The Flight of the Fireflies
A weekend of fireflies, great food and no mobile connectivity. What’s not to like? Photo: Anuroop Krishnan
Published on Nature inFocus – May 2017
It’s not every day that you can immerse yourself in a forest of twinkling stars, but spending a night surrounded by hundreds of fireflies can come pretty darn close.
That’s what I learnt when I spent a weekend in Purushwadi, a tiny hilly hamlet about 4.5 hours (200km) from Mumbai. In the weeks leading up to the monsoon, the groves around Purushwadi are hotbeds for fireflies. The trees seem festooned with strings of fairy lights —each one, home to colonies of tiny creatures that fill the night with their bioluminescence.
Why do these creatures come out in such large numbers at this time? Well, this is mating season, and the fireflies are alive for just these few months. The males flit around the branches, rest on large bushes and, if you’re lucky, even land on you for a few seconds before buzzing off to their next destination, all the while sending out pulses of light in search of that special lady. There are apparently as many as 2,000 species of fireflies, most no bigger than a grain of rice, and each has a unique way of using its inherent light to attract a female’s attention. The ladies can play hard to get, sometimes indulging in hours of Morse code-like conversation with the males before finally making a choice. Once they do, it’s lights out as the couple begins mating.
Though the process is probably stressful for the insects, for humans, it produces endless moments of magic. The moon was bright on the night I visited, and while we grumbled at the fact that it would dull the light of the fireflies, we were grateful for its presence as we made our way to the dense thicket, about 10 minutes away from the campsite. As we reached the trees, we let our eyes adjust to the darkness and found spots on the ground to settle down. And soon enough, the bugs started blinking hello. In hushed tones, we drew each other’s attention to pulsating barks here and shimmering canopies there. They were everywhere all at once. The atmosphere and the sense of wonder was so powerful, it was all we could do to not imagine Elton John bursting into a Lion King rendition of “Can you feel the love tonight?”
Apart from being the ideal place near Mumbai to encounter fireflies, Purushwadi is also a lovely weekend getaway from the bustle of the metropolis. Tucked away in the hills of the Western Ghats, the village promises cool streams and rolling hills nearby perfect for some peace and quiet, delicious, homemade Maharashtrian food, and even a few mango trees that visitors can pluck fruit from. But the thing that clinches it — for me — is that Purushwadi has barely any cellphone connectivity. It’s not lip service to say it is truly off the grid. There is nothing to do except sit back and take in this unique phenomenon of the fireflies in the forest. Go on then, they don’t have all year.
Fact file
By Road: Purushwadi is around 200km (4.5hrs away) from Mumbai, via NH160 or NH 61.
By Rail: Trains run from Mumbai CST to Kasara Railway Station. The journey will take you around two hours. From Kasara, hire a car to Purushwadi. Ask the outfit you’re travelling with to help arrange pickup for this leg of the journey.
Best time to visit: Mid-May to mid-June, just before the monsoon arrives.
Where to stay: There are many travel companies offering weekend trips to Purushwadi now. I travelled with Grassroutes Journeys. They usually arrange the accommodation. Visitors can choose to stay in tents or homestays in the village.
What to pack: Have a shawl handy just in case it gets a little nippy at night and don’t forget to carry insect repellent. Books and games can help pass the time, especially when you’re indoors during the hot afternoons. A torch will help you navigate your way to and from the fireflies at night.