Butterfly Peace Garden in Sri Lanka

Hivos Butterfly Peace Garden

Allowing traumatised children in Sri Lanka to once again be ‘butterflies’

Children should be able to play, to laugh, to enjoy life. But for years now in eastern Sri Lanka they have not been able to do that. Countless children there have been victim to horrifying experiences. The main cause for this is the armed conflicts between the country’s different ethnic groups. Trauma centre Butterfly Peace Garden hopes to help these children regain their zest for life.

Butterfly Peace Garden wishes to allow children to crawl out of the cocoons in which their war traumas hold them – in order to make ‘butterflies’ of them again. To that end, this Hivos partner uses a special method. Each year it selects, together with parents and teachers, fifty traumatised pupils between 7 and 15 years of age. These children are invited to a special garden two days during the school week plus weekends. There, in a green and safe environment, they can play games, cuddle animals, take care of plants, make music, paint, draw, sculpt, put on stage performances and tell stories.

‘That is not only fun, but it also helps them to process their traumas calmly and to heal,’ says the Canadian Paul Hogan, instigator and advisor of the centre. ‘For nine months the children are coached by creative therapists. These therapists have often been traumatised themselves. Many even spent time in the Butterfly Peace Garden as children. They know from their own experiences that art and play are elements of a healing therapy.’

Hivos has been supporting the Butterfly Peace Garden in Batticaloa since its founding in 1997. ‘If children overcome their traumas and heal, they are much stronger for it and are able to then console traumatised family members or neighbours,’ says Hivos staff member Artien Utrecht. ‘That stimulates peace.’ She visited the trauma centre several times and saw with her own eyes how children’s creations helped them learn to talk about their pent-up experiences. ‘A wonderful thing about this is that they also learn to interact with peers from other ethnic groups,’ she says. ‘Tamil, Muslim and Christian children play side by side in the garden.’

The support for Butterfly Peace Garden is part of the Hivos programme Human Rights and Democratisation. In conflict-prone Sri Lanka, Hivos gives special attention to initiatives that stimulate peace and inter-ethnic relations.

Butterfly garden Dedicated to the memory of Emily, a second-grader

Butterfly garden Dedicated to second-grader - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Cooper City school dedicates butterfly garden as a memorial to second-grader who died in May
Butterfly garden a memorial to second-grader who died in May

By Chris Guanche | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 21, 2008

When butterflies fly through Embassy Creek Elementary School in Cooper City, they'll have a special meaning now.

The butterflies, and the garden patterned after them, are part of a memorial to Emily Adamson, a second-grader who died of cancer in May. Emily had spent several years battling neuroblastoma, a cancer commonly found in children and infants.

Following Emily's death, students and their families showed an outpouring of support, said Principal Robert Becker.

Becker said the school wanted to feature a fitting memorial for Emily that would mean more than just a plaque with her name. "We wanted to do something special, something that could be used by all children," he said.

Becker said Emily's love of butterflies kicked off the idea to create a garden focused on them. Emily's father, David Adamson, said she collected butterfly cocoons and watched them grow in the hospital during a November 2007 relapse.

"It was always a big thing to her," Adamson said...............
.........................

Butterfly hub to be ready by year-end- at MNP, Mumbai

Westside Plus - Butterfly hub to be ready by year-end, Features,

Butterfly hub to be ready by year-end
Posted On Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 02:55:44 PM

Indicators of air quality, prettier insects can help make our city better

Simit Bhagat Bandra

A new butterfly park at the Maharashtra Nature Park (MNP) on the Sion-Dharavi Road is likely to be thrown open to visitors in the city by the end of this year.

The work for developing the park is being carried out since the past two years and experts believe it would not only be an ideal tourist attraction, but also a good place to revive the butterfly population.

Said Avinash Kubal, Deputy Director of MNP, the brainchild behind the park. “Butterflies are indicators of the air quality and if we really want to make our city a better place to live, we need parks like these.”

The project is coming up on a three-acre plot in MNP and is being funded by the MMRDA. The park would have pathways where flowering species, which support butterflies, would be planted.

“It has taken two years to develop this park at a cost of around Rs two lakh. To attract butterflies, we have planted several plants like Peepal, Kadamba, Lantana, Sweet Neem and a few wild plants for nectar and egg laying plants. We are also working on creating mud-puddling sites, where the butterflies can obtain nutrients such as salts,” said Kubal.

The park would be home to several species of butterflies, including some rare ones. India has about 1, 500 identified species of butterflies, while Mumbai has around 150 species. The park is already attracting around 72 species of butterflies and the numbers are expected to rise once the work is complete.

“We also plan to have an education centre, where we would be able to impart knowledge among the general public as well as students about butterflies and about how the systems of nature work,” said Kubal.
Experts believe that the park would contribute to butterfly conservation at a time when green cover in the city is fast dwindling and affecting the butterfly population.

Isaac Kehimkar, an expert on butterflies from the Bombay Natural History Society says, "It's a good initiative that the MNP has taken, and would help in creating awareness about insects among the common people."

