Survey begins to map butterfly diversity in Keralam’s Silent Valley

The team conducting a butterfly survey poses for a photo at Silent Valley National Park on Friday.

A butterfly survey began at Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad on Friday. About 50 researchers, butterfly enthusiasts, nature lovers and trained volunteers are taking part in the three-day study.

The survey, organised jointly by the Kerala Forests and Wildlife department and the Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS), will continue until Sunday (November 15). Wildlife Warden G. Harikrishnan Nair inaugurated the survey.

Teams are covering 14 locations in the park and its buffer areas: Anavai, TK Colony, Kannampally, Keerippara, Mukkali, Neelikkal, Panthanthode, Poochippara, Sairandhri, Sispara, Thathengalam, Thudukki, Uppukulam and Walakkad.

A kaleidoscope of blue tiger butterflies congregating on a plant to feed on its chemical-rich fluids in Silent Valley, a behaviour known as pharmacophagy.

V.S. Vishnu, assistant wildlife warden, Sreejith A.P., Bhavani range forest officer, and B. Shiju, wildlife assistant, are coordinating the fieldwork. Researchers Muhamed Jafer Palot, V.C. Balakrishnan, Balakrishnan Valappil, Chandrasekharan V.K. and Abdul Riyas K. are guiding the survey.

The teams will identify butterfly species, prepare a checklist and study their distribution across different heights and habitats. They will also observe the plants where butterflies lay their eggs, the flowers they feed on, their mud-puddling habits and seasonal changes in their activity.

Butterflies are important indicators of forest health. Changes in their numbers and variety can reveal changes in vegetation and habitat conditions. Studying their food sources and breeding grounds will also help researchers understand their life cycle and conservation needs.

Silent Valley National Park, part of the Western Ghats and the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, has habitats ranging from evergreen forests to shola grasslands. Its management plan for 2022-2032 records 205 butterfly species.

The survey aims to add to this list and provide information that will help future research, monitoring and conservation of butterflies in the park.