Soma Das encountered India's second largest butterfly, skipped around mud puddles where the male species enhance their mating chances and soaked in the nectar-filled air in a two-hour nature spectacle at Thane's Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden
Soma Das encountered India's second largest butterfly, skipped around mud puddles where the male species enhance their mating chances and soaked in the nectar-filled air in a two-hour nature spectacle at Thane's Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden
In the animal world, the butterfly's existence is a fleeting one (some species survive for a few weeks), yet it occupies a unique position. For centuries, it's bright colours, gracefulness and intelligence has caught the imagination of naturalists, scholars and the common man. 
The Blue Tiger butterfly (Tirumala limniace) is mostly found in Southern
India. It is distasteful to predators and causes vomitting ensuring that
they are not attacked. Pic/Rane Ashish
No wonder thenu00a0 that former heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali declared his fight strategy as "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee". Even the complicated Chaos Theory in Applied Mathematics uses the metaphor of the fluttering of a butterfly's wings acting as a trigger for atmospheric changes leading to a tornado.u00a0
u00a0Nearly two decades ago, the butterfly bug bit Rajendra Ovalekar, a physical education teacher at a school in Mulund. He went ahead and set up a butterfly garden on his ancestral rice farm in Thane. When we heard of this interesting obsession in the city's outskirts, we decided to drop by his two-acre farm -- the Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden.
That warm Thursday morning, as we broke away from the chaotic and dusty Ghodbunder Road, the approach appeared like a wormhole passage into the peaceful garden. It was ensconced barely a kilometre away, within the Owala village. Paradise was in full view -- dozens of butterfly species, rows of flowers in pink, yellow and purple, twittering birds and a breath of chlorophyll-infused fresh air.
Bask in the sunlight
The number of flitting butterflies increased as the morning turned warmer. Ovalekar explained that butterflies are cold-blooded and hence get the required energy and heat to fly from exposure and absorption of sunshine.
Ovalekar patiently guides visitors around and is a repository of information. He is a self-taught enthusiast -- "I started off in the '90s when I planted five nectar plants to attract butterflies. My knowledge was culled from newspaper cuttings and books and later with guidance from Bombay Natural History Society's Isaac Kehimkar. Five years ago, when I went on a BNHS butterfly trail, one of the researchers mentioned that she had seen varieties of butterflies in Owala village of Thane. I realised she was referring to my plot! I went ahead and converted it into a butterfly garden," says the 45 year-old. The craze to breed butterflies has seen Ovalekar visit strange places to find nectar plants. "I have gathered these from riversides, railway tracks and even from the lining of gutters," he adds.u00a0u00a0
What's in a name?
The garden is home to over 103 specimens of butterflies, including the Blue Mormon, which is the second largest butterfly found in India. Overall, nearly 160 species of butterflies have been spotted in Mumbai and its surroundings while India boasts of nearly 1,500 varieties of butterflies. 
The main enclosure where visitors can rest and enjoy their snacks. The
canopy is covered with trellises of nectar plants making it a hotbed of
butterfly activity.
As the morning progressed, we discovered that like their wings, butterfly names could be equally colourful. Sample a few -- Blue Tiger, Gray Pansy, Red Pierrot, Tawny Rajah and Common Jezebel. Interestingly, species also sport names like Sailor, Skipper, Commander, Common Baron and Gaudy Baron. "British officers christened butterflies with these names. They studied them in detail, hence the unique choice of names," explains Ovalekar.
Cycle of life
Every stage of a butterfly's life is visible at the garden. Witness the game of mating as male and female butterflies flit with each other; check out the eggs laid by the female on new leaves, spot caterpillars feed on leaves and butterflies sip from nectar plants. While some butterflies live for as long as six months, others survive for a span of two weeks.
"Butterflies have certain preferences when it comes to nectar. For example, the Red Pierrot prefers Bor trees, while the Skipper prefers Buddhist bamboo plants. Besides, I've kept small bowls with servings of fruits including pineapple, chickoo, custard apple, banana and grape across the garden to attract butterflies," shares Ovalekar. Thus, by attracting butterflies, it acts as a natural breeding ground for them, admits the butterfly enthusiast whose favourite is the Red Pierrot.
Butterflies might appear as tiny and carefree but they have elaborate behavioural patterns, explains Ovalekar. "They are fiercely territorial and will chase other butterflies away who suck nectar in their area. Some butterflies like the Blue Oakleaf Butterfly can camouflage to resemble a dry leaf, to escape detection. Butterflies also ensure they lay their eggs only on fresh green leaves to ensure the survival rate of the caterpillar as it can feed on the leaves," he explains.
Apart from their beauty, butterflies also play a significant role in the environment. The simple action of flitting from plant to plant aids cross-pollination or the transfer of pollen from one plant to another thus enabling plants to reproduce.u00a0The garden is dotted with mud puddles where butterflies feed to gain essential moisture and salts. These puddles are supposed to boost a male butterfly's fertility and thus make them more appealing to female butterflies. Time flew inside this butterfly haven. It left us feeling de-stressed and wishing that the good luck from these tiny creatures (Chinese consider butterflies as a symbol of love and luck) would rub off on us as well.u00a0
Know your butterfly
Chocolate Pansy (Junonia iphita): Sometimes called the Chocolate Soldier, these butterflies are commonly found throughout the year and prefer to remain in the forest. They often lay eggs on the ground or on dry twigs rather than on the plant.
Blue Oakleaf (Kallima horsfieldi): Interestingly, its underside resembles a decaying leaf that protects itself from predators while the upper side is coloured. When it needs protection, it highlights the underside.
Red Pierrot (Talicada nyseus): This small, pretty butterfly (3 cm) boasts of wings that are black with white spots on the upper side with a small portion of red colour with spots on the hind side.
Commander (Moduza procris): When it is a caterpillar, it is muddy brown in colour and also secretes frass (insect waste) as a camouflage and prevents insects from approaching it. When it pupates or transforms from a caterpillar to a butterfly, it wanders far away from the plant it fed on and pupates among dried leaves and twigs. The pupa is brownish in colour and rough in texture and looks like a dried leaf to remain hidden from predators during this delicate stage.
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At Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden, Ghodbunder Road, Owala Village, Thane (W); Call 9820779729 / 869256054
Cost Rs 50 per head. Breakfast can be arranged for Rs 25 per head; Best time: Peak season to spot butterflies is between October-November and March-May; Day/Time: Tours are held on Sundays, 8 am to 12.30 pm
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