Rare and exotic species of butterflies are spreading their wings in the City Beautiful.
Categorised rare in the green city of Chandigarh, Vagrant butterfly was spotted at Butterfly Park, Sector-26 here on Wednesday. The rare-sighted and appealing butterfly species was spotted by UT Forest-Cum-Wildlife Department photographer and lepidopterologist Kulbhushan Kanwar. Vagrant Butterfly scientifically known as Vagrans Egista (Cramer) having wingspan of 55-65 mm is generally found from Uttranchal to Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal.
While talking to The Pioneer, lepidopterologist Kulbhushan Kanwar said the status of Vagrant butterfly is rare in India while it is spotted for the first time in Chandigarh at the Butterfly Park here.The UT Forest and Wildlife Department has planted more than 50 species of host plants and various nectar plants for development of the Butterfly Park which is congenial for butterflies’ habitat. The host plants includes citrus, capparis, alvizia levveck and bael, that are the favourite dwelling units of lime, tiger, pioneer copper, common mormon butterflies among others.
Kanwar said, “On the wings from February to December, this butterfly species is very swift flier and restless. It has rich golden tawny colored with outer margin dark and narrow and dusky markings in apical portion. The species prefer moist deciduous forests and also settled on flowers, bushes and wet patches.”This is a new finding during my research work in Chandigarh since 2007. In a short span of two months, many rare butterfly species have been spotted for the first time in the city.
This included Commander Butterfly and Tawny Coster butterfly. Previously, three rare species like Common Onyx, Common Palmfly and Angled Sunbeam have been seen and clicked in Butterfly Park here, said Kanwar.
Kanwar added, “The delay in the onset of winters has changed the pattern of butterfly migration and many new species are found in Chandigarh now. While spring is the most important time for butterflies to emerge, the new species are unusually emerging in December also, due to delay in the onset of cold conditions.”
Notably, Chandigarh is a home to more than 100 species of butterflies including some rare butterfly species. There are many butterfly species namely Common Mormon, lime, Common Rose, Mottled Emigrant, Common leopard, Green-Veined White and Common Jay which are commonly spotted in Chandigarh.
Also, as many as 45 butterfly species are sighted at the Butterfly Park in Sector 26 here. The park spreads over an area of 7 acres with a meticulous landscaping. A state-of-the-art glass house to keep various species of winged beauties has also been constructed at the Butterfly Park and natural environment has been created in the glass house by setting up artificial waterfall, rocks and pathways.