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Time of India
20-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Monsoon's arrival brings waves of blue tiger butterflies to Bengaluru
Bengaluru's parks, gardens, and balconies are swarming with strikingly large and beautiful groups of . Among them, blue tiger is standing out, captivating people across the city. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now So, what is bringing them to Bengaluru now? Here's everything you need to know about it. 'It is an annual migration across southern India' With the arrival of the , butterflies annually begin their journey from the Eastern to the Western Ghats. Professor Anuradha Batabyal explains the phenomenon of spotting large group of butterflies, saying, 'Butterflies get these cues generally from nature, like when the rains are coming, and they follow different kinds of patterns. Now, the timing of monsoons is also very different each year, so that can affect when they start migrating. That is the reason why Bengaluru is swarming with these migratory butterflies.' 'More than just a visual treat' 'Butterfly migration is a visual spectacle, but beyond that, it highlights how living beings respond to changes in weather conditions. Changes in migration patterns could reveal secrets of climate change. The visual grandeur could help attract the attention of the general public to butterfly activity, which is a dipstick to know how good the environment is,' says Nagesh Ramamurthy, of the . 'Bengaluru is an ideal resting spot for butterflies' 'Bengaluru sits on a plateau and has a temperate climate, both factors that are favourable for butterflies. The elevation and temperatures make it an ideal resting spot during their long migratory journey,' says Dr Shonali Chinniah, Marine biologist, Educator, and Science program designer. But what keeps them coming back is something simpler – the plants. 'When the host plants, the ones butterflies lay their eggs on, and nectar plants, the ones they feed from, are present in abundance, the number of butterflies naturally increases. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now If these plants are growing in a concentrated area, it can seem like there's a massive 'butterfly wave' passing through,' explained Anil Chinniah, entrepreneur and urban environmentalist. Butterflies get cues from nature, like when the rains are coming, and they follow different kinds of patterns. Now, the timing of monsoons is also very different in different years, so that can affect when they start Anuradha Batabyal, professor 'Butterflies can survive even in environments that are very low-maintenance' Despite the rapid urbanisation, butterflies are still spotted in the cities. 'Butterflies can survive in very low-maintenance environments. Like, they don't need a huge patch of forest land to inhabit an area. They can survive if their host plants are present, or if the plants they are foraging in are there. So that's the reason we still see a variety of butterfly species in cities like Bengaluru,' explains professor Anuradha. 'The migration in the middle of the year is due to several climatic threats' 'Decline in food and host plants due to land-use conversion and application of weedicides, replacement of native plants by invasive plant species, and high mortality due to vehicular hits and climatic changes are some of the major threats that butterflies are facing that are affecting their migratory behaviour in the middle of the year,' says professor Atul Joshi.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
Butterfly migration this year takes flight over Garden City earlier than expected
For the last few days, Bengalureans have been awestruck by the swarm of butterflies they have noticed in their neighbourhoods, especially around lakes. Although the migration of butterflies from Western Ghats to Eastern Ghats is a regular phenomenon before the southwest monsoon, this year, due to temperature changes, the movement and sighting of insects have increased in the region, according to experts. Nature observers said that while butterflies usually migrate through the outskirts of the city, after a long time, they are migrating through the city this year. 'Migration starts from the Western Ghats and ends at the Eastern Ghats as the butterflies look to escape the fury of heavy rains. After many years, this time, the butterflies are passing through Bengaluru, and that is why so many people got to see them,' explained Rohit Girotra, who conducts Bengaluru Butterfly Walks (BBW) in the city. Experts have also observed that migration is happening earlier than usual this year due to the predicted early onset of the southwest monsoon. 'Migration is entirely dependent on the monsoon and temperature. When the heat is too much, they try to escape it. Last year, as the summer was very harsh, we did not see many swarms. This year, as the rain is setting in May, the sightings are more,' said a senior official from the Forest Department. The Common Crow, Double-Branded Crow, Blue Tiger, and Dark Blue Tiger are some of the commonly sighted butterfly species during this season along with Plain Tiger, Tawnyu Coster and Stripped Tiger insects. The members of Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) shared that the migrating butterflies passed through the Puttenahalli Puttakere, in JP Nagar 7th Phase, while urging people to visit the lake to witness it. Nagesh Ramamurthy, another member of BBW, noted that the migration groups include three to four generations of butterflies. 'The lifespan of a butterfly is usually between three weeks and 45 days. Along their journey, they mate near lakes during the evenings, lay their eggs and carry on with their journey,' he said. Some nature observers said that more sightings are being reported this year due to the increased awareness among people and social media. 'We cannot exactly determine if the number of butterflies migrating this year is more or less. This year, it is a case of more citizens observing them, aided by social media to spread the word,' said Chandu Bandi, who leads the Bangalore Butterfly Club, which conducts weekly walks and discusses the migration of butterflies. 'Fewer studies are determining the population of migrating butterflies, except for a few enthusiastic researchers trying to do a citizen science exercise using a group that captures the migration observation log. A more regular monitoring exercise requires planning, and a dedicated pool of volunteers who could help understand the trends over a long term,' he added.
