This document discusses planning and managing butterfly parks. It covers selecting suitable land and preparing the land while minimizing modifications. Native plant species should be chosen as host plants for butterfly eggs and larvae, and as nectar plants to support adult butterflies. Both small and large butterfly gardens are possible. Regular maintenance includes controlling invasive plants, using natural pest control, and monitoring the butterfly population. Larger parks may include features like ponds and insect hotels. Conservation projects aim to improve habitat connectivity through butterfly corridors.

1. Planning and
Management of
Butterfly Parks
Haneesh K M
10-09-2021 Friday
19:00 IST

2. Butterflies and
plants
• The coevolution of flowering
plants and their animal
pollinators presents one of
nature's most striking examples
of adaption and specialization.
• It also demonstrates how the
interaction between two groups
of organisms can be a font of
biological diversity.

3. Contents
• Host and nectar plants
• Early stages
• Butterfly gardens
• Land preparation and plant
selection
• Common nectar and host
plants
• Basic principles for butterfly
parks
• Butterfly corridor project in
Kerala

4. Host and Nectar
Plants

5. Identification of host plants
• Each species has a set of
preferred host plants
• Gravid females will identify the
plants by sensing the chemicals
in the plant
• Eggs may be laid singly or in
batches, depending on the
species

6. Various host plants

8. Butterfly Eggs
• 1-3 mm size
• The shape and size vary with family and species

9. Preference for laying eggs
 Leaf
 Flower buds
 fruits

11. Feeding
behavior
• Family and species
preferences

12. 5 Stages during larval stage – 5 instars

14. Nectar Plants

15. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.
Flowers are evolved to
attract the pollinators

16. Species wise nectar plant preferences

18. Butterfly garden
• Butterfly garden is a way
to create, improve, and
maintain habitat for
lepidopterans
• In order to support and
sustain butterfly
populations, an ideal
butterfly garden contains
habitat for each life stage

19. Why butterfly
gardens?
• Recreational activity
• Conservation of habitat
• Improving pollination in the area
• Conservation of butterflies and
other insects
• Improves the soil quality, as no
pesticides are used
• Education and awareness

20. What can be the size
of the garden?
• Can be even one potted plant
• A few nectar and host plants will be making a small
butterfly garden
• Butterfly gardens can be on balconies or on terraces
too
• If space is available, large land area can be converted
into butterfly garden by adding host and nectar plants
• Gardens can be developed by individuals, family or by
institutions/organizations

21. Land
Identification
• Landfill sites
• Land invaded by invasive plants
• Lakefront
• Degraded habitats
• Fragmented habitats

22. Land
preparation
• Identify suitable land
• Only minimum modification of
land is needed
• Only sustainable methods to be
used to prepare the land.
• Avoid removing existing
plants and trees from the area.
• Sustainable use of fertilizers
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

23. Introduction of plants
• Introduce the preferred nectar
plants for the butterflies available
in the region
• Introduce nectar plants suitable
for different family of butterflies.
Some prefer flowers with long
pollen tube
• Select different types of plants, so
that nectar is available
throughout the year

25. Control invasive plants
• Lantana camara
• Sphagneticola trilobata
• Mikania micrantha
• Chromolaena odorata
• Prosopis juliflora

28. Maintenance
• Select indigenous plants
• Control the pests using natural
methods
• Regular farming activities to
follow
• Introduce plants for the regular
butterflies in the garden
• Prepare for the season
• Make own nursery
• Regular monitoring

29. A butterfly garden in an urban environment

30. Very small gardens
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

31. Bigger butterfly gardens

32. Closed area parks

33. • Ladybird Environmental
Consulting- LEC - work

34. Some of the common nectar plants
• Oxalis corniculata
• Turnera ulmifolia
• Plumbago auriculata
• Hamelia patens
• Ixora Coccinea
• stachytarpheta
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

35. Common nectar plants
• Mussanda frondosa
• Pentas lanceolata
• Duranta erecta
• Vitex nedungo
• Lea indica
• Hedychium coronarium

36. Common hostplants
• Curry tree (Murraya koenigii)
• Lemon (Citrus limon)
• Crown flower (Calotropis
gigantea)
• Tropical milkweed (Asclepias
curassavica)
• Oleander (Nerium oleander)
• Golden shower (Cassia fistula)
• Air plant (Kalanchoe pinnata)
• Mussaenda erythrophylla

52. Alkaloid rich
plants
Crotalaria retusa
Heliotropium indicum

53. Basic principles of butterfly gardening
Identify butterflies in the
area
• Provide regional nectar and host
plants
Minimum modification of
land and landscape
Use only sustainable
method for fertilizers and
pest control
Maintain the garden using
usual gardening principles
Regular monitoring Keep a nursery
Document the butterflies
and other lifeforms
Use the garden for
awareness

54. Bug hotel (Insect
house)
 manmade structure created to
provide shelter for insects
 provide insects with nesting
facilities – particularly during
winter, offering shelter or
refuge for many types of
insects.
 Their purposes include hosting
pollinators.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

55. Dragonfly ponds
 Eminent dragonfly expert
Prosenjit Dawn and
 well known naturalist Mantu
Hait created three Dragonfly
Ponds
 at Bali Island of Sundarban in
South 24-Parganas, southern
West Bengal, eastern India

56. Kerala Butterfly Corridor Project

57. Monarch Highway

58. 13
butterflies,
6 host
plants

59. 6 host plants

65. References
Larval host plants of the
butterflies of the Western Ghats,
India | Journal of Threatened Taxa
WELCOME TO THE BUTTERFLIES
OF INDIA WEBSITE!
(ifoundbutterflies.org)
Monarch Highway | The Monarch
Joint Venture

66. Special thanks to
•Mr.BalakrishnanValappil
•Mr.SammilanShetty
•ObserversonIfoundbutterflies.org
•WINGS
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.