Butterfly sanctuary: A reserve amidst concrete jungle

Entomologist says it would take years to release the first batch of coveted insects into open air

LAHORE: Two elaborate butterfly houses have been built in Lahore within the last four years that house hundreds of butterflies for visitors to interact with.

These colourful residents flaunt their beauty to capture the attention of visiting children and adults alike. Several types of butterflies are bred and raised in the facilities, whereas captured butterflies are also released inside the green retreat.

These cold blooded beings are the only insects that warm hearts of people infinitely. Despite such love for them, inadvertently, humans are harming their nurturing grounds with their ever increasing population and environmentally degrading activities.

It is barely realised how fast these butterflies, the metaphor of beauty, the instiller of romance and aesthetic splendor, are disappearing from the environment.

Officials say it would take years for the butterflies inside these houses to grow so much in number that the authorities may be forced to release some in open air.

Crucial to the fertilization process of plants, these short lived insects serve more purposes than pleasing the eyes of people. Their average life span is about one month, some may even live up to a day.

Now that some species are considered extremely vulnerable in the context of growing urbanisation and diminishing green cover, Punjab government set up the butterfly houses in Jallo park and Johar Town to facilitate butterfly breeding and research.

In summers, around 10 different types of butterflies reside in these houses including Little Yellow, Plain Tiger, Mormon, White angled Sulphur, Peacock Pansy, Painted Lady and Common Castor.

Butterfly House in-charge Nazneen Sehar explained that different types of butterflies are found in Pakistan during different seasons, though some types appear throughout the year too.

“Special arrangements are required to keep the butterflies alive in summer. A special fibre tunnel has been installed inside the botanical garden that maintains a conducive temperature of 35°C for butterflies,” she said.

The in-charge further stated that a separate breeding area has been built to provide necessary environment for multiplication of 10 types of butterflies. “Breeding them is not easy. Host plants are grown at various places to accommodate them as well as provide food for their nourishment.”

She maintained that butterfly breeding in Pakistan is still in experimental stages. Nevertheless, when around 150 butterflies are released inside the breeding area they rapidly grow into thousands within two weeks.

“Sadly, their mortality rate is very high and their age is only a few days,” she conceded.

According to butterfly house employees, larvae of various types of butterflies were initially imported from the Philippines. However, only local butterflies are now being bred.

Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) employees catch butterflies flying inside the botanical garden and release them inside the Butterfly Houses to provide them a more nurturing environment.

Scientists have discovered 17,500 types of butterflies in the world so far, of which only 58 are endemic to Pakistan.

The pretty insects thrive on nectar, tree sap, fruit juice and other sweet options. Butterflies have sensors on their feet which they use to taste leaves to ascertain if they are edible for caterpillars.

The eye catching colours of butterfly wings are either the insect’s true pigment or spatial reflection of light showcasing iridescence.

Red, orange, black, brown and yellow are actual pigments whereas white, purple and blue are visible due to structural reflection of light by wing scales.

Experts say butterflies in Pakistan are nonpoisonous unlike their relatives across the world.

They said survival of the skilled pollinators and fascinating creatures was linked to the protection of flora.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2020.