“Ah, look at that one! And that. There’s another behind the leaf.” Naturalist Poochi Venkat bends into an innocuous bush we would otherwise overlook. But on an insect walk with him at the Theosophical Society early one morning, we realise that the tiniest blade of grass can be home to fascinating creatures. We set out to explore the world of insects a few days after the rains — for that’s when a lot of species are out to breed and start a new life.
“Look for something unusual; something that doesn’t look green,” he advices. “Leaves that are folded up are a dead giveaway for insects,” he adds as he peers into one. True enough, we see a praying mantis under it. “It’s a brilliant subject to photograph,” he says. “It’s not skittish.” All the world’s home for insects. We spot a pair of moths mating, unaware of our inquisitive eyes — “they are regenerating because it has rained,” observes Venkat. Soon, every speck of dust seems to move — a crab spider that “looks like a crab and moves sideways”, black and red millipedes on endless journeys, spotted cockroaches mating by the roadside, red ants referred to as ‘idli ants’ because of the idli-like formations on the skin that result from their bite, tiny lynx spiders with venom potent enough to kill spiders much bigger than them, dazzling jewel flies, water striders travelling at lightning speed, a garden lizard sunning itself...we get to see insects we share our world with, in a new light and learn their interesting behaviours.
Venkat tells us of spiders that mimic ants so they can eat ants themselves and to not be preyed upon by other insects — “ants are not tasteful” he explains. “It’s a classic case of wolf in sheep’s clothing,” he smiles. It’s unbelievable how an ant’s mind works. He shows us one that constantly pokes at a small hopper in front of him. A closer look reveals a small drop of liquid on his leg. “The ant is teasing the hopper,” points out Venkat. “It exudes a sweet sticky liquid when irritated that the ant is fond of. The hopper is treated like a cow.” The ant “somehow seems to know” the hopper’s secret.
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Brown-Lynx Spider. Photo: Poochi Venkat
It’s easy to get lost amidst the tiny legs and fluttering wings. An hour later, the eye is constantly gazing into the green for a sign of movement. Venkat explains that most of the insects we spot can also be found in our gardens. While some insects come out after a spell of rains, a whole new world reveals itself in dry weather. But they are all beautiful, nevertheless. This is what Venkat wants to do — show us how beautiful insects are through his photos. He believes that conservation will happen as a result. “Insects are the base of the eco-system,” he says. Without them, other living organisms cannot exist.
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Venkat developed a love for them by accident. In the early Nineties when a scientist gave him some slides to process, he noticed many of them consisted of insects. “I realised I had seen many of them in my garden,” he says. He shot a few photos of insects himself and there was no looking back. His best teachers, he says, were farmers. “They taught me the art of spotting and identifying insects,” he says. “They would point faraway and say ‘ paarunga sir, thumbi’.” There would be one at the exact spot.
Want to attract insects to your backyard?
* Place a trough of water in your garden.
* Plant flowering plants to attract butterflies.