India 2008: Mountain goats and frozen flowers

Along the road various plants are in bloom, e.g. a very common species of St. John’s wort, Hypericum oblongifolium, Asian butterfly-bush (Buddleja asiatica), and Phlogacanthus pubinervius, a magnificent shrub of the acanthus family (Acanthaceae), which has large, reddish-brown inflorescences. A yellow species of primrose, Primula floribunda, grows on a wet rock, and in the marshy ditch beneath the rock we observe a species of helleborine, Epipactis veratrifolia, with beautiful, yellow-green petals, streaked with reddish-brown.

Near the city of Uttarkashi, we notice a cactus-like plant, Royle’s spurge (Euphorbia royleana), growing on a dry slope. This species is utilized in local folk medicine, and in some areas it is regarded as a magical plant, which can protect houses against lightning. (Read more about it on this website, see Traditional medicine: Euphorbia royleana).

We spend the following night in a forest rest house just outside Uttarkashi. In the morning, we notice a rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), sprawled along a branch. The troop, to which it belongs, has spent the night in the pine trees around the rest house. In the grass, we find a remarkably well camouflaged praying mantis, which resembles a twig.

Our walk along the Asi River is fairly level, giving us ample opportunity to botanize on the way. Among many species of blooming herbs, we encounter e.g. Himalayan peony (Paeonia emodi), which has large, white flowers, a pale-blue species of sage, Salvia lanata, a small-flowered member of the mint family, Micromeria biflora, a species of cranesbill, Geranium nepalense, and yellow-flowered strawberry (Duchesnea indica, or Potentilla indica), which, incidentally, is not a strawberry, but a cinquefoil. Its fruits are strawberry-like, but completely dry and without taste. Various shrubs grow along the trail, among these the fragrant Deutzia staminea, palmate fig (Ficus palmata), and winged prickly-ash (Zanthoxylum alatum), whose seeds are used medicinally for e.g. toothache, coughing, and rheumatism.

We spend the night in a forest rest house at the outskirts of the village. Many shrubs of Himalayan box (Buxus wallichiana) are flowering in this area, as well as numerous Himalayan hornbeams (Carpinus viminea), which has long, pendent, reddish-brown catkins. Many of the trees around the village show clear signs that their foliage and thinner branches are often lopped for fodder, causing the leaves to grow densely on thicker branches, lending the entire tree a stunted and fuzzy look.

Birdlife is rich, and among others we notice the black-and-white kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos), crested goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus), the gorgeous maroon oriole (Oriolus traillii), and red-billed blue magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha), the latter in courtship display outside the rest house. The female is sitting on a branch, shaking her wings, while the male jumps back and forth in front of her, or over her back, while turning his head and tail from one side to another, tail feathers spread out, which makes the white spots on the outer tail feathers visible.

Along the trail, hairy bergenia (Bergenia ciliata) is quite common on rock faces, and we notice a lovely fragrance, emitted by the Himalayan butterfly-bush (Buddleja crispa). The forest now contains trees like Nepalese pear (Pyrus pashia), displaying a profusion of white flowers, a species of maple, Acer sterculiaceum, and Rhododendron arboreum, with clusters of bright red inflorescences. The intensity of the red colour decreases with higher altitude, and near the upper limit of the occurrence of this species, about 3,800 metres, you sometimes encounter trees with white flowers. This tree, which is among the tallest of rhododendrons, growing to a height of 15 metres, is very common in the entire Himalayan range, as well as in montane areas of South India, Sri Lanka, northern Thailand, and northern Vietnam. (Read more about this species, and other rhododendrons, on this website, see Plants: Rhododendrons.)

On the ground, we notice many leaves of spiny-leaved oak (Quercus semecarpifolia) with a large hole in the centre. Mr. Bahuguna explains that these holes are made by the red giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista). When eating a leaf, this squirrel will fold it along the mid-rib and then eat the central part, thus avoiding the edge of the leaf, which is more toxic than the centre.

Among birds, we observe species like Himalayan monal pheasant (Lophophorus impejanus), in Nepal called ’the bird of nine colours’, in allusion to the brilliant plumage of the cock; two huge vultures, Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis) and lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus); the bright red long-tailed minivet (Pericrocotus ethologus); the blue-and-white ultramarine flycatcher (Ficedula superciliaris); and white-collared blackbird (Turdus albocinctus), whose male resembles Eurasian blackbird, but has a white collar, which merges into a white throat.

I walk up a tiny side valley on the lookout for a troop of pale-armed langurs (Semnopithecus schistaceus), several of which live in this area. This langur is a large species of leaf-monkey, found at medium altitudes in the Himalaya, but occasionally straying to 4,000 metres. Soon I find a troop, whose members are busy eating flowers of large-flowered viburnum (Viburnum grandiflorum) – one of the few Himalayan trees, which bloom in winter and early spring at higher altitudes. The animals are rather confiding, letting me approach quite close.

Birdlife is sparse here, and I observe very few species, among these rufous-naped tit (Periparus rufonuchalis) and Eurasian tree creeper (Certhia familiaris). On my way back towards the lodge, I encounter a Royle’s pika (Ochotona roylei), the commonest pika, or mouse-hare, in the Himalaya. These small animals, comprising about 12 species in Central and East Asia, resemble rodents, but are close relatives of rabbits and hares. During the summer months, they collect large amounts of grass and other plants to store as winter food, as they do not hibernate.

As we are walking along a trail, which to one side has a fairly steep rock face, and to the other an abyss, I am lagging a bit behind. Suddenly the air seems to explode of activity: Three mountain goats, Himalayan tahrs (Hemitragus jemlahicus), are tearing down the slope, landing on the trail between my companions and me. Here they only hesitate a second, before throwing themselves over the edge, and seconds later we observe them running at the foot of the rock wall, 50 metres or more below. From the edge of the abyss, we scan the rock wall for ledges, which the animals could possibly have used, but we fail to see any that we think would be wide enough for them to have foothold. What strength and virility!