Jungle canvas: Surveyors walk across the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the southern ridge area in Delhi, which boasts a richer population of butterflies
Sunday mornings in Delhi NCR can start late, with bed tea, waffles, puri halwa, bacon and eggs, and more. September 17 this year — an unusually humid day — began differently for some. By 8am, groups of camera-toting enthusiasts had gathered at more than 12 locations. The mission was to count the number of butterfly species in the Capital. Leading the campaign was a team from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) at the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, near the Shooting Range on Surajkund Road.
The butterfly count of September 17 was the culmination of events the BNHS had planned and hosted during its Delhi Butterfly Month. This survey comes 31 years after the last such endeavour. Through workshops and guided walks in gardens and parks, as well as university and college campuses, BNHS has concluded that there are at least 69 butterfly species in Delhi NCR (30 per cent lower than the 1986 tally).
The first such walk was held at Delhi University’s botany department. Students and their teachers scanned the greener areas of the campus and counted 31 species.
There were rare sightings — the psyche butterfly, spotted after a gap of three years in India; red pierrot; Indian red flash; and African babul blue among others. The grass jewel and the tiny grass blue were found in big numbers in the southern ridge areas.
Photos: Rajeev Tyagi
Common gull, seen mainly in drier plains, likes mud-puddling in hot weather
Common castor prefers forested to lightly wooded areas
Lemon pansy is found close to the ground around flowering shrubs
Jewelspotting: Participants at the survey conducted by Bombay Natural History Society
Common pierrot is fond of both sunshine and mud-puddling
Plain tigers fly close to the ground through the year; they are also found in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar
Pupa or chrysalis is the third stage in the life of a butterfly
Red pierrot likes moist habitats and hovers around food plants
Tiny grass blue prefers to stay close to the ground and feed on flowers
Common emigrant is seen on flowers in cities as well as hills (above 13,000 ft)
One-spot grass yellow found mostly in forests, likes to fly low and prefers shade over sunlight
Published on October 6, 2017
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