The butterfly effect
People have been going to places where the insect is found in great numbers, to see colourful butterflies for themselves.
It’s a wonderful time to spot colourful butterflies in the capital, and with September been the ‘Delhi Butterfly Month, there are plenty of walks that will help you do just that.
The caterpillar has, at last, metamorphosed into a butterfly as the capital gets a rush of bloom, just after monsoon and right before autumn. One would be surprised to know that Delhi, which is known for all the khaan-paan and Dilli-wale shenanigans, has a spark of beauty fly around, amid all the pollution — the butterfly.
To pay homage to the plenty of butterfly species that reside in the capital, Delhiites have been celebrating September as ‘Delhi Butterfly Month 2019’. People have been going to places where the insect is found in great numbers, to see colourful butterflies for themselves.
Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, which provides a favourable natural environment for butterflies, has scheduled walks all month, to help people experience the beautiful creature. The sanctuary is home to over 30 species of nectar flora and 60 varieties of trees, perfect to attract butterflies.
“The whole month is based around butterflies. We organised a walk last Sunday where people from all ages were present, and its main aim was to introduce them to butterflies and their lifecycle,” shares Sohail Madan of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
He also adds, “Every week we are organising public events such as ‘home butterfly gardening’ and ‘butterfly photography workshops’, which have been taking place during weekends.”
Sohail shares that more initiatives like this are in the pipeline, and continues, “We have also planned to go to schools to organise events such as ‘be a scientist for a day’, where students will be able to learn about these insects and they will also help in planting saplings that attract butterflies.”
He then shares, “We have created 28 butterfly parks that are either inside schools or residential colonies in Delhi and, apart from these, there are biodiversity parks in Gurugram, where you can witness various species of butterflies.” He and his team also intend to visit universities to conduct butterfly counting.
Completely riveted by this initiative, a butterfly lover, 23-year-old Radhika Malik, adds, “I’ve been living in South Delhi for the past 18 years now, and I remember how every September or October, I could find many butterflies near my house. Ever since my childhood days, I would click their photographs; till date, every year, whenever September is around the corner, I expect them to turn up.”