In search of lily that blooms for just 3 weeks a year

Hurry up, say Jungle Lore organisers, if you want to spot rare flora that comes alive for just the first few showers

Sitting in the middle of a parched riverbed, all we could hope for was a refreshing shower from up above. The sky was a sparkly-silver, saving us from the hot sun but making sure the beads of sweat didn't vanish. Looking straight ahead towards the hilltop, the horizon was lined with dark clouds. Even as we gazed, they advanced stealthily, spreading a net of grey.

The birds suddenly stopped chirping, and we quietened in anticipation. Then the first drop went plop on our faces, the clouds hemmed in, and a volley drenched us in seconds.

The experience felt even more strange when we realised we were barely out of city limits, in the heart of Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

First few special showers
Jungle Lore, an outfit that specialises in special monsoon treks to the national park from the Yeoor end in Thane, plans most treks in the first few weeks after the monsoons hit the city.

"The first few weeks after the rains arrive are special because there are a whole bunch of flora and fauna that appear in this forest for a brief period," says Kaustubh Upadhye of Jungle Lore. The sight of an entire hillock shrouded in fresh Chlorophytum Lilies proves his claim, as do the pink-striped Trumpet Lily and Ground Star Lily that have only recently popped up.

The uninitiated are treated to a quick presentation on the the national park's vegetation before we set out on the trail, enabling us to recognise plants as we go along, all the while doing our bit to clear up the environment by picking up plastic trash. The short trail is open to participants of all age groups.

Our snake surprise
For a noisy group of 25 it might be a bit tough to spot large reptiles, but the organisers made sure we didn't miss the thrill of watching snakes in action. Jagdish Wakale introduced us to three snakes he had recently caught at the campsite: a Buffed Striped Keelback, a Juvenile Python, and a Spectacled Cobra.

You can potter around
This potter has no connection to Rowling, preferring to keep it straight with his clay and tools. And that ensured that the post-lunch (scrumptious meal rustled up by local villagers) pottery session with Satish Joshi, an avid trekker and nature lover, had participants wrestling with their share of clay. While the morning that was spent marvelling at what the earth could throw up after the first few showers, the afternoon was spent building something from a special kind of clay that Joshi had prepared for us budding artists.

If moulding clay is not your scene, you can opt foru00a0 archery or rifle shooting.

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