India is a beautiful country. It is nature’s galore where you could witness valleys and mountains closely knit with nature and basking in the glory of colorful flowers. One such visually enticing location is the Kaas Plateau or Kaas Pathar - the valley of flowers. Kaas plateau was named after the Kass tree, which is a genus of tropical and subtropical evergreen trees. Located in Maharashtra, Satara District this valley of flowers is the hotspot of biodiversity perched in India’s the Western Ghats. The valley hosts about 1500 plant species including 450 wildflowers species from which 33 are endangered. It is also an abode for a variety of insects, reptiles, butterflies, mammals, and amphibians. About 70% of Maharashtra’s flowers are found here. The volcanic plateau has been given the status of UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
The colors of Kaas:
The flowers in Kaas Pathar bloom from August to October. Entire plateau looks submerged in beautiful colors, and the colors change almost every week depending upon the predominant flower in bloom. Buy colorful flower seeds online. The carpet of blue: Utricularia pupuriensis, Pogostemon deccanensis The pink mat: Impatiens oppositifolia The white wash: Eriocaulon tuberiferum The yellow blanket: Smithia hirsuta, Senecio bombayensis
What makes Kaas Plateau Special?
The uniqueness of Western Ghat makes Kaas extremely special. Western ghats are the faulted edge of the Deccan Plateau which is believed to have been formed about 150 million years ago during the breakup of the Gondwana continent. The rupture happened due to a massive volcanic eruption that led to the formation of the Western Ghats, where the Kaas Plateau is located. Due to the unique location, the Western Ghats receives high rainfall, i.e., about 150 in (2500 mm). It is the geography and rainfall that ensured these ghats were always heavily forested until the British deforested the land and used it for agriculture and tea plantations. Kaas Plateau is rich in flora and fauna due to factors like rainfall, temperature, humidity, soil topography and it's micro-climate, especially during monsoon.
Buy varieties of flowering plants online. Though you cannot visit the valley of flowers in this season, do not forget to get yourself registered for the August - October as there are merely 3000 visitors allowed to visit the valley. Until then, gear up for Holi and paint your garden with colorful flowers!
