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bits of dried vegetation at the base of the leaves of a small
bush. This was interesting because the nests were unlike
typical ant nests in the ground or in trees that most of us
know.we
also found a little spider with a stunning googly-
eyed pattern on its back, and an abandoned praying mantis
egg case with beetle larvae inside.These little discoveries of
fantastic insects made our day.
As we travel across the country for our work, we witness
the myriad pressures under which our forests and wildlife
are crumbling. it was therefore comforting that Koomsong
has allowed and even encouraged these wonderful patches
of bamboo and regenerating forests to grow in the midst of
the tea estate. As urbanites, we found peace and excitement
in walking amidst these little pieces of scattered
forest.we
also marveled how these habitat islands harboured a
remarkable diversity of plant and animal species, and
provided so many ecosystem services to the surrounding
people who work so hard in the tea estates.
we believe the Bamboo Bari represents a beautiful example
of how humans, nature and wildlife can co-exist even in an
intensively managed ecosystem such as a tea estate. we
hope that such small patches of forest will be allowed to
grow stronger in other intensive agricultural ecosystems in
india. Such patches will not only connect populations of
wild plants and animals – helping them to persist in an
increasingly fragmented landscape – but also allow us to
preserve india’s long-standing culture of respecting and
caring for nature around us. For this reason, we look
forward to a new culture of bamboo baris taking root as
india fiercely marches towards modernization.
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(1) A pair of the Glassy Tigers, a courting male hovering over a female (2) Caterpillar of the Tawny Rajah (Charaxes Bernardus)
(3) The female Tawny Rajah that emerged from the pupa made by the caterpillar (4 & 5) Orange Oakleaf spoiling its masquerade by
revealing bright colours on its upper side (6 & 7) Male Purple Sapphire (Heliophorus Epicles) (8) An unidentified “googly-eyed” spider,
one of many mysterious denizens of the Bamboo Bari
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