Meet the all-women nature walkers of Bengaluru Premium

“Spider wasp,” says ecologist and nature educator Vena Kapoor, narrating the fascinating but macabre tale of the spider wasp and its victims. While adult spider wasps mostly feed on flower nectar, making them excellent pollinators, they are also what are known as “parasitoids.” Unlike parasites, they kill their host. In the case of spider wasps, females hunt down spiders, inject them with venom and lay eggs on them. Once they hatch, the larvae eat these spiders alive, inevitably killing them, she tells the huddle of women cloistered around this tree.

An insect hovers for a brief moment before settling on a tree, a speck of cerulean gleaming against the ageing wood.

“Spider wasp,” says ecologist and nature educator Vena Kapoor, narrating the fascinating but macabre tale of the spider wasp and its victims. While adult spider wasps mostly feed on flower nectar, making them excellent pollinators, they are also what are known as “parasitoids.” Unlike parasites, they kill their host. In the case of spider wasps, females hunt down spiders, inject them with venom and lay eggs on them. Once they hatch, the larvae eat these spiders alive, inevitably killing them, she tells the huddle of women cloistered around this tree.

Other small groups have fanned across the verdant green expanse of Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park — peering through binoculars, to catch a glimpse of birds, crouching around bushes to observe smaller invertebrates or kneeling on the grass to get a closer look at turf-dwelling fauna.

Every crevice and corner of this historic park, where the 9th edition of the All-Women Nature Walk is taking place, seems to be teeming with life. As we meander through it, we spot, in no particular order, a fragrant frangipani tree, a koel singing plaintively,  a jewel-toned narrow-mouthed frog, the nymph of planthopper, and a two-tailed spider with egg-sacs, its dun-hued body blending into the bark beneath it.

The initiative, which seeks to offer a safe, inclusive space for women to experience nature, is the brainchild of Misha Bansal and Mittal Gala. “Outdoor spaces are always dominated by men,” says Misha, a nature educator with the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF).“The idea is to encourage women to occupy outdoor spaces and open a window to nature for them.”

The planning for this walk began sometime last August, says Mittal, Program Manager with Bird Count, India, NCF. It was partly triggered by discussions at their workplace, NCF, where they constantly talk about things like mental health, diversity, inclusivity, and gender biases. “We are conscious of these things, even in our own work and personal lives,” she says. Also, one of her sub-projects at work involved training women birdwatchers to become citizen scientists and contributing to eBird, an online database of observations about birds and their behaviour. “We have data quality reviewers who look at eBird data. Amongst the 150 volunteer data editors we have, only a small percentage are women,” says Mittal. “We wanted to change this.”

This project and conversations at work got her thinking about this skewed gender ratio when it came to activities like birdwatching and what could be done about it. She also found a partner to help address the problem. “I asked Misha if she would like to join me and she immediately said yes,” recalls Mittal.