FEATURE ARTICLE
The butterfly population is often
a yardstick of measurement
of the environmental health
of a region. It is also fun to
photograph these beautiful
creatures of nature.
J
HARKHAND was created out of its
parent state Bihar in November 2000.
It comprises mainly of the hilly tracts of
the Chotanagpur plateau and Santhal
Pargana hills having gentle and easy
slopes. Of the population of 3.3 crores,
as per 2011 census, the tribal population
accounts for about 27%.
The word “Jharkhand” is a
combination of two words – Jhar means
shrub or plant and Khand means area or
sector; aptly christened as Jharkhand it is
richly endowed with verdant forest cover,
diverse wild life, turbulent rivers and
roaring waterfalls. River Damodar and
Swarnrekha originate in this land apart
SCIENCE REPORTER, NOVEMBER 2013
PRABHAT KUMAR
from many small rivulets and streams.
The entire stretch falling along the course
of Damodar is a coal-bearing area. In
Sanskrit, Dam means fire and Udar means
stomach – Damodar’s belly is full of coal.
almost everywhere in this part, flowering
profusely round the year attracting
swarms of butterflies as the lantana
flowers are store house of sweet nectar
with inexhaustible supply.
Nature has bestowed Jharkhand with
favourable zoo-geographic and climatic
conditions. Thus, wild life and biodiversity abound, vividly perceptible in
the huge butterfly population.
Seasonal flowering of vegetable
plants including wild flowers also find
favour with these winged visitors.
Rose, the most beautiful of all flowers,
is neglected by butterflies in the garden
whereas bougainvillea flowers are visited
often. The common Vinca rosia with bluish
flowers invites them but the variety
bearing white flowers are less favoured.
Butterflies love the sweetness of Hibiscus
flowers also.
The distribution of butterflies is
fairly widespread in the region. Forests,
farm lands, meadows, damp and marshy
grounds, lakes and riverine stretches are
hot spots and favourite play grounds.
Lantana shrubs grow in abundance
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FEATURE ARTICLE
However, butterflies are considered
minor or insignificant pollinating agents
unlike bees. Farmers abhor butterflies as
a potential menace and consider it a pest.
Very agile in flight during day time
in sunny weather, they appear to be in
a hurry always, displaying aerobatics
in the air to dodge off the enemy. It is
fascinating to observe their flight pattern
full of unpredictable zigzag courses in
horizontal and vertical directions. They
are master flyers, next only in dexterity
to the legendary dragonfly. It is a safety
measure adopted by butterflies to protect
themselves in the air from predators.
Butterfly wings perform multiple
functions. There are tiny holes in the wings
Blue Mormon
for inhaling oxygen, the coloured pigment
on the wings scatter pheromones, the sex
scent by the male to attract females, as a
camouflaging limb, and to appear large
and fearsome to lurking enemies. The
wings act as a thermal regulator also.
Aerodynamic studies conducted in wind
tunnels on their wings have even led to
improvements in design of aircraft wings.
One way to watch them from close
range is to sit still or stand surreptitiously
under some host plants, flowery bushes
or in a lonely garden in the morning hours
when butterflies make vigorous rounds in
search of sweet nectars from flowers. They
also hover over the flowers of drum stick
and curry leaf plants (Murraya koenigii) in
their flowering season.
Very few butterflies
are fortunate enough
to complete their
full biological life.
Ravindranath
Tagore rightly
said:
“The butterfly
counts not
months but
moments and has
time enough.”
33
Weather has a profound impact on
their behaviour. They bask in the morning
sun to gather energy for flight. Inclement
weather conditions such as wind, clouds
and drizzle dampen their routines.
High noon is siesta time for them.
In the evening and night time they hide
inside shrubs or bushes under a canopy
of dense foliage. The smaller species hang
upside down clinging from the bottom
of a leaf to conceal themselves. This is a
very effective measure for protection and
survival. It is a also vital clue to locate
butterflies in the evening or in day time
also when they retire for taking rest. In
such conditions one can watch them
from close quarters, without disturbing
them. This opportunity, if one is lucky to
find at day-break, can best be utilized for
photography as it is the golden time. But
it requires dogged determination, a keen
searching eye and unwavering patience.
