This week I posted the September letters and I can imagine them reaching little hands across the country to be read by children and their parents alike.

The sunbird featured in the September letter is a little guy who really did find his way into our balcony, I’m certain it’s for all the hanging spider webs my kids will never let me clear out. I’ve even caught it pull out a couple of threads from my cotton towel. The industry with which it moves and the ingenuity of how it manages to get what it wants makes up for the little thievery I put up with, not to mention how entertaining the few minutes of a sunbird visit are.

Now, its easy to forget the tiny other things we share our cities with – butterflies, wild flowers that bloom in the rain, sparrows and babblers going around raising their own families in stairwell cubby holes or broken roof tile holes across this city of ours.

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These are the stories we collect. Where do these butterflies go? What colour is a sunbird egg? Is the blue Mormon butterfly the largest butterfly in India? The September issue of ‘Stories’ may not have all the answers but it will get those questions started.

What are we if not a bunch of questions always looking for the answers. Especially if you are 5 or 8, just saying from my own experience is all 🙂

Lately I have been on the lookout for good Indian nature resources, here are a few we have used in the past that you might find useful.

The team at Early Bird India have a fabulous set of birding resources

This beautiful free eHandbook – the book is already on preorder

This set of identifiers of common plants, flowers, and other flora

These little books of Nature

Nature journalling or just observation is a fun way for kids to spend time in the outdoors. I have also compiled a bunch of good outdoor spots in Mumbai that kids would love.

Post monsoon is a great time to enjoy some outdoor time mostly in the morning hours or late evenings.