Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In the crisp and colourful embrace of September, we celebrate ‘The Big Butterfly Day' to recognise a remarkable gift that nature has bestowed upon us.
As summer gracefully transitions into autumn, this day emerges as a vibrant tribute to these delicate creatures. It's a time when gardens and meadows come alive with a kaleidoscope of fluttering wings, a symphony of transformation, and a celebration of the intricate dance of life.
In the monsoon, the floral vegetation blooms and almost all kinds of plants mature, out of which many are the Larval-host plants of butterflies, on which the life cycle of butterflies is dependent. As the Larval-host plants vegetate, the number of butterflies reaches its peak, leading to a salubrious environment full of butterflies. This year the monsoon saw less rains due to which these plants didn’t grow as much as they usually grow.
Under Big Butterfly Month 2023, the research scholars of Government Holkar Science College and the volunteers of the Animal Rehabilitation and Protection Front (ARPF) wildlife organisation organised a Butterfly awareness walk at the campus of Government Holkar Science College.
In the Butterfly Walk, over 350 butterflies of 37 species were recorded by 26 participants on the college campus, which was less than the over 40 species that were recorded last year as an effect of the weak monsoon.
The species found here were the Common Three-ring, Yellow Orange Tip, and Common Baron. The most populated butterflies were the Common Emigrant, Common Grass Yellow, Lime Swallowtail, Common Pierrot, Tiny Grass Blue and Common Gull. Scientific methods were used for observation data collection, and the overall data has been uploaded on the official database of Big Butterfly Month 2023 and on various other citizen science databases, such as iNaturalist, India Biodiversity Portal, and iFound Butterflies. The participants also observed the various life stages of butterflies, the roles of butterflies in nature, the importance of butterfly’s biodiversity and learned insect photography through phone.
Every year the researchers of the college conduct a one-year survey on butterflies, this year 5 researchers recorded as many as 72 species of butterflies, in which the rare species found were Large Oakblue, Indian Red Flash, Angled Pierrot and Indian Grizzled Skipper.
The walk was led and managed by the Holkar research scholars Sneha Nair, Grishma Trivedi, Kratika Patidar, Shaifali Ojha and Rishabh Tiwari, along with the principal secretary of the ARPF Tasneem Parvez, under the mentorship of senior zoology professor Dr Vipul Keerti Sharma, and with the support of principal Dr Suresh Silawat. The Butterfly Walk briefing and introductory session were given by Harsh Vishwakarma MSc research scholar and butterfly enthusiast, who is representing Indore as a district coordinator for the Big Butterfly Month 2023.
