![]() Tropical forests, with their wealth of plant life and abundant sunshine, are a natural haven for most species of butterflies. But even temperate regions of the earth possess a diversity of butterfly species. The Indian subcontinent, with its rich diversity of habitats, from the ice-capped Himalaya Mountains to the parched Thar Desert in India, and from the lush, steamy tropical forests in Assam to the mangrove-lined sea coasts in peninsular India, is the home of around 1000 species of butterflies. Butterflies have four life-stages-the egg, the larva, the pupa and the adult butterfly. The length of the life-cycle of a butterfly species usually takes three to four weeks: the egg and pupal stages occupying about a week each, while the larval stage may vary from a week to two weeks. The adult life-span is fairly long and may even exceed a year. Due to unfavourable climatic conditions or food scarcity, many butterflies undergo hibernation in any of their four stages. Since a life-cycle takes a month or so, theoretically there can be 12 generations in a year for most tropical butterflies. But certain optimum breeding requirements of temperature and food prevent most butterflies from producing so many broods; some may have just one brood a year and others may produce four or five. ![]() The Indian Butterflies are categorized into two families namely the Papilionoidea and the Hesperioidea. The Papilionidae includes some of the largest and most beautiful of all butterflies. Many possess 'tails' on their rounded or elongate hind wings and their fore wings are generally dark brown or black with a variety of colourful markings on these somewhat broad pointed wings. The familiar Indian species are: Dodona egeon (Orange Punch), Abisara fylla (Dark Judy) and Taxila hurquinus (Harlequin). The Blues, Coppers and Hairstreaks belong to the large family Lycaenidae which are mostly small butterflies with many species having tails on their hind wings. Their forelegs are perfect or slightly reduced and the male has a single claw. ![]() Butterflies bear economic importance because they serve as agents of pollination and at the same time sometimes butterflies in their larval stage damage domestic crops and trees. Thus it can be said that butterflies are a delight for the onlookers with its vibrant hues. |