On The Wing: Where Do the Butterflies Go?

Published on: 02/09/2024

Photo title: Dark Blue Tiger

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Photo Credits: Gowri Subramanya

Have you ever wondered why we see a spurt of butterflies on some days and not a single one on others? I confess I paid no attention to seasonal appearances of butterflies until I had my own little patch of garden. Last summer, ravenous caterpillars of the Common Jay shaved off almost an entire Champaka tree of its foliage. As the monsoon begins, I see dark brown caterpillars nibbling on the Malabar Spinach leaves and took me back to the trips to the Western Ghats right after the monsoons, when every plant has sprung doubly back to life and butterflies appear after a long absence to celebrate it!

The heavy monsoons that the Western Ghats brave can be too much for the delicate, glassy butterflies that look like they could dissolve in water. So come rains, butterflies disperse to the plains where they can catch a break from the persistent downpour. Some of the migrant butterflies even carry a long-distance sojourn, moving away from the Western Ghats all the way to the Eastern Ghats, only to return in the cold months, when the reverse monsoon hits the eastern side. Bangalore happens to be in the path of this east-west migration route and that is how we get caught in sudden bursts of butterfly appearances in the monsoons.

The Blue Tiger, Dark Blue Tiger and the “milkweed butterfly” group (Tirumala sp.) is in the forefront of this epic migration from the West to East. It’s one thing to expect birds to fly thousands of miles in a few weeks, but to discover that butterflies do the same when their entire lifespan is only a couple of months. Between taking wing for the first ever time, to spreading their eggs while being constantly on the move, avoiding predatory birds that are deft and strong, and dodging even stronger monsoon winds, these butterflies take a daring plunge into an adventurous life. Just to give us a sense of how dangerous their adventures can get, in 2021, the Blue Tiger was spotted in Oman after 37 years! Speculation has it that a summer storm must have whipped a few of these Eastward flying Blue Tigers and swept them away westward, over the sea into the Middle Eastern country, where they miraculously managed to breed and give birth to a new generation of adventurers who will have to find their way back to India.

The one thing that perhaps gives the milkweed butterflies some protection is the toxic compounds within them, the gift they get from the milkweed flowers they feed on. Perhaps this is why they are bolder and more openly seen than some of the other migrants.

Photo title: Common Bluebottle

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Photo Credits: Gowri Subramanya

For instance, a far rarer butterfly is the Common (no, it’s not) Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon). Years ago, on a walking trail to Iruppu Falls in Kodagu, I had a lucky encounter with them. The path to the falls was rocky and damp even though we were well into winter. And on one of the spots, there was a group of dazzling butterflies with fluorescent green bands puddling on a particularly moist spot. The extravagant colour of their wings was a good distraction from the fact that these male butterflies were possibly hovering excitedly over human/animal urine, hoping to suck the salts and minerals right out of the patch, so they can “gift” them forward to the females, to make healthier eggs. The Law of Conservation of Matter works in fascinating ways.

This was the only time I saw the Common Bluebottle and it’s not entirely because they are small in number. They prefer the cinnamon tree family found mostly in the rainforests of Western Ghats and prefer to fly over the treetops unless… they spot a “fragrant” urine patch. Nevertheless, as migrant butterflies they must have fascinating adventures stored in their collective memories. Where does the wind carry them? And how much of the world do they see in, what is one season, for us?

Gowri Subramanya

Gowri Subramanya is an editor and learning consultant based in Bengaluru, India. Writing and photography are her chosen tools of creative expression and the wilderness is her muse. A keen observer of the interaction between nature and culture, she loves to explore the history as well as the natural history of new places during her travels. With a soft spot for bird songs and a weakness for flowers, she indulges in a healthy dose of tree gazing every morning.

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On The Wing: Where Do the Butterflies Go?

Gowri Subramanya