A Forest Filled With Butterflies

A forest filled with butterflies

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, one of India’s protected forest areas, turns a garden with dream flowers floating all over. The sight repeats as dusk falls in. Wafer thin canvases bearing a splash of colours flutter all around, filling the reserve with a splendour that matches the aura of a forest full of butterflies. This is the fourth consecutive year that the butterfly survey is being organised in Parambikulam. The survey is initiated jointly by the Department of Forest and Wildlife, Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation, and the Wayanad-based Ferns Naturalists Society.

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is a 391 square kilometres protected area in Kollengode Block, Chittur taluk in Palakkad district of Kerala state, South India. The wildlife sanctuary, which had an area of 285 square kilometres (110 sq mi) was established in 1973. It is one of the most protected regions in the Western Ghats and was declared a tiger reserve in 2009. Being a protected forest area, the reserve has nearly five endemic flora varieties and has had 29 direct sightings of tigers. It spreads over an area of 391 sq km reserve which also includes Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is a conservation zone and features in the list of world’s 34 bio diversity hotspots.

The butterfly survey

A recent survey held in the reserve spotted 221 varieties of butterflies, 11 of which were endemic to the area. The survey was held in different topographies and forest areas, including evergreen forests, dry deciduous forests, moist deciduous forests, shrubs and meadows, which lie in areas such as Aanapanthi, Parambikulam, Kuriarkutty and Nelliampathy. The major species spotted include Small Palm Bob, Silverstreak Blue, Orange-tail Awl, and Red-disc Bushbrown. Among them, Orange-tail Awl gets active only during early morning hours and late in the evening. The survey team had also recorded migration patterns of the rare species Dark Blue Tiger and Common Crow. Buddha Peacock or Buddha Mayoori, which was recently declared as State butterfly of Kerala, was found in abundance in some areas of the forest.

Major species

According to butterfly expert V.K. Chandrasekharan, the major species spotted during the four-day initiative include Small Palm Bob, Silverstreak Blue, Orange-tail Awl, and Red-disc Bushbrown. Among them, Orange-tail Awl gets active only during early morning hours and late in the evening.

The survey was held in different topographies and forest areas, including evergreen forests, dry deciduous forests, moist deciduous forests, shrubs and meadows, which lie in areas such as Aanapanthi, Parambikulam, Kuriarkutty and Nelliampathy.

Involvement of tribes

A pioneer in community-based ecotourism, Parambikulam tries to ensure foolproof conservation with the active involvement of 234 members of six tribal settlements inside its limits. The reserve has many firsts to its credit, made possible through the participation of tribespeople. Ever since the Joint Forest Participatory Management was introduced, there have been no incidents of poaching in the reserve.