When Mukteshwar Blossoms in Spring!

January 11, 2023

After a long winter season in Mukteshwar, which is characterized by freezing temperatures, leafless and dry trees and stillness in life, the weather opens up as soon as February ends. Almost a sudden change can be noticed in all the vegetation forms and wildlife. The Cuckoo bird’s loud and distinctive koo-koo call, Great Himalayan Barbet’s melodious songs echoing throughout the valley and the vibrant flowers everywhere, mark the arrival of spring.

Being a part of this “resurrection of life” in the spring season is such a delight. I can’t stop myself from going on walks through the meadows and forests, often accompanied by my little daughter who seems even more excited about discovering and capturing the colours. Sometimes we pick a few fallen flowers and petals and bring them back home to create beautiful artwork out of them.

Here’s a little peek into our daily spring occupation of hiking and exploring the beautiful world around us:

Daisies in the green meadows remind me how fertile our earth is

The dramatic display of this flamboyant Torch Lily in Mukteshwar during the Spring season dims everything around. They are the favourites of many species of insects and birds as they produce an abundance of nectar

Bright Rhododendrons, the state tree of Uttarakhand, is native to the Himalayas. Standing tall, they herald the arrival of Spring

Amma (the respected village lady) brings some Rhododendron flowers back home to decorate

And we did some picking of the fallen petals too

Dried the petals to make some refreshing juice

A little closer look at the bright inflorescence pattern of Silver Wattle

These pink peach blossoms can be seen across the valley in Spring

The flowers of much sought-after fruit – Apricot

A Pear tree fully laden with white flowers

Pear trees lined up on the edge of a field

Here comes the Apple flowers – A beautiful combination of White and Pink

Every little space on the tree gets covered with Apple flowers

These are Lichens – a composite organism showing symbiosis of Algae and Fungi. Some of them are also pollution indicators. In the picture we can see two types of lichens – The leaf-like (attached to the branch) is a Foliose lichen and the one which looks bushy is a Fruticose lichen. They have medicinal properties as well.

Grass covered with yellow Dandelion flowers

The Hydrangea flowers – Grows in a variety of colours depending on the soil pH

This photo journey is just a glimpse of what the Mukteshwar valley looks like, post February during the Spring season of the year. One needs to see it to believe in the actual beauty. If you are looking for a list of things to do in Mukteshwar, do not forget to go on hikes across forests and villages. Most of the best hotels in Mukteshwar will guide you with the hiking routes. And most importantly, remember to travel responsibly – do not litter anywhere so that the valley remains as beautiful forever.