Stratus clouds in Nilgiri valleys

Stratus clouds seen in one of the valleys of NBR (Photo P.A. Vinayan)

Clouds form in a valley mostly related to the temperature inversion. Mountain areas often produce morning valley fog after a clear night where air near the damp ground has cooled by radiation. As the cool air is heavier it stays in the valleys, leaving the tops in clear warmer air. The sun will normally destroy this effect within a few hours of rising.

http://www.fellwalk.co.uk/page54.htm

Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) bloooms

Strobilanthes

Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is a shrub that used to grow abundantly in the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats. An unphilosophical claim is often made that the 'blue mountains' of 'nilgiris' descend their name from the richness of this plant received on these terrains. I saw bees burst with happiness and pollen. They are so happy because, they get huge quantity of scrumptious nectar from these lurid purple flowers.
Neelakurinji that blossoms gregariously only once in 12 years so now this can't be a gregarious flowering! This is August 2012, last gregarious flowering happened in 2006 so... I don't know..

Blue mountains- Photo Vinayan. P. A.

Orographic clouds

Classic orographic cloud

On July 11 of 2012, I was traveling towards Kochin through the Palghat gap of the Western Ghats. I saw this wonderful phenomena that the clouds are being attracted and trapped by mountains. Orographic clouds form when humid air blows over the top of the mountain. The air must rise to go over the mountain range. When the air rises it reaches its lifting condensation level and clouds form. This happen when the air temperature at the peak is colder than the dew point of the air then the moisture in the air condenses into visible clouds when the air rises around and above the peak. The lifting condensation level (LCL) is the point where the water vapor begins to condense and is visible as clouds.

Thanks to John Walton, who helped me in the identification of the cloud. He is a  Professor, Dept. Civil Engineering  University of Texas.

John Walton's website http://windowoutdoors.com)

Bee and Resin

Euaspis carbonaria (A Megachilid - Leaf cutting Bee)

Among the social insects, many bees, especially in the tropics, collect and use resins as a nest-building material (Roubik 1989). In tropical regions where resinous plants are more abundant, bees simply exploit this commonly available resource for structural benefits.This is most likely the case in colonies of some ants and honey bees where a few individuals collect and return to the nest with loads of resin to use in the nest interior.
The bee in the picture was shot while collecting resin from a canarium strictum tree from the forest in May 2012.