The latest butterfly survey at Aralam
Wildlife Sanctuary, a small protected area situated in the Southern Western
Ghats, added two more new winged beauties to its rich insect diversity. The three
day survey carried out from January 10 to 12 recorded Blue Nawab and Cronelian
butterflies from different parts of the sanctuary for the first time. With the
new additions, the total butterfly species found in Aralam WLS increased to 242,
according to researchers who participated in the survey.
Though Blue Nawab was recorded from
different parts of the state since 2003, this is for the first time that we
record the caterpillars of the butterfly from inside Aralam Wildlife sanctuary,
said Jafer Palot, Secretary, Malabar Natural History Society which routinely
organizes the butterfly survey camp at Aralam each year to monitor and study
the altitude migration of Common Albatross and related species of butterflies
in the sanctuary.
According to researchers who participated
in the survey, migration was abundant this year. During peak hours of
migration, the monitoring teams were able to record as much as 1500
butterflying passing a specific spot on the banks of Cheenkani River in one
minute period. It has been observed during the earlier butterfly surveys in the
sanctuary that hundreds of thousands of butterflies belonging to specific
species migrate from upper reaches of Western Ghats to lower reaches though
certain fixed routes during this season. However, their point of origin is
still unknown just as the destination of their enigmatic journey.
The new addition again increases the
conservation significance of the sanctuary for its rich insect diversity. Even Silent
Valley National Park, which is known for its rich and endemic fauna, has only
up to 125 species of butterflies recorded so far, says butterfly enthusiasts.
Talking to media, V C Balakrishnan, an environmentalist who has been participating
in the event for the last several years, said that the new discovery increases
the conservation significance of Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary. "This underscores the
importance of conserving the place as an important biodiversity spot where
butterflies and other winged creatures flock together in lakhs," he said.
According to Balakrishnan, who is an expert
in identifying and documenting plants in Western Ghats, the caterpillars of
Cornelian butterfly were on Sapindus plant and on Connarus plant. Caterpillars of
Blue Nawab were found on a plant which is called as Vallimandaram (Bauhinia phoenicea) in Malayalam.
The butterfly survey camp also reported high
mud-puddling on the banks of the rivers Cheekannipuzha and Urutipuzha in the
sanctuary. During mud-puddling, butterflies flock to the wet forest floor or on
the river banks to suck in nutrients and rare minerals from soil. According to
V Madhusoodhanan, Assistant Wildlife Warden of Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, the three day camp with around 90 participants recorded more than 150 species of
butterflies from different parts of the sanctuary this year.
Now, watch the huge butterfly roost observed in Aralam during the migration season of 2013.
Aralam(Kannur): Marking the beginning of yet another season
of butterfly migration, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kannur District of Kerala
witnessed a large congregation of Dark blue tiger, Common crow and Double banded crow butterflies of Daniane family at Pothanplavu area of the sanctuary
during the second week of January.
According to sources in the Malabar Natural History Society,
a Calicut based nature organization which conducts a routine butterfly survey
at the sanctuary with the support of Kerala Forests and Wild Life Department to
observe and document migration, there could be more than 3 lakh butterflies
roosting at Pothanplavu area only. During the survey, at least two similar roosts
were reported at different places in the sanctuary. According to sources, the
roosting flies could be a part of large flocks of butterflies which were
reported migrating from Nadukani plains of the Nilambur forest during last week.
Dark Blue Tiger (Tirumala septentrionis) butterflies roosting at Aralam WLS
A roost or congregation is a group of butterflies which perch
on trees or plants, often with limited physical activities and with almost no
feeding. Usually butterflies do not shift their roosting sites every year, so roosts
were earlier observed in Aralam almost in the same places during migration
season.
“During a roost, migrating butterflies live through weeks with limited
or no activity like feeding.” says Dr. Jafer Palot who has conducted studies
about the butterfly migration in the Kerala part of Western Ghats. “However, we
have observed mating behavior among roosting butterflies”, he said during a lecture
to the team members who took part in the survey.
Butterfly roost at Aralam WLS: Video Clip
Common Albatross migration at Aralam Wild life Sanctuary
The survey teams have also reported that the migration rates
of Albatross butterflies from the sanctuary was more this year during the
survey days, unlike last year. According to a press release issued by MNHS, a
peak point of Common Albatross Migration was observed this year with a maximum count
of more than 500 butterflies in 5 minutes time, all along the Cheenganni River
of the Park. Last year, the rate was very minimal, mainly owing to the shrinking
of mud puddling sites, according to sources.
According to researchers and volunteers who took part in the
survey, groups of migrating common albatross butterflies were often followed by
Bluebottle, Great Orange Tip and Painted Saw-tooth butterflies.
The butterfly migration here is usually observed during the end of the winter season and before the starting of summer.The phenomenon has been
routinely observed by the annual butterfly survey for the last twelve years. The survey is the only one to be conducted in any protected areas in India for such a long period to record the changing butterfly diversity
and migration patterns.
Butterfly migration
in South India: Changing notions
Despite 12 years of documentation, the mystery of butterfly
migration in the Kerala part of Western Ghats in general and that to and from
Aralam WLS remains an unsolved mystery for many reasons. Though the migratory behavior
among butterflies were thoroughly studied in many countries (the monarch
migration from US to Canada, for instance), the scholars in the country are yet
to crack the nut of complete secrets of these winged travelers.
Butterflies in mud puddling during migration
“In the early years we thought that the migration flocks
going through the sanctuary were actually coming from Wayanda and were going to
Kodagu in Karnataka through Kottiyoor. However, with the information network
getting wider and people from different parts of the state alert us on any sight
of butterfly swarms moving in particular direction for prolonged period of
time, we now know that the phenomenon is not restricted to a single route or region”,
says Dr. Palot. During their later studies, they have found that the phenomenon
can be mainly connected with altitude, since the general pattern of Common Albatross
migration shows that the flies are moving from high altitude to low altitude
and vice versa during specific seasons.
Though the phenomenon is more correctly understood as altitude
migration now, many questions are still left unanswered. During surveys in 2008,
more than 5000 butterflies were recorded moving down the stream every five
minutes, making a rough figure of 4 lakh butterflies during the season. “We
don’t know how this much butterflies come up together at a time during the
season”, says a researcher. “Neither do
we know where they flies disappear”, adds he.
“There should be sorts
of factory run by nature which produces this much lakhs of butterflies upstream
to trigger large scale migrations,” said Dr Palot while interacting with the
survey teams. It needs thorough investigations, he said.
Dark Blue Tiger (Tirumala septentrionis) and Crow butterflies roosting at Aralam WLS
However, researchers got a clue this time, since one survey
team spotted female Albatross butterflies laying eggs on a lesser known larval
host plants on the migration routes. According to their assumption, the wide
presence of the plant could be the factory which produces tens of thousands of Common
Albatross butterflies during a migration season.
Pale Four- Line Blue
reported from Aralam WLS
According to MNHS sources, the survey has also added a new species
to the butterfly diversity of the sanctuary, with one team spotting and
photographing ‘Pale Four-Line Blue’ from the sanctuary for the first time in
the past 12 years of the survey. With the new report, the sanctuary has 244
different butterfly species, which makes it one among the top protected areas
in the country for its butterfly diversity.
The survey has also recorded more than 140 species of
butterflies from the sanctuary, with rare sightings like Red Spot Duke, Common Onyx,
and the Western Ghats endemic Malabar Tree Nymph. As many as 84 butterfly
watchers from Kerala and Karnataka took part in the camp.
