My family and I went on a holiday to Coorg district in Karnataka in August, 2014. We stayed in Orange County, which was surrounded by plantations that grew coffee, pepper and oranges. Before we arrived at Coorg, we had been to Kabini. We went coracle riding, on an early morning jungle safari, and a river safari. We had seen crocodiles, elephants and wild dogs.  

In Coorg, I saw a lot of teeny-weeny insects like grasshoppers, spiders and beetles. We also heard Cicadas, but we didn’t see any. They were camouflaged in the trees. Cicadas make a weird, creaking sound and in Coorg, it sounded like there were thousands of them. I found it pleasant. Well, only since they weren’t causing any havoc and sitting on my head!

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A species of Long-horned Beetle (Prionoma attractum). Photograph: Sachit Nandan Anand

One day we were near the swimming pool and my little brother almost sat next to a katydid. Katydids are very, very good at jumping and one of their pairs of legs is gigantic (for an insect).  

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Katydids get their name from the sound they make, which sounds like "katydid, katydid." This one belongs to the species Mecopoda. Photograph: Sachit Nandan Anand

There were lots of interesting plants there too - Birds Of Paradise (I thought they looked like kingfishers), Touch-Me-Nots (if you touch them they will close up and fold!) and Banana Flowers (did you know you can eat those?). 

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The slug who walked with us one morning. Photograph: Sachit Nandan Anand

I loved this trip because there was so much fascinating wildlife everywhere. I’ve never seen this much wildlife and greenery in my life. It made me think if I learned more about nature, I could become a nature expert and be famous one day.

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With my little brother Shyam, I went on many walks and enjoyed the wildlife and greenery. Photograph: Menaka Raman

So, the next time you go on holiday, look at nature very carefully. If there’s a guide, just ask him or her names of the animals, insects or plants you see and then you will know more and more. And you might become a nature expert someday too!


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