Winged beauties of nature….
Butterflies have attracted man since the ages. Their colourful fluttering wings invite our awe. Kids love chasing them and poets get inspired to write odes about them. Their strange life pattern baffles even the wisest scientists, while nature lovers owe their gratitude for the priceless role played by these winged beauties in perpetuating life on earth. The butterfly is indeed a unique and marvellous creature which deserves our attention and careful study.
Butterflies and Their Conservation
Butterflies and moths belong to the order Lepidoptera. The term ‘Lepidoptera’ refers to scaly wing, which means their wings are covered by loosely attached scales, which give them their remarkable colours and patterns. There are about 18,000 species of butterflies around the globe, of which our country harbors around 1,501 species. The Western Ghats has recorded 339 species.
Apart from their incredible aesthetic appeal; butterflies form an important part of our ecosystem. Their transformation from egg to caterpillar, then pupa and the adult emerging out of it, is truly an amazing fact to be witnessed. They are a significant part of nature’s food chain and they are good pollinators too. Their story of migration still remains a mystery for the scientists to be solved. Some types of butterflies are used as ‘indicator’ species, to identify habitats that are critical and require immediate attention for conservation.
Hence humankind can neglect butterflies only to our own peril and every effort must be put to study, conserve and protect butterflies.
Sammilan Shetty’s Butterfly Park
Sammilan Shetty’s Butterfly Park was set up in the year 2011 by Sammilan Shetty, a young nature lover and butterfly enthusiast. It was officially inaugurated last year on August 18thby Isaac Kehimkar from BNHS. Situated at Belvai, near Moodabidri at the foothills of the Western Ghats, the park is a treasure house of a wide variety of butterflies belonging to this region. The park is developed on natural greenery and the butterflies are also natural inhabitants of the park. The park respects the butterfly’s freedom and no dome or enclosure is maintained to keep them trapped within the park. Only suitable conditions which are favourable to different varieties of butterflies are created to attract them to the park.
The park is being run with service motive and is not a commercial undertaking.
Objective of the Park
- To educate visitors, especially children, regarding butterflies
- To highlight the need for conservation of butterflies
- To provide a protected habitat for butterflies of Western Ghats biosphere
- To undertake scientific study and research on butterflies
- To provide people with an uplifting experience by viewing and enjoying the beauty of butterflies
Free Awareness program for Students
Sammilan Shetty’s Butterfly Park would be organizing a free one week awareness program for students on successful completion of its first year. The awareness program would start from 15th of August to 21st. The program focuses on educating the students about butterflies and their need for conservation.
Program Highlights
- PowerPoint Show & Talk
- Park Walkthrough where students would watch butterflies, their eggs, caterpillars and pupa in their natural habitat.
- Photography
Schools and Colleges are requested to register in advance through phone or e-mail to book their slots at the following address.
Open on Sundays (08:30 to 12:30 hrs)
Santhadi House, Butterfly Park Road
Belvai-574213, Mangalore
