3
A Butterfly Walk to the Hills of Siruvani
Finally, on the way home, we found Many-tailed Oakblues
laying its eggs on the bare Euphorbiaceae (Trewia nudiflo-
ra), which will help the newly born caterpillars to feed on
the sprouting leaves during the spring season. Last but not
the least, it was the Slate flash in the regular spot showing
off its ‘flashy’ wings.
The session ended with a spicy Biriyani!
Finally, the much-awaited announcement for the team (by
the team too), how many numbers of species we have
seen! Before revealing the count, it is important that the
place is satisfyingly appreciated by the team. Coimbatore
is known for Siruvani water and its taste which naturally
enriches the banks thereby helping our fellow travellers
(the butterflies and birds) build a beautiful sanctuary of
their own. Siruvani is the Eden for the mortal men and
crossing 80 species in the butterfly count is common, but
100 is extraordinary and the team has got 102!
Words are beyond the emotions we had then. Leaving
such a place is hard and I always remember Robert Frost’s
saying “Miles to go before I sleep and Miles to go before I
sleep”. A never ending demand in a naturalist’s life and
responsibilities call us.
Coimbatoreans, always have the privilege of owning the
place. 250+ and still counting.
Highlights of the walk:
For this period of the year, we have recorded a good count of 102/324 Butterflies (31.5% butterflies of Western Ghats). Some
very rare sighting of the butterfly Painted Courtesan and Lesser Albatross butterfly was seen for the first time in Siruvani Range.
The butterflies of the family Nymphalidae dominated the most wi