Green-tinted Glasses: The Monsoon Forests of Goa

Photo Story Published : Oct 14, 2021 Updated : Oct 06, 2023

The Western Ghats of Goa are hotbeds of diversity throughout the year, but their exuberance for life peaks in the monsoon

“Just before the monsoon, you’ll see fireflies around the edges of the forests,” says Omkar Dharwadkar, a field researcher and president of the Goa Bird Conservation Network, who has been studying and documenting the state’s flora and fauna. “In some areas, entire trees will be covered with pulsating fireflies, mostly males displaying for females. With the first showers, the undergrowth starts becoming green, and annuals, ephemeral herbs, and orchids start coming up.”

Goa state has six wildlife sanctuaries and one national park. Of these protected areas, all except the Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary cover forest land that supports a wealth of faunal biodiversity from leopards, tigers, and sloth bears to pit vipers, hornbills, and many species of deer. The diversity of flora in these forest habitats is staggering too. It ranges from sprawling ficus and towering bombax trees to tiny orchids, rare medicinal herbs, and fungi that glow in the dark.

“Close to forest streams, in little pools of water, you can see the breeding frenzy of toads,” Dharwadkar says. “They will be calling, fighting, breeding, and eventually laying their eggs in the temporary waterbodies that form when it starts to rain heavily. As the season progresses, these pools turn into streams, attracting a different set of species.”

They all rely on the monsoon to revive the ecosystem by turning leaf litter into humus, aiding the breaking down of deadwood, and eventually releasing a flush of nutrients into the soil. These nutrients are soaked up by the flora of the forest, thanks to intricate mycelial networks that connect trees and plants, thereby increasing the production of leaves and fruit. The forest brims with food at this time of year, which is also why so many species breed in the monsoon. Here is a glimpse into the wilds of Goa.

The forests of Goa are part of the Western Ghats, widely considered one of the richest biodiversity hotspots on the planet. The forest ecosystem falls into predominantly three categories: moist-deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen. This image is from Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, which has a mix of moist-deciduous and semi-evergreen habitats and becomes near impenetrable as the monsoon progresses. Walk through this lush ecosystem, and you’re likely to hear crickets, birdcalls, and the sound of waterfalls and gurgling streams.

The Western Ghats is home to many endemic species, such as the *Indirana* genus of frogs, which has the longest tail of any tadpole on Earth, proportional to its body size. “Adult females lay their eggs in crevices of rocks or trees,” explains Dharwadkar. “Most tadpoles feed on algae that is underwater, but *Indirana* feed of the algae on tree bark and rock surfaces.”

The Amboli bush frog (*Pseudophilautus amboli*) is also endemic to the Western Ghats. This critically endangered species is from Amboli, Maharashtra in the north, to Agumbe, Karnataka in the south, according to Dharwadkar. Like many frog species, the Amboli bush frog has vocal sacs — thin, membranous throat pouches — that fill with air when they make sounds and calls.

Where there are monsoon showers, fungi are never far behind. They break down organic matter, supply nutrition to trees, and bloom to produce mushrooms, some of which are edible. “By end-June, you’ll start seeing bioluminescent fungi on decomposing twigs and the outer layers of living trees,” says Dharwadkar. “If the rain progresses without sunny days, it keeps getting brighter. During drier patches, it fades a little.”

Day or night, geckos, lizards, and calotes skitter through the forest. Some, like the Goan day gecko (*Cnemapis goaensis*) (bottom) and Roux’s forest lizard (*Monilesaurus rouxii*) (top right), are diurnal and spend much of their time on tree trunks and branches, looking for insects to eat. “Goan day geckos are found in dense forest areas, near the forest edge, as well as in plantations on the edge of these forests,” says Dharwadkar. Other reptiles, such as the banded ground gecko (*Cyrtodactylus albofasciatus*) (top left), are nocturnal and seen perched on branches.

Among the lesser predators of these forests are scorpions belonging to the genus *Hottentotta*. Scorpions are nocturnal creatures that “generally spend the daytime in burrows, rocky crevices, or piles of leaf litter,” says Dharwadkar. “They come out at night to hunt, mostly preying on small frogs, small lizards, and insects. Anything that they are strong enough to overcome with their venom.”

The avian diversity of these forests ranges from sunbirds, kingfishers, and paradise flycatchers to larger species such as owls, and hornbills. The Malabar grey hornbill (*Ocyceros griseus*), pictured here, is one of the smallest members of the hornbill family and is endemic to the Western Ghats. Their diet includes wild fruit, large insects, centipedes, and small squirrels. “During breeding time, they increase their protein intake like many species of birds,” says Dharwadkar. “I have seen it with a scorpion in its bill.”

The forest canopy is also home to black-footed grey langurs (*Semnopithecus hypoleucos*). According to the IUCN Red List, these langurs are “found in tropical rainforest, moist deciduous forest, sacred groves, gardens, and riparian forest, from 100 to 1,200 m in elevation”. In Goa, they are spotted in dense forests, plantations, and areas of human habitation, hanging out in groups of 6-20. “They are primarily leaf-eaters,” says Dharwadkar, “and like eating tender leaves.”

Hollows of trees are often inhabited by tree-climbing crabs that occupy these microhabitats in the monsoon. “They feed on insects, millipedes, and mosquito larvae in the water in the cavity,” says Dharwadkar, adding that they occasionally leave the cavity to forage on the ground too. “Post monsoon, you’ll see thousands of tree crabs crossing the road, all moving in one direction,” says Dharwadkar. “Unfortunately, because they are crossing the road, thousands end up as roadkill.”

Weaver ants (left) work as a team to construct intricate nests that hold entire ant colonies. For this task, they need silk, produced by young larvae, to weave leaf walls together. This weaver is carrying a naked pupa, possibly to an alternate nesting site.

Kelaart’s leaf-nosed bats (Hipposideros lankadiva) are found in Goa and across the Indo-Malayan region and generally inhabit caves, ruins, mines, and abandoned temples. These nocturnal predators can be black or brown and roost in large colonies with several hundred members.

Goa’s forest habitats are crucial to human civilisation as they sequester carbon, recharge groundwater levels, and prevent floods — all of which helps regulate the looming effects of climate change. Unfortunately, these ecosystems have been under threat of late, from mining activities, road and rail expansion, and hydro-power projects, threatening species in the region and our future wellbeing. The impact of traffic on slow-moving animals is rarely registered as they become uncounted roadkill.

New species of plants, fungi, and animals are described from the Western Ghats every other month. Most biologists agree that we have much to learn from these ancient vaults of wisdom. Forests teach us innumerable lessons, from the importance of intact biotic communities to the value of resilience over brute strength. It shows us how we are all connected, that harmony is a delicate balance, and collaboration is as valuable as competition. Who knows what lessons we are yet to uncover from these emerald forests.

About the contributors

Neha Sumitran

spends her days gardening, cooking, and writing about food, biodiversity, and sustainable living in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu. She Instagrams @nehasumitran.

Dhritiman Mukherjee

is one of India's most prolific wildlife and conservation photographers. His work has been featured in leading publications. He is also a RoundGlass Ambassador, and an RBS Earth Hero awardee.

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About the contributors

Neha Sumitran

Dhritiman Mukherjee

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