When the hills bloom

To visit the Western Ghats during the monsoon is a fantastic experience.  This hilly landscape of 1,60,000 square kilometres  receives an average annual rainfall of 300 centimeters.

Although rainfall may be as low as 100 centimeters on the eastern side, it is not uncommon for the Western Ghats to receive much more rain.

Agumbe in Shimoga district, part of the Western Ghats, is known for its wetness. It rains almost six months in a year in the southern parts.

Temperatures low enough to trigger surface frost are experienced in the hills and other mountains of variable elevation.

Interestingly, in many parts of the southern western Ghats, the lowest temperatures are between the months of July and August.

Velvety forest canopy, giant trees bursting out their branches into the sky, drifting clouds, mist, and gushing rivulets have characterised the Western Ghats through the ages.

Hundreds of frogs, herds of elephants and deer, troops of macaques and langurs, a chattering giant squirrel and the sudden swish of a hornbill’s wings, bring alive the landscape.

The monsoon is also the time when the polyphorus fungus and mushrooms thrive.

 High speed winds on the mountain tops, torrential rains, temperature fluctuations and varying spells of dryness, apart from the local topography and geology, have given rise to a wide variety of natural vegetation , making the Western Ghats a key biodiversity hotspot.