As concretisation threatens butterfly habitats, an expert shares tips on setting up gardens for the winged pollinators

Monsoon is a time when butterflies migrate from the rain-soaked Western Ghats to drier regions, so Pune might see more of these winged insects. But, is there sufficient food for them ?

On Saturday morning, a group of nature enthusiasts, which included children, came together for a workshop by a butterfly specialist, Narendra Bhagwat, at Rupa Rahul Bajaj Centre of Environment (RRBCEA) and Art to understand techniques of planting butterfly gardens in schools, housing colonies, terraces and even balconies so as to boost butterfly population in urban areas.

“There is a difference between a butterfly garden and a butterfly park. The former is an open space with flowering trees where butterflies can come and go as and when they want. A butterfly park is a polyhouse, which is a controlled environment,” said Bhagwat, who is a software engineer when he is not working with the army, schools, such as Kendriya Vidyalaya, companies and social organisations on setting up butterfly gardens and other biodiversity projects.

“There was, once, wildlife on the land where we have built our cities. We have to work on lost habitats wherever possible. One way is for us to set up a butterfly garden, which can provide food, shelter and a place for butterflies to lay eggs and hatch,” he added.

An indoor presentation, followed by a walk around RRBCEA’s garden, covered essentials, such as how lives of humans and other species depend on butterflies and bees, the names of almost 100 plants that one can choose to create a butterfly garden, why butterflies will flock to a basket of rotting bananas and pineapple, and how every butterfly has a dedicated, associated host plant. There was information about invasive and native species, online citizen science resources that can help an amateur and the challenges in maintaining a butterfly garden.

Holding up a branch of a yellow alder on which a caterpillar nestles and another with a pupa, Bhagwat pointed out that curry leaves, an ingredient in everyday cooking, might just house a few eggs as these plants are hosts for butterflies.

The audiences had questions ranging from growing butterfly gardens on balconies that receive only a couple of hours of sunlight, to why plants growing in water bodies do not attract butterflies.

Bhagwat also pointed out that a garden with a lot of caterpillars might end up having only a single butterfly because birds, ants and other insects prey upon the eggs and caterpillars of butterflies.

“While growing a butterfly garden, it is important to know that the aim is not beautification. If you trim a plant, you are not letting the plant flower. If possible, try to leave your butterfly garden wild to attract butterflies,” he said. The session ended with participants being given a Bryophyllum sapling to kick-start their butterfly garden.