A city-based naturalist hosts a day-long session to help you learn to raise butterflies at home
The butterfly effect
If you've been fascinated with butterflies or have wondered what attracts them to certain plants, this workshop by naturalist Priyanka Kumari, who helms the naturalists' group Green Hope, will offer a crash course on how to create a butterfly garden in your backyard or balcony.
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Kumari, who left her corporate job to pursue her curiosity for the elements of nature, will be teaching enthusiasts about the entire lifecycle of a butterfly, which kinds of plants may be used to breed them and how to distinguish between moths and butterflies when they are still caterpillars. "Papilio polytes are the most common variants found in the city. You can figure out the male and female from the pattern of rings on their wings. Then there's Talicada nyseus or red pierrot, blue tiger, plain tiger and striped tiger butterfly, which you can find here," she informs.
According to her, the white, purple, yellow and red lantana plants are ideal to attract butterflies, besides the blue spike, ixora and marigold. "But the adult butterfly needs to sit on nectar plants, such as those with curry leaves, so that it can lay eggs and the caterpillar can feed on the plant. So, if you just want butterflies around, you can plant Lantana, but if you want to see the full life cycle — which lasts a week, on an average —then you need a combination of these plants," she says.
You can also get your kids along as they can observe and later particpate in a butterfly-making origami session.
On January 5, 2 pm to 4 pm
At Green Hope, HDIL Dreams, Bhandup West.
Call 8108900312
Email greenhope26@gmail.com
Cost Rs 999
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