Butterflies are sometimes attracted to
the exposed part of human limbs in search
of salt found in sweat as nectar does not
contain salts. They generally taste it from
moist soil. The other example is its legs
through which it can taste at first instance.
I remember one such incidence when a
bluish black mormon force landed on
my right hand and to my dismay started
dabbing its proboscis over my skin. After
sometime, I coaxed it to alight on a nearby
plant. It posed for a few shots there before
flying away.
The Blue Mormon happens to be the
largest butterfly sighted in Jharkhand
SCIENCE REPORTER, NOVEMBER 2013
FEATURE ARTICLE
Watching a butterfly is a
surreal experience that
removes all physical and
mental worries and soothes
the nerves. While watching or
photographing them one is
closest to nature. The wings of
butterflies explode in a riot of
colours more vivid than found
in a rainbow.
on the banks of water pools for micro
nutrients and salts found in damp soil.
They display a keen sense of adeptness to
changing circumstances, a vital arsenal in
their instincts for survival.
on the basis of the span of its wings
measured from tip to tip (150-175 mm)
as well as the area of the wings. Its flight
pattern resembles that of a small bird’s
flight, usually linear and fast. But the
speed record holder is the Common Jay,
residing under the covers of the forest
green.
The wet grassland in Jharkhand
provides a lucrative and fertile breeding
ground for small butterflies. In general,
the wing span of such mini butterflies
ranges from approximately 2 cm to 3 cm.
House gardens and lawns are a good
habitat for them. They are territorial
and live in small groups. They restrict
the height of their flight to below knee
level, thus staying out of sight. They
are a colourful lot when viewed closely,
gossamery in appearance. They feed on
tiny wild flowers of the weeds found on
the grasslands. Jharkhand may prove to
be a veritable store house for new species
in this regard specially the Netarhat
region having an average height of 4000
feet above mean sea level.
Butterflies come in all shapes,
colours and forms. A sword tail butterfly
is one that has a sword-like elongation
of its wings at the hind portion, similar
to that when a long tail is attached to a
kite for imparting stability in high wind.
It is a cute, sleek and a beautiful butterfly;
seldom seen in Jharkhand nowadays. It is
a winter visitor.
The lime butterfly is the most
handsome and the most common of all
SCIENCE REPORTER, NOVEMBER 2013
the butterflies of the region. Citrus fruit
trees are the host plant for its larvae. Lime
butterfly derives its name for this reason.
The entire Indo-Malayan zone is
recognized as a potential habitat for the
faunal population including butterflies.
A large part of India including the
Jharkhand region remains uncharted for
ascertaining the total number of species
accurately. Presently, some 1200 have
been catalogued or identified in India
in comparison to about 18000 species
of butterflies in the world. The count is
rising with findings of new kinds but the
pace is slow. Jharkhand may provide the
impetus as it is a virgin land for research
in this field.
The courtship dance of butterflies
is a fascinating affair, full of graceful
actions executed in slow motion over
flowering bushes and in the air for quite
a long duration before commencement
of the mating rituals. Most species die
afterward. They live to raise only one or
maximum two broods.
Butterflies are always prone to
danger from enemies lurking in the sky
and on ground. Very few butterflies are
fortunate enough to complete their full
biological life. Ravindranath Tagore
rightly said: “The butterfly counts not
months but moments and has time
enough.”
Life of a Butterfly
The female butterfly lays tiny eggs
in the hundreds mostly on the underside
of a leaf of a host plant. The eggs hatch
in due course. Caterpillars, also called
larvae, are voracious eaters. They grow
larger and larger by the day, shedding
their outer skin till they reach the limit
of growth. They surround their body in a
silken shroud thereafter and hang upside
down from a twig. This is known as the
pupa or chrysalis. This stage triggers
radical changes and transformations
inside. From pupa comes out a full grown
and mature butterfly which after drying
its wings in the air flies away. The set of
transitions in the four distinct phases is
termed as metamorphosis. The survival
rate from the number of eggs laid to
emergence is hardly two per cent.
