60 butterfly species thrive at 6 sites in Haryana, two of them in Gurgaon, finds survey

Category : Wildlife | Location : Haryana  | Posted on 2021-08-11 22:50:41


60 butterfly species thrive at 6 sites in Haryana, two of them in Gurgaon, finds survey

Gurgaon: The first all-India survey of its kind to map butterfly population and diversity has recorded 60 different butterfly species in Haryana that are found, primarily, at six locations. Among those, predictably, is Mangarbani, the Aravali grove in Faridabad. Aravali Biodiversity Park in Gurgaon is among the butterfly-rich sites as well.The survey, carried out by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) last September, recorded 1,196 butterflies in Haryana. The findings were declared on Wednesday.

According to BNHS researchers, butterflies are key biodiversity indicators as they are sensitive to changes in the environment, which is why the survey was crucial. Assam has the most recorded species (315), followed by West Bengal (238), Kerala (208), Uttarakhand (198), Karnataka (176), Maharashtra (162), Arunachal Pradesh (138), Chhattisgarh (137) and Tamil Nadu (125). Delhi recorded 80 species. More than 550 butterfly species with a total population of over 38,000 were spotted across the country.

Gurgaon has two of the six butterfly hotspots in the state — the other being Leisure Valley Park. Faridabad has two more besides Mangar — Rose Garden and Mini Forest. The other is in the north, at Kaleshwar National Park in Yamunanagar. Rare species found in Haryana are the common albatross and striped blue crow. The plain tiger, common silverline, lemon pansy, tawny coster and common lime are among the most commonly spotted.

“The study also indicated that habitat features influence the presence of butterflies and insects. Wild and natural green spaces are conducive to butterfly diversity. If there are many butterflies in an area, it indicates that the soil is chemical-free and air pollution is less. Butterflies have a direct relation to plants — if more species are found in an area, it has more diversity in flora as well,” said Sohil Madan, a BNHS member.

Around 1,000 contributors participated in the survey and submitted over 20,000 images. “The chocolate pansy, common mormon, common grass yellow, great eggfly and common crow were the most frequently-encountered butterflies,” Madan said, adding the aim of the Big Butterfly Month survey last year was to sensitise people and bring communities together to preserve habitats for butterflies, which are vital components of the ecosystem, and build new habitats.



“Butterflies act as indicators of the health of an ecosystem as they need a very specific environment to develop. They need optimum humidity and temperature. If there is a variation in any of these factors, an adult butterfly won’t emerge from the pupa,” said Surya Prakash, a zoologist formerly with Jawaharlal Nehru University.



This year, Big Butterfly Month will be observed across the country from September 4. BNHS will form teams of participants to create butterfly habitats. “We will include Hisar, Gurgaon, Fatehabad and Sonipat in the survey this time. Our teams will help people create habitats in societies, condominiums and RWAs. We will also provide certificates to the participants and prepare a database of the habitats so that we can monitor the ecosystem by studying butterflies,” said Madan.


Asked about state initiatives to conserve butterflies, the forest department said a butterfly park has been developed in Sultanpur National Park. “At the butterfly park, we plant specific plants that attract butterflies for breeding. We also inform people about these plant species so that they can be planted in housing societies to increase butterfly population density,” said ML Mallik, chief conservator of forest (wildlife), south Haryana.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/60-butterfly-species-thrive-at-6-sites-in-haryana-two-of-them-in-gurgaon-finds-survey/articleshowprint/85256056.cms