In Frames: Butterfly effect

In Frames: Butterfly effect — Park for the frail, enchanting species has made Bannerughatta Biological Park of big-cat fame more attractive, with a garden and Centre for Conservation and Research

The Butterfly Park inside the Bannerughatta Biological Park in Bengaluru is the first such in India. The park, established in 2006, provides a perfect environment to serve as home to exotic butterflies. It consists of a butterfly garden spanning 7.5 acres, a butterfly conservatory, a museum, a research laboratory, and a curio-shop. A total of 48 species have been spotted in the wilderness of the garden till date. 

The park was conceptualised as an integrated Centre to support education, conservation, and research activities with an exclusive focus on butterflies as flagship ambassadors of conservation. 

Thirty species of butterflies belonging to five families, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Lycaenidae, and Hespiriidae, were bred in different seasons under captive conditions and released into the conservatory dome, enclosed under a polycarbonate roof. Lab assistants under the guidance of a forest official and a lepidopterist collect larvae and eggs from the garden and collect feed. 

They supervise the breeding at all stages of the process. Exhaust fans and periodic watering is used to maintain the moisture in the dome. Heating bulbs and fans are used to maintain the right temperature in the breeding chambers, depending on the season. 

A regular check for predators such as ants, spiders, rats, birds, and lizards is done to keep them away from the breeding unit and dome. Other than predators, climate change poses a huge threat to the survival of butterfly species. Breeding the butterflies has become a tough job in the last couple of years due to erratic weather and growing urbanisation, a park official said.