From East to West, butterflies are the best

A good monsoon has cheered up the butterflies that are setting off on their annual migration

September 15, 2017 04:06 pm | Updated 04:22 pm IST

Butterflies are back in the news and naturalists are thrilled. After a gap of two years, the Milkweed butterflies —Dark Blue Tiger, Blue Tiger, Common Crow and Double-branded Crow are moving back to the Western Ghats this month and will continue to do so for a month or so more.

Recently, the Maruthamalai Foothill was a streak of colours with a congregation of butterflies. Reports of the sightings have come in from The Nilgiris, Erode, Tiruppur, Madurai and Theni districts, parts of Chennai, and Rajapalayam too. “It’s a combination of yellows, blues and browns as the butterflies move swiftly in a single direction,” says A. Pavendhan of Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society (TNBS). “From a specific location in Coimbatore, we recorded 38,000 to 80,000 butterflies moving in a single day for a distance of 1.5 Km. This is indicative that millions of butterflies are already on flight to the hills from the plains and Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu,” he explains.

Butterfly migration usually happens during the South-West and North-East monsoons. The TNBS has documented the migration since 2012. It recorded nil activity for the last two years because of poor rains. “We received good rains this time. The South West Monsoon was more than normal across the state, especially for the month of August. The months of April and May also saw good rains,” says Pavendhan.

This year, along with the milkweed butterflies, a good number of Common Emigrant butterflies were spotted too, which is a rarity. “There are no records of this in the recent times,” says Pavendhan. Ramanasaran Hari, a school student, recorded Common Emigrants near Vadavalli. Later in the day, he spotted another congregation of the same at Echanari. “They looked like yellow colour strips hanging in mid air. I also spotted about 20 Red Helen butterflies, which is also a first,” he says.

C.V. Nishanth noticed the emigrants basking in the morning rays, laying their eggs on the Kanikonnah (the host plant) near Singanallur before taking flight towards Maruthumalai, Siruvani, and Ponnuthu in the Western Ghats . “A suitable weather and availability of plants (they feed on fresh, tender leaves), have set a favourable condition. Butterflies are best pollinators. It indicates a healthy ecosystem,” says Nishanth.

Advocate Prakash Loganathan, of Erode, says he was awe-struck as he watched milkweed butterflies moving in large numbers towards the Satyamangalam forests. “I was watching it for the first time. They move at a certain height, past the buildings. The height suggested that they were migrating. Otherwise they would be flying lower down looking for nectar in flowering plants.” A profusion of blue tigers arrived at the Gandhi Nagar in the bus stand area in Tiruppur. Says A. Gopalakrishnan, a core member of the society, “Last year, as there were no rains, there were no butterflies. May be the monsoon has triggered the movement now. It’s still a mystery.” Jeswin Kingsly of Wildlife Wranglers from Kallar in Mettupalayam reported emigrants moving towards Kotagiri and Siruvani. “Last week saw Crows, Blue Tigers, and Common Beaks moving enmasse. We also noticed mud pudding of the Albatross butterflies. Sadly there is large scale road kill of butterflies, especially during the weekends, which sees a heavy inflow of tourists on the Coimbatore - Ooty Highway. Tourists should be more alert,” he says.

Pavendhan adds that a warning board by the forest department or NGOs on butterfly movement will alert tourists . This can easily bring down the road kills.

Loganathan says private societies can build awareness with regular workshops. “Recently, a documentary on snakes that went viral packed a lot of information. A film on butterflies that can be shared on Whatsapp or YouTube will build interest in butterflies.” Gopalakrishnan says they conduct sessions at schools, distribute pamphlets, and take students on Nature walks. He adds, “But, there is still a long way to go.”

The butterfly enthusiasts have also spotted Lime, Blue Tiger, Pansies, Common leopards and Skippers moving along with the congregation. Butterflies migrate to escape from harsh climate, and for food and survival. The Monarch Butterfly migration in America is a well-documented event. Says Pavendhan, “In India, especially in South India, the milkweed butterflies undertake the journey every year, fairly regularly, and in large numbers. The data available with TNBS indicates that this migration to the Western Ghats happens just before the commencement of North East Monsoon. The return migration to the plains and Eastern Ghats happens during April- May, before the onset of South West Monsoon in the hills.”

How to spot them

Butterflies are now moving towards hills to the direction of Palakkad gap and Siruvani Hills from Coimbatore

They migrate during the day, preferably between 9 am and 3 pm when the sun is out. They fly at a height of two to 15 mts from the ground level and move steadily in one direction

You can mail your observation to tamilnadubutterflies@gmail.com or visit Tamil Nadu Butterflies on Facebook to know more

Bring them home

You can attract butterflies at homes by growing plants like marigold, golden yellow button flowers, hibiscus, curry plants, Ixora and lantana. Butterflies swarm to these plants for nectar.

Plants like curry leaves, lemon, kanikoonah, false Ashoka tree, and castor ( aamankku) serve as host plants for some of the butterflies

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