Venus - Our Sister Planet!

First, I wish you all and the kids a Happy Halloween Day! And wish the kids have nice ‘Treats by Tricking’ in this day!

Planets in the Solar system including our Earth rotate themselves in the direction from the East to the West. But with one exception – one of our planets rotates in the reverse direction! It is the planet Venus! On the land of Venus, our Sun rises in the West and sets in the East!

As this planet is close to the Sun as Mercury, it is seen near the Sun always – as ‘Morning Star’ just before sunrise or as ‘Evening Star’ just after sunset!

As it is closely similar in size and composition to that of our Earth, it is called Earth’s sister planet.

It has been named after the Roman Goddess of Love. It is known as ‘Sukra’ in Indian Astrology. It is stated in astrology that Sukra provides one with wealth!

Puzzling scientists still, the Venus is a wonder planet indeed!

Red Velvet Mite - to Please You!

As the North East Monsoon brings rain showers, here in South India, we see now a beautiful crawling creature. It is seen after each shower, moving on with its legs softly on the fine sand brought out by the storm water. It has velvety shining skin with dimples on its back. It is so soft that you are tempted to touch on its back. This is the Red Velvet Mite of Trombidium species! (It is called as 'Paappaathee Poochee' or 'Pattu Poochee' in Tamil language). It usually comes out of soil just after the rains, in sunshine, as do also the mushrooms at this time. As children we used to collect these mites in match boxes, with tiny bits of grass added as its diet! But I have seen these mites as predators too, preying on Flying Termites ( 'Eiesel' in Tamil) that also come out of the earth at this time of monsoon.

These Red Velvet Mites live in the layer of fallen leaves in wood lands or farm wastes. They eat small insects, and eggs of other mites and insects. The females get fertilized as they sit on the ‘Love Garden’ made by the male with its semen! The larvae of them live as parasites on other insects like Grasshoppers. The mites live for more than a year.

It is a wonder mite that wondered children and is wondering all the children every year at this time of monsoon here! If you have anything to say about this mite you can share it here by clicking on the Comments.

Jumping Spider - the Intimate Inmate!

With human life, some animals attach and adapt themselves. Examples for this are dogs, cats, sparrows etc. Spiders also adapt like these, to human environment – inside the house! I refer here to the Jumping Spider particularly. This spider jumps or hops on to you when you are near it, and it even looks up at your face by moving up its head and eyes! It usually preys upon insects such as mosquitoes and house-flies. In Tamil language it is called as ‘E Pulee,’ that means as ‘The Tiger that preys upon House-fly.’ It is found often on the floor or the walls, jumping here and there doing no harm to anybody. But I find it to be very the most sensitive to water. A mild splash of water on it can kill it! It won’t revive at all even if it is well dried out of is moisture. In breeding, it makes white sacs in which its young ones hatch out from eggs and grow.It is a wonder spider in our house that has come to stay with us voluntarily!

Mud Wasps and Wonder Nests!

Mud wasps (mud daubers) are seen coming inside the house through the windows and then getting out after a while. They fetch mud pellets to build nests on wall corners, ledges or the ceiling.

They also prefer 'artificial man made nests' - like the screw holes seen on the speakers, or the power plug points! They simply lay eggs in them and seal with mud.

I have seen colorful whorls of paper like nesting material inserted one over the other like plastic cups, inside power plug points. The nesting material used here are the petals from the flowers of Bougainvillaea! Inside the central tube-like part of this 'flower' the wasp lays eggs and seal.When I break open these wasp nests, I often find semiconscious spiders or caterpillars moving their parts now and then.

Cuckoo wasp is different and it behaves like cuckoo in placing its eggs in other mud wasps' nests to get its larvae fed and brought up by the host wasp!
Again and again I could post more and more about these wonder wasps that drive you away from their nests, and but do not sting you at all! You can share with me your own experiences with wasps here.

Aspirin - the Tablet that avoids Deaths and Disabilities!

Tablet Aspirin was sold and used widely under many brand names in 1960s for relieving headache. Slowly it was pushed aside as newer pain relievers were discovered. Moreover its continuous use produced (and produces) various other illnesses that include Gastric ulcer and Gastric bleeding. These almost precluded its use and it almost disappeared in the prescriptions of doctors.
In this present stressful world of today, as lifestyle has become totally changed from that of 1960s, many other Non-Communicable Diseases have become high handed. These diseases are Hypertension, Diabetes, and other complicating illnesses arising out of them such as Heart attack, Brain stroke, etc. Now our tablet Aspirin has been rediscovered again to have preventive nature against the complications of these illnesses, and thus the deaths and disabilities also, which may result out of them! Here Aspirin has to be taken only in low dose that is innocuous and avoids Aspirin’s own side effects such as Gastric ulcer.
Thus this wonder tablet Aspirin is in limelight again as it safeguards human race from dwindling down!

