What are Butterfly Parks & Why are they Important
What are the Butterfly Parks?
Butterfly Park is the in-situ conservation of butterflies to generate rare species by making available a good habitat to complete their whole life stages within the park. At a faster rate, our native fauna and flora are disappearing. This structure is also known as lepidopterarium. Butterflies are nature’s most beautiful creature with a major role in pollination and also a bio-diversity indicator called “Flying flowers”. Butterfly Park create a pleasant atmosphere and also emphasis to educate students about the life cycle of the butterfly. A permanent structure of Butterfly Park can be established by collecting the details of butterfly species that are available at that particular locality.
In this article, we will let you know about butterfly gardens in India, first-ever butterfly park in India, first butterfly park state in India, how many butterfly garden in India, India’s first butterfly park was established in which state, locations of butterfly parks in India, List of Butterfly species for Butterfly parks.
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Butterfly Parks in India
Nearly 20,000 species of butterflies are identified in different locality of the World. In India there are about 1504 butterflies were recorded accounting for 8.7% of butterfly species in the World. There is a growing need for conserving the biodiversity, which can be met out by conserving butterflies with the available resources. Bannerghatta Butterfly Park is the first Butterfly park in India located in Bengaluru of Karnataka state.
History of Butterfly parks
Butterflies come under the order Lepidoptera that is based upon their morphological characters and is divided into six major families. They are Hesperidae, Nymphalidae, Danaidae, Lycaenidae, Pieridae, and Papilionidae. In which, there are 3000 species in Hesperiidae, 600 species in Papilionidae, 5000 species in Lycaenidae and 5000 species in Nymphalidae worldwide.
Importance of Butterfly Parks in India/ Benefits of Butterfly parks
- Knowledge about the different stages of butterflies such as egg, larvae, pupae, and adult can be gained.
- Students can have a good exposure towards conserving our biodiversity
- Provides a pleasant atmosphere to the visitors with beautiful flower and flying butterflies.
- Butterfly Park is goof for psychological therapy by relaxing ourselves.
- The varied diet from the larval stage to adult can also be studied.
- The butterflies while foraging nectars, carry the pollens that are stuck to their body parts and tend to pollinate the flowers.
How to establish Butterfly Park
Materials and methods to start Butterfly park
Site selection
The site selected for butterfly park construction should include a good water supply and electric supply facility. The soil should be preferable for the cultivation of plant resources that feeds the butterflies. It should also be located near the well-populated area so that many visitors and students can explore and gain knowledge.
Layout and landscaping
Landscaping to be carried out for garden construction suitable for butterfly breeding. The layout should include water resources with a drip system and an overhead irrigation system, an entrance area with protected barriers, a pond, beehives, walking path, edges, and hedges made of feeding and nectar plants. The entire construction to be covered under a polyhouse structure.
Selection of host plants
To construct a permanent structure of Butterfly Park, perennial plants for feeding and nectar of butterfly are to be selected.
Selection of nectar plants for Butterfly park
Mostly butterflies prefer flower that is clustered and providing landing platforms, brightly coloured ( red, orange and yellow). The butterflies taste with their feet and are active during day time than night, thus attracted by flowers that open during day time and with ample nectar producers to feed the butterflies are to be selected. Artificial feedings can also be provided like honey, sugar syrup and ripened fruits during the off-season.
| Host plants | Nectar plants |
| Anogeissus acuminate, Combretum albidum, Combretum latifolium, Combretum ovalifolium, Terminalia bellirica, Hiptage benghalensis, Ficus sp, Chionanthus burbureus, Schefflera venulosa, Embelia ribes, Meliosma arnottiana, Derris trifoliate, Derris elliptica, Cocos nucifera, Licuala grandis, Saccharum officinarum, Zingiber officinale, Curcuma aurantiaca, Phonenix sylvestris, Calamus brandisii, Stenotaphrum secundatum, Bambusa bambos, Imperata cylindrical, Zea mays, etc., | Abrus precatorius, Abutilon indicum, Acacia spp, Ammania baccifera, Argemone Mexicana, Boerhavia diffusa, Bombax ceiba, Brassica nigra, Cadaba fruticosa, Celosia argentia, Cleome viscosa, Cosmos, Croton banplandium, Derris scandens, Gliricidia glabra, Hibiscus spp, Holarrhena indicus, Ixora spp, Jasminum spp, Lantana camera, Leucas spp, Naringi crenulata, Oxalis corniculata, Parthenium hysterophorus, Passiflora spp, Phyla nodiflora, Portulaca oleracea, Pongamia pinnata, Quisqualis indica, Ricinus communis, etc., |
Pond creation for Butterfly park
Ponds are to be constructed at the center of the park to improve the aesthetic view of the park and also provides a pleasant atmosphere to the butterflies. Ponds may be planted with some of the ornamental aquatic plants which also acts as a nectar source.
Maintenance of temperature in Butterfly park
Within the closed structure, the optimum climatic requirement for the particular butterflies are to be maintained.
Releasing of butterflies
Initially, butterflies of the particular locality to be collected and released into the constructed park and maintained for breeding
List of Indian Butterfly species for Butterfly park
- Papilio polymnestor,
- Papilio polytes,
- Graphium sarpedon,
- Papilio memnon,
- Papilio liomedon,
- Pachliopta pandiyana,
- Hasora chromus,
- Delias eucharis,
- Aporia peloria,
- Aporia agathon,
- Baltia butleri,
- Pieris chumbiensis,
- Pieris naganum,
- Pontia edusa,
- Ixias marianne,
- Catopsilia pyranthe,
- Eurema brigitta,
- Cigaritis vulcanus,
- Heliophorus epicles,
- Nilasera centaurus,
- Zeltus etolus,
- Hypolycaena erylus,
- Parthenos sylvia,
- Hypolimnas bolina,
- Tirumala septentrionis,
- Euploea mulciber,
- Danaus genutia,
- Discophora lepida,
- Elymnias hypermnestra,
- Moduza procris etc., are some of the Indian Butterflies
Conclusion of Butterfly parks in India
With the required host plants and nectar plants, the butterfly park can be created. The butterflies can complete its whole life stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult within the created structure with available resources for breeding and feeding. The butterfly park ensures a pleasant feel and a good knowledge to the students and researchers. The butterflies can be conserved and thus balancing to bio-diversity of our nature.