4 SANCTUARY ASIA, 2018 MAYCURIOUS KID
When I was younger, I ran after
butterflies and tried
to catch these
spectacular
insects. Imormons, lime swallowtails and common
yellow swallowtails. I had learned that
butterflies lay eggs on one or few select
plant species, which are identified by the
female with the help of chemo-receptors
that are sensitive to taste and smell.
They are found on the
antennae and under
the surface of
the butterfly’s
feet!. I wasButterflies are important components
of biodiversity and play a key role in the
food chains of several ecosystems. A
number of arthropods, birds and reptiles
feed on butterfly eggs, larvae and
even adult butterflies. Most butterflies
are pollinators of flowering
plants. Also they are good
biological indicators* of
environmental health.
Butterflies have
short lifespans.
Small butterflies,
like blues, may
live only for a
few weeks, while
larger butterflies,
like swallowtails,
can live for* See glossary on page 23MASTERS OF METAMORPHOSIS
Butt erfl ies...
Butterflies have always fascinated humankind. Among
insects they are certainly among the most attractive – they
come in so many beautiful shapes, colours and patterns.
Their charm has made them very popular and they are well
celebrated in arts and culture. TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROHAN ARORA
a few months.
There are about
18,000 species of
butterflies in the
world and India has
more than 1,500 of them.
Now, isn’t that exciting!used to wonder
to myself, “Where
do they come from?”
“Where do they build their
nests?” As I grew older, I learned
that butterflies undergo complete
metamorphosis in four distinct stages. I
could hardly believe this! How different
the caterpillar looked as compared to
the pupa and the butterfly. I thought that
if I could see so many butterflies, the
pupal cases or the chrysalis from which
they had emerged must be around too.
So I decided to keep a close watch on
the butterflies visiting my backyard.
ON MY WATCH!
I had noticed that the lemon plants and
curry leaf plants in my backyard attracted
hordes of butterflies like commonsure that the
butterflies
were visiting
the plants in my
backyard to
lay eggs.
BUTTERFLY EGG-HUNT!
After keeping a close watch on every
branch and every leaf of these plants
for weeks, at last I saw butterfly eggs
sticking under the surface of a leaf!
They were laid singly, each one was
perfectly round and tiny enough to fit
on a pin head. These little yellow and
white eggs had a small spot at the top.
Upon reading, I found out that the spot
represented the closed opening called a
‘micropyle’, through which sperms had
entered during fertilisation.