The persisting extreme heat in Pune has adversely impacted butterfly sightings this season. Naturalists and butterfly watchers are reporting lower activity on hills, gardens, and urban green patches compared to last summer.
Impact of High Temperatures on Butterflies
Extreme daytime temperatures in several parts of the city have reduced butterfly movement during peak hours and affected breeding cycles as host plants and nectar-bearing flowers are drying up faster than usual.
Dr. Ankur Patwardhan, founder and director of Ecoreviva Nature Foundation, noted a visible decline in the number of butterflies based on random urban sightings, all because of high temperatures. He explained that even though trees are blooming, butterflies prefer feeding on herbs and shrubs, which are comparatively low in number in the summer. Dr. Patwardhan developed a live laboratory of butterflies in his house in 2020 and has studied aspects like composition of nectar, pollen transfer, and color preference of butterflies.
A Mumbai-based naturalist added that butterflies are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture changes, and the unusually intense heat can lead to dehydration, shrinking vegetation cover, and fewer flowering plants in many areas.
Observations from Nature Photographers and Enthusiasts
Aniruddha Joshi, a nature photographer, reported that the numbers of butterflies are lower than last year based on what he sees in his home garden and visits to the hills. He attributed this primarily to the heat but noted that conditions are improving. Last year, early rains brought some species earlier in the year.
However, butterflies that thrive in drier habitats have been sighted in abundance. Tejas Desai, who went on a butterfly walk on ARAI hills two weeks ago, spotted about 19 species of butterflies, including a lot of Orange Tips around the flowering acacia.
Peak Seasons and Species Sightings
There are two peak seasons for butterflies in Pune: March and April on the hills and adjoining areas due to local vegetation and host plant blooms, and September and October just after the monsoon.
Rajat Joshi, an environmentalist conducting butterfly walks in the city, reported good numbers of the Crimson Tip butterfly, a local dispersing species on the Arai hills, owing to lesser rains in May. This species was not sighted last year at this time. It breeds on Cadaba fruticosa, a native climber found in the same habitat. A few pre-monsoon showers have also brought in good sightings of Grass Yellow butterflies.
Amol Nargolkar, who looks after the family-owned 16-acre private sanctuary Sipna Farms, said they are seeing the regular 8-10 species in the butterfly garden, along with sightings of the Tawny Coster and Commander species. They held one butterfly walk last month.
