They drift amongst monsoon blooms fluttering their iridescent delicate wings, in patterns only Nature could have thought of. There are butterflies everywhere in the city’s parks, hills and wetlands and the good news is that they have come here in greater numbers and variety. Research conducted over a period of 16 years have brought to light interesting facts from the butterfly world. Out of the 100 species reported from Visakhapatnam district, there are 23 new species that have visited the region for the first time.
The study was carried out by research director M Rama Murty, Prudhvi Raj, STPL Ushasri and Pavani across Visakhapatnam and parts of the Eastern Ghats. Among the new species are the common blue bottle, common mime, striped albatross, small or little orange tip, Indian cabbage white, angled castor, grey pansy, common nawab, dark cerulean, bamboo tree brown and guava blue.
The findings have brought cheer to Nature lovers in the city. The area of study covered the Biodiversity Park of RCD Government Hospital, Kambalakonda, Thotlakonda, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Ananthagiri, Borra Caves, Araku, Paderu, Chintapalli, RV Puram and Sileru.
Butterflies are powerful biodiversity indicators. “A rich variety of butterflies is observed in some pockets which has plant diversity, unpolluted, fresh air and undisturbed environment,” says Rama Murty, who also heads the Dolphin Nature Conservation Society that maintains the Biodiversity Park in the city. “The very rare suffused double banded judy was spotted resting on a plant species Pavetta indica. This species is also called dancing judy because it exhibits erratic and jerky flight,” explained Murty.
Among the species reported from Visakhapatnam, 20 of them are listed under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act (1972). These include Danaid Eggfly, Great Eggfly, Crimson Rose, Banded Peacock, Common Baron, Pea Blue and Gram Blue, among others. And happily, over the years the numbers have only increased.
Mysterious phenomenon
The mysterious phenomenon of butterfly migration in the monsoons has also been well documented. Hundreds of these winged beauties make their way in large groups from the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats during certain periods of the year. The migrations have been observed in Bengaluru, Tumkur and Mysuru in Karnataka; Palakkad and Kannur in Kerala; Coimbatore, Udhagamandalam, Vellore and Chennai in Tamil Nadu; Visakhapatnam and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The long-distance migration can be attributed to a combination of climatic factors, food availability and breeding habitat preferences.
In the city, the butterflies form clusters around plants like Crotalaria retusa and Crotalaria laburnifolia. “The numbers last year were remarkably high in comparison to previous years. As the monsoon picks up pace in August and September, we are expecting a large congregation in the green zones of the city,” says RamaMurty. The migratory species include blue tiger, plain tiger, banded tiger, glassy tiger, common crows, striped blue crow and double banded crow. According to researchers, in India the studies on migration of butterflies are still at a nascent stage. Says the research director, “What is needed is a careful documentation of information on butterfly migration over a prolonged period.”
