COIMBATORE: Nature lovers are in for a visual treat as butterflies will start migrating from Eastern Ghats to Western Ghats in the next two weeks. Lepidopterists hope that they would get to see more butterflies at the end of September at wetlands and foothills of the Western Ghats across Coimbatore due to the rains in August.
Butterflies are expected to arrive from Eastern Ghats in Salem to the foothills of the Nilgiris up to Anamalai Tiger Reserve and a few other wetlands like Singanallur and Vellalore. A group of lepidopterists from Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society (TNBS), has predicted that they would be able to spot around 40,000 to one lakh butterflies during the migration.
A Pavendhan of TNBS told TNIE, “Butterfly migration is strongly related to the climatic conditions. We are expecting good numbers of butterflies this time, considering the surplus rainfall. Unlike birds, butterflies have a one-way migration system, although their subsequent population may migrate to other places. Lepidopterists have already observed few species at Kallar near Mettupalayam, giving an early sign of the migration.”
Another member of TNBS, H Ramanasaran, said, “There is a massive increase in the population of many species, including the double-branded crow, common crow, blue tiger and dark blue tiger. We are going to find out whether they migrated or originated in Kallar.”
As of now, a total of 286 species of butterflies have been recorded across Coimbatore and Siruvani hills has the highest number of species at 246, followed by Kallar at 206. Over 100 species have been spotted in Singanallur, Vellalore lakes and the Botanical Garden on Maruthamalai road.