Baronet Butterfly, Coorg -
Forget Cannes, Ibiza, Jamaica, Rio and other playgrounds of the sun worshipping jet set. Some of the world’s most beautiful bodies are to be found sunbathing in the hills and vales of Coorg. While the strips in the south of France and the Caribbean have their acolytes, discerning members of the animal bourgeois find their spot of decadence in this region. We have, for instance, no less a personage than the Baronet of Coorg, who chooses a rock to bask on, and receive salutations from the sun. The Baronet Butterfly is a gentleman of leisure who, apart from being blue blooded, is also cold blooded. So he isn’t able to regulate his own body temperature, and when it drops in cold weather, he’s unable to fly. So he must seek out a sunny spot, like the rock in the image, to soak up the sun’s life giving warmth. Once he’s re-fuelled his solar batteries, it’s time to get back to the business of flitting from flower to flower, checking out the vast lunch buffet that Mother Nature’s laid out for him. And, this is when we’re made aware of another of our Baronet’s eccentricities. His table manners are quirky, to say the least, as we discover that he actually uses his feet to taste his food. Yes, the two short, hairy feet in front are not for locomotion, but serve the more sensory role of being his taste buds. Once they’ve given him an all clear, he sips his fill of nectar, or occasionally, some nourishing tree sap. Liquid refreshments over, our Baronet retires to his chambers, and awaits the beginning of a new day. And the delicious prospect of finding his spot in the sun, all over again.
Photograph: TNA Perumal Story: Rajesh Ramaswamy
Comments