paddy fields and vegetable farms. A community management plan for the conservation of the hilltop habitat is under consideration in the local self government body. Once it is approved and the Biodiversity Management Committee(BMC) supports the policies to further the cause of hilltop conservation, the remaining forest patch can be protected with the cooperation from the villagers. A detailed study of the area with the objective of creating a database of the bioresources available in the place and the ecosystem services provided by the habitat can be helpful in convincing the village authority as well as the local self government. Moreover, the collected data of the various fauna and flora found in this hilltop heaven can be recorded as the Biodiversity Register(BR) and submitted to the Panchayat. In short, both community awareness and legal enforcement is required for the conservation of these remaining fragmented habitats.
