How often do you hear people maintaining a beautiful butterfly garden in their house with around four different species of butterflies and much more? Well, never.
Jaswant Singh is probably the only one in the city to own a butterfly garden. Singh, who is well known for having sandalwood trees in his exotic garden, has another addition—an exotic net enclosure with around 30 butterflies, caterpillars and pupae.
Singh’s garden received the ‘Best Garden Award’ from the Tamil Nadu Government a few weeks ago. He says, “My aim has always been clear, spreading the green message. And since I am passionate towards gardening, I keep researching and coming up with different ideas to beautify my garden.”
He enthusiastically shows the caterpillars and pupae inside the garden, and explains the difference between each of the species. The four different species present in his garden are—Plane Tiger, Monarch, Blue Mormon and Lime Mormon.
He adds that these species thrive in the climatic conditions here. Among them, Monarch is the most common.
If you are thinking that having butterflies kept in an enclosed place, as Singh has arranged in his garden, is not good for them, you are highly mistaken. He says, “Usually, when a butterfly lays eggs, only five per cent of them survive and the rest are destroyed by wind or rain. However, this net enclosure keeps them safe from wind and rain. Since the top cover is made of poly-carbonate, they get the required amount of sunlight too.” Also, 50 per cent of the caterpillars are killed or eaten by other insects and lizards, and this enclosure saves them from that terror too, he adds.
You will find bits of cotton between the nets, solid palm sugar pieces and a bottle with a pipe containing liquid palm sugar. Singh says, “I sprinkle this on the cotton as the mineral present in this liquid is good for them. I use the sugar without any processing, else they will die.” You may also find a decorative material hanging inside the enclosure, made of shells. It contains water for the little creatures.
He has made sure that the enclosure has those plants and leaves on which the butterflies sit or lay eggs. It has a plant with butterfly shaped leaves to attract them.
Singh says he researched for around two years and watched the movement of butterflies in his open garden before creating the special garden. He says, “Butterflies are helpful in pollination and to beautify one’s garden. One needs flowering plants, and these creatures help in developing them.”
He says that the Tamil Nadu Government came up with the idea of a butterfly garden at the Vandalur Zoo but could not develop it. It’s lovely to watch this businessman play with the butterflies that hover around him in a friendly manner.