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May the Rains be With You
The experience of summer rains and their effects in the Western Ghats
12 Jun 2022
The summer in the southern Western Ghats tends to be hot and humid. Thanks to their proximity to the sea, they experience frequent thundershowers from mid-March to May. Along with cooling the land, the rains also trigger the sprouting of various plants. In this article, let’s explore the effects of the rains.
A typical summer day in the Western Ghats starts with no signs of rain — cloudless blue skies and the morning mist. Once the sun rises, it starts getting hotter and hotter.
A morning scene with no sign of the rain
By afternoon, heat is at is peak and several clouds start to dot the sky — some are big, some are small. The sun starts to play hide and seek between the clouds.
Blend of clouds and sun lighting the mountains
Within some 1-2 hours, the sky starts to get filled with clouds, and the thunderstorms become frequent and nearer. The rain lashes followed by a cool, rough wind.
Just before the rains, observe the cloud pattern
The steady rain lasts for around 20-30 minutes with wind and sometimes hail. Rarely, it rains for the second time after the first one has ended, giving a feel of the Monsoons.
A summer rain
Sometimes, the clouds might be so low that they cover entire mountains with mist.
A misty mountain during a summer afternoon
Once the rain is finished and thunderstorm clouds have dispersed, the landscape looks beautiful and charming. The heavy rain would have brought down the particulates in the air, making the landscape look cleaner and less hazy. The fallen rainwater starts evaporating giving raise to mist clouds, which are amplified by the sunlight.
Clouds of mist, fuelled by the earth's heat and sunlight after a rain
If the sun is not visible directly, the absence of the mist clouds can also create beautiful scenes.
Mountains after a rain
Sometimes, the thunderstorm clouds are so high in the atmosphere, that they create a beautiful rainbow-like display.
Refraction of sunlight by the top of a thunderstorm cloud
The summer days without the rains are generally hot and hazy. Due to the intermittent rains, the mountains are partly covered with green grasses.
A summer day without rains. The haze is evident from the photo
Although it did not rain, the clouds meander over the mountains, giving a sense of cold when they pass by.
Clouds meandering over the Western Ghats
While the rain gives much-needed relief from the heat to the humans, it also triggers the growth and development of some life. In the following sections, let’s explore how rain affects some species.
The Wild Flowers
The grasslands of the Western Ghat host many plant species, apart from the grass! Some of them only stay alive during the Monsoons. Summer thunderstorms are the perfect triggers for them to start growing. Their initial growth is often accompanied by flowers with leaves then growing afterward. Several _Curcuma_ species follow this pattern.
Flower of a Curcuma species, note its first leaf in the back
There are many Curcuma species in the Western Ghats, each having a slight variation from another.
White flower of a Curcuma species. A Malaxis orchid at its left
Some Curcuma species have the flowers arranged in a cluster, making them look similar to a bouquet.
Flower of a Curcuma species arranged in a cluster
In some species, the cluster may be colored as well, making it look like a bigger flower!
Flower of a Curcuma species with the cluster having a pinkish color
The Curculigo orchioides sprouts with its star-shaped flowers during the same period.
Curculigo orchidelos flower and the first leaf
Out of all plants sprouting up from the ground, the flowers of the Arisaema species are quite unique and scary, as they look like a green cobra!
Cobra-like flower of an Arisema species
The roadsides along the Western Ghats also appear to be dotted with white, fragrant flowers of the Wild Jasmine during the summer.
Wild Jasmine flowers with (presumably) their pollinator
The summer rains support fruiting trees like Mango, Cashew, and Avocado to sustain their flowers. These rains are called “Mango Showers” in Kerala and Karnataka primarily for the same reason. Apart from the popular trees, the fragrant flowers of the Alangium species are very attractive.
Alangium flowers with buds and new leaves
Orchid Flowers
The rains trigger the new growth of some orchids. The Dendrobium orchids spreading across the surface of the tree trunk flower during this period, and start to grow new leaves. They appear almost dry and dead during the winter and the beginning of the summer.
Flower of a Dendrobium orchid
The Aerides orchids also follow the same pattern in flowering, although the bud to flower duration can take as long as 4-6 weeks.
An Aerides orchid, with its pollinator
Several terrestrial orchids, like Malaxis, also start sprouting during the summer rains.
A Malaxis orchid
The Fungi
The blend of heat, sunshine, ample rain and dead organic matter creates a perfect condition for the fungi to thrive. The fungi came in all shapes, sizes, and colors with a few being edible. Spotting some fungi at a place can be tricky as they are short-lived.
Small fungi along a Coffee trunk
Ear-like fungi on a dead Coffee plant
Bright, attractive fungi on a tree stump
Tiny, red fungi on a forest floor
A Shining fungi on top a tree-stump
A fungi under the leaf bed
Small fungi on a moss-covered tree branch
Not fungi -- a yellow mold atop a tree stump
The Animals
One of the famous animals of the Western Ghats during Monsoons is the Leech! Although they are associated with Monssons, they start as early as the 1st week of the summer rains. They start from the shady cool areas under the canopy and slowly expand to the grasslands as the Monsoons strengthen.
Leeches during the summer rains, their number is significantly higher during the Monsoon
Apart from the leech, the Cicada is a significant indicator of the rains. They start their chorus whenever it gets dark by a cloud, thus indicating the start of the rain. They tend to appear during the end of the summer rains in May.
A cicada shedding its skin during the end of the summer rains, maybe preparing itself for the Monsoon
Ending Notes
The summer rains are an essential part of the Western Ghats climate as they help to trigger a new cycle of growth, along with providing relief from the summer heat. Climate Change is at play here as well — increasing the summer temperatures, causing variability of the rains, intensifying them, and, delaying the Monsoon. As a primary driver of Climate Change, humans have to be much more responsible to not worsen it further, thereby saving wonderful ecosystems.
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