Metamorphosis miracle

Ever seen a butterfly breakout of its cocoon? I almost did. Ok - so I missed out on the breaking-out-of part, but this was no less than a miracle!

Remember I told you about sericulture in Ramanagara in my post on Mekedatu? We had carried back with us the 3 pupae that we had been gifted. We left it on our computer table to see what would happen to them, and totally forgot about it. Last day I remembered we had left this experiment on, and went back to check. I cannot tell you how fascinated I was to find 2 of the cocoons broken open, with butterflies crawling around!

Yes crawling. And placed very far away from my misconceptions of colorful butterflies fluttering around! They are white - well, the kind of white that clothes are before the 'washing powders' in advertisements turn them milk-white, and so totally bland (well, not literally). Also, they look more like moths.

Why are they not flying away? What will they feed on, those lazy bums, if they do not? And when will they get those bright colors? Are they a colorless variety? So many questions!

We are planning to leave them out in the sunshine if they do not show an inclination to flutter away by themselves. Let us see what happens!

For now, here are a few pics. How many of us ever get a chance to see this in real life? Enjoy while I google for answers to all my questions!

Look at the pattern on their wings! I am sure they will become colorful now!

This is the 'broken-open' cocoon

Errr- Two to tango?

Updated after googling: My knowledge in bio is really pitiable. Read some info on these here in Wikipedia. It says "If the animal is allowed to survive after spinning its cocoon, it will release proteolytic enzymes to make a hole in the cocoon so that it can emerge as a moth. The adult phase (the moth) cannot fly." It is a moth - it will not be colorful - and it won't fly - SIGH!

It's rocking!

This weekend, we set out on a trip to Mekedatu. This is about 100 km from Bangalore, and is a rocky place with a deep narrow ravine through which river Kaveri runs. It is about 4 km from Sangam, where rivers Kaveri and Arkavathi merge. It is perfect for a one day trip for adventurous people – which means not so much for people like me (read chicken).

Things to look out for (or watch out for, depending on which side you are on):

1. Sericulture in Ramanagara: It’s not for nothing that Ramanagara is called the silk town. People there are very friendly, and will explain to you all about silk worms and cocoons. But unless you know Kannada, chances of you getting enlightened are close to nil.

2. Sangam: This is where your drive ends. Here the waters are shallow and you can have a splash :) Carry a set of clothes, there is a restaurant nearby which has rest rooms and you can change there. Don't let the warning signs on the way to Sangam (see pic) worry you - they are for the hair-pin bends and rash drivers!

3. Bus ride to Mekedatu: Across the Sangam, there are buses which will take you to and fro Mekedatu at Rs. 40 per head. The drive lasts 10 minutes, is very bumpy but enjoyable. :)

4. The Mekedatu ravine: The word Mekedatu means “goat’s leap”. Read the legend here. The rocks there are smooth and slippery (or so they seemed to me), with river Kaveri gushing through the deep gorge below. I feared for my life after a point and refused to accompany my husband further ahead (I told you I was chicken!). And all around I could see guys sitting on the edge and looking down at the water – aaaaaaaaaah! I almost had a heart attack!

5. Chunchi waterfall: You might also want to check out this waterfall which is on the way to Sangam, about 6 km off the main road. We drove down to that place, but realized we had to walk down further and were too tired to trek, so gave it a miss. But the journey to Chunchi was nice- through an idyllic village so typical, it was like from movies! And please drive extremely slowly here, because people, cattle, goat, dogs – none is tuned to vehicles and are forever darting on to the road.

I would like to leave you with a video from Sangam. This aunty was trying to dehusk a coconut. What an idea madam jee! I feel so sorry for that coconut!