Panoramic Views of Pothigai Hills at Courtallam - Waterfalls - 4

The famous waterfalls of Courtallam are Main Falls, Five Falls, Old Falls, Tiger Falls, Little Falls (Chitraruvi in Tamil language) and Fruit Falls (Pazhla Thotta Aruvi). Two more big waterfalls are also there but in higher altitudes: Shenbaga Devi Falls and Honey Falls.
These two falls could be approached only by trekking on tracks over the hills. Guides have to accompany you to reach the Honey Falls. I have gone to the Honey Falls climbing and hopping over rocks, and seen the water falling down from the top of a lofty hill cutting through a rock. There are unusually huge Honey bee hives attached to the cleavage walls of the hill through which the water falls down. Hence the falls is called as Honey Falls. You cannot go near the falls as there is a deep ditch down the falls site. So, you cannot take bath in it. But you can ‘taste’ the pure crystal clear and cool water flowing down as a stream towards you. From there I was able to view the beautiful scenes of the plains down and away the hills!

In the past, about once in four years people from the nearby districts there used to visit Courtallam. Nowadays with all the transport facilities available, people from all over South India visit the place regularly at least once in a year!

There are resorts in and around Courtallam for the visiting people to stay and enjoy. Cuisines of both Veg. and Non-Veg. types are served in the hotels and eateries.

For entertaining the kids playing parks, Aquarium and Mini zoo are there.

The Courtallam, ‘The Spa of South India’ at the foot hills of Pothigai Hills is a wonderful place to all those who seek Nature, Science and Medicine!

Panoramic Views of Pothigai Hills at Courtallam - Animals - 3

At Courtallam we can enjoy the antics of monkeys which come in troops – sometimes they seize the eatables from you, when you are unaware! You shall have to carry with you a stick to ward off them. You can also see often baby monkeys cuddling to the chests of their mothers!

Pothigai Hills have forests that show a wide and rich biodiversity: you can see Millipedes and Slugs of various sizes moving on in damp places.

One can hear the Beetles that make noise having a characteristic note and see the Fireflies as moving lights at night. Lizards crawl on the forest floor, and the Fruit Bats fly away every evening from their roosting places on the trees. The moist rocks are covered with Lichen and Moss . Ferns greet you with their fronds on the wayside.

If you have seen a similar wonder place with such all animals, insects and plants you can share here your experience.

Panoramic Views of Pothigai Hills at Courtallam - Flowers - 2

At Courtallam , everywhere we can see fragrant flowers in full bloom, larger in size than those in the plains. I should mention here specially about a flower, Champak or Shenbagapoo (Magnolia champaca), that is available here. It is yellowish and has heavenly fragrance! It is offered to the God, Thirukutrallanathar of the reputed Siva temple here. People used to buy these flowers preserved in transparent bottles and carry to the plains to place in the showcase of their house.


The children from the plains see this Touch-Me-Not or the Sensitive Plant ('Thottal Sinnungi' in Tamil) with wonder, and have the experience of touching its leaves that fold and retract themselves in response!

Various fruits are available here at Courtallam: Mangosteen, Carambola, Pample mousse, Rambuttan, Jack fruit,Java Plum (Naavel Pazhlam), Durian and the Mango ! You can share here your thoughts by posting comments.

Panoramic Views of Pothigai Hills at Courtallam - 1

Each year in July and August, South India receives seasonal rains by South West monsoon. Western Ghats have continuous rainfall at this time. Pothigai Hills are also on the Western Ghats.

The clouds always embrace the Pothigai Hills predicting good rains on their slopes. As a result, there is a copious flow of fresh and cool medicinal water down the hills to make the famous waterfalls at the place called Courtallam. Courtallam is at the foot hills of Pothigai Hills. Here at Courtallam there is always breeze whistling through trees, with fine drizzling called 'Saaral' in local language (Tamil).

The drizzles and the rains over the hills are absorbed on a sponge-like cover of medicinal herbs. As this water soaks the medicinal herbs it gets medicinal properties from them. Then it seeps and percolates down in small streams which join to form the great waterfalls down at the foot hills, Courtallam.

All those visiting Courtallam never miss to have a bath at the waterfalls, and thereby to have a fresh mind, wonderful and sensational experiences, and all those benefits resulting out of it!