All butterflies live on a liquid diet, mostly
drinking nectar from flowers. Some
others prefer juice from fermenting fruits,
wood sap, excreta, blood or decomposing
animal bodies. Often they congregate
Large scale open cast mining
operations spread over vast areas,
degradation of forests, draining and
reclamation of water bodies, construction
and infrastructure work, indiscriminate
The largest of all butterflies are found
in the dense, hot and humid tropical
jungles of New Guinea. The largest has a
wing span of 30 cm displaying dazzling
colours of blue, black, gold and green.
It is a female and aptly named queen
Alexandra Birdwing. The smallest one is
only one centimetre across. In India, the
largest butterfly is the Southern Birdwing
with a wing span of 200 mm. Next comes
the Blue Mormon having a wing span of
150 mm.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Common Jay
Yellow pansy
Plain Tiger
use of pesticides coupled with the adverse
effect of climate change have profoundly
impacted butterfly health and population
in a negative way in Jharkhand. The Blue
Mormon, the Lime Butterfly, the spotted
Sword Tail are some of the exquisite
species of Jharkhand that have suffered
adversely. The threat is faced by all large
and medium size butterflies. Each year,
the sighting is diminishing.
Butterfly Photography
Watching a butterfly is a surreal
experience that removes all physical and
mental worries and soothes the nerves.
While watching or photographing them
one is closest to nature. This hobby
provides an opportunity to structure
time in a meaningful way. The wings of
butterflies explode in a riot of colours
more vivid than found in a rainbow.
Forests, farm lands, meadows, damp and marshy grounds,
lakes and riverine stretches are hot spots and favourite
play grounds. Lantana shrubs grow in abundance almost
everywhere in this part, flowering profusely round the year
attracting swarms of butterflies as the lantana flowers are
store house of sweet nectar with inexhaustible supply.
• An advanced compact camera of 10
MP or above resolution having a large
sensor and fast lens is suitable as it is
handy. DSLR is cumbersome to carry but
gives better results with 200 mm telephoto
lens as minimum requirement.
• Morning hours with calm, cool, and
clear weather are the best time. Go as close
as possible. Sharp focus is important.
• Compose a clutter-free frame without
distracting or disturbing element in it so
that cropping or improvement through
photoshop application is not required. If
one achieves this, one has mastered the
art.
• White, yellow, black and red colours
confuse the exposure meter of the camera.
Use auto bracket mode with + - !/3
EV setting for choosing the optimally
exposed photo.
• Try burst mode also for very agile
species, specially when the butterfly is
coming to land on a flower or flying away
from it. It may give dramatic results.
•
No flash, it burns details.
• Prefer darker but contrasting
background. Avoid pictures against
bright sky. If unavoidable, use fill-in flash.
• Remember the Rule of Third but
experiment boldly, set your own bench
mark.
The quintessential nature of humans
is to rise above the mundane worries of
the world to transcend to a higher plain of
experience. The butterfly shows the way.
Photographing butterflies can be fun.
A few guidelines are enumerated here:
• Bring the camera to the level of the
butterfly, in general, but when wings are
fully open horizontally, click from top.
• Right season, right location, right time,
right gears with lots of patience are the
essential elements.
• Find the Sweet Spot point of aperture.
Also shoot in different aperture and mode
settings. Compare the results.
Mr Prabhat Kumar, a civil engineer by profession,
has rendered more than 38 years of service in
various government and PSU departments. He
retired from Coal India Limited in 2005 from the
post of Chief General Manager (environment and
civil). Address: House no. 342/b, Road no. 4b,
Ashoknagar, Ranchi-834002, Jharkhand
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SCIENCE REPORTER, NOVEMBER 2013