Butterfly park awaits inauguration

Butterfly park awaits inauguration as corporator lands in ACB net

Butterfly park awaits inauguration as corporator lands in ACB net

Surat: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) ‘clipped the wings’ of Surat BJP corporator Vina Joshi before she could inaugurate the state’s first butterfly park at Sarthana Zoo on Friday.

ACB sleuths arrested Vina, who is also the chairperson of the Gardens and Housing Development Committee, for accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 to regularise an illegal construction in Udhna. Her husband, Jitendra, who accepted the money on her behalf, was also arrested.

The corporator is learnt to have demanded Rs 1.11 lakh from a resident of Udhna Harinagar, who had started the construction work of his house without taking permission from the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC).

According to the ACB, the complainant, Devidayalsinh Rajput, a resident of Udhna Harinagar-3, is a land and estate agent, who was building a house for his son in Udhna Karmayogi Nagar-1, Plot 89 about three months ago.

“Nearly a fortnight ago, Rajput came to know that Vina had lodged a complaint in the SMC against the construction. He went to her place in Pandesara, Gujarat Housing Board Colony on several occasions. Vina, who initially adopted a stern attitude, eventually demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh, which was settled at Rs 1.11 lakh,” said an ACB official.

Fluttering fancies

Fluttering fancies

MALEEHA RAGHAVIAH

The migration of butterflies is a phenomenon to watch. The butterflies move in large swarms, not very high from the ground.

KOZHIKODE
Come December, it is time for migrant butterfly species to make their appearance in certain pockets in Kerala. Environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts are keen observers of the migration.

Jaffer Palot, secretary, Kozhikode-based Malabar Natural History Society, has a lot of interesting details on the migratory paths of the colourful insects.

The migration takes place from the Western Ghats to the north, to areas such as Coorg, and to the south to the Nilgiris and Tamil Nadu. Some of the butterfly species come to the plains also. There are historical details by Europeans on such migrations.

Some information

Though no comprehensive study has been conducted on butterfly migration, the Malabar Natural History Society has sought to bring out certain details in its publication Keralathile chithrashalabangal.

Swarms of the Common Albatross (Appias albina) have been noticed during December and January. A good number of migratory swarms of the Common Albatross have been sighted by environmentalists and others in different parts of the State during the season, which stretches up to February.

The other butterfly species associated with the migration of the Common Albatross were Giant Orange Tip, Blue Bottle, Common Jay, Red Helen, Painted Sawtooth, Blue Mormon and Common Crow.

Mass migration

The verdant Wayanad is one region where mass migration of Plain Puffin (Appias indra) occurs. In Mananthavadi, environmentalists have reported of swarms of Plain Puffin. Mud puddling of this species was observed in the Periyar Reserve Forests in Wayanad as well as the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kannur District.

Jaffer Palot says the danaine family of butterflies such as Common Crow, Dark Blue Tiger, Blue Tiger and Double branded Crow were spotted in March in Chandanathodu in Wayanad. The danaine butterfly species have also been noted in April in Wayanad.

Moving in large swarms, they do not fly very high from the ground.

The Emigrant is another species sighted in North Kerala in places such as Sulthan Bathery and Tirunelli in Wayanad, Kakkayam, besides Thalassery, and Vadakara.

An interesting feature of butterfly behaviour is their big get-together (Aggregation). Environmentalists have noted such congregations in March-April at Aralam and Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and at Chalakudi.

The Malabar Natural History Society has created a network of students with a view to studying butterfly migration through a scientific methodology.

The society has been organising butterfly study camps for school and college students the last four years. This year too a camp will be conducted during the Christmas vacation, Jaffer said.

A butterfly hub in the making

Date:28/07/2007
URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/28/stories/2007072851580300.htm

Rajahmundry: Maredumilli has been a centre of activity for eco-tourism for last few years. It is going to be hub of butterflies from next month as it is going to host National Convention on Butterfly Conservation. About 60 delegates from different parts of the country are going to take part in the three-day convention, which is going to be held from August 16 to 18.

Asian Wild Life Foundation (AWLF) is going to organize this event, which will give stress on conservation of this species.

Tej Kumar, President, Butterfly Convention Society, is going to participate in the meet and the AWLF is going to bring out a booklet on it. Prabhu Pothireddy, Managing Trustee of AWLF said that it was essential to organise such convention in Eastern Ghats as the butterflies usually flies between Eastern to Western Ghats. “Some of them are endemic and some of them are migrants. We are going to give a call to society to conserve the species and also enlighten local tribal about the conservation of butterflies,” said Prabhu.

Northeastern States are cultivating butterflies in large numbers and selling the species as such. After Myanmar, Bangkok and Thailand, it is now in Manipal, Kohinoor, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh the cultivation of butterflies increased in last few decades.

Dr. Krishnakanth Kunte, author of `Butterflies of Peninsular India’, Krishna Das of Mysore, Vijay Bhate and Asish Pitty of Bird Watch Society are also going to take part in August convention in Maredumilli.

After the convention also we want to make this Maredumilli as hub of butterflies, said Prabhu.

© Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu

Pune Butterfly Gardens- News

City has potential for butterfly gardens-Pune-Cities-The Times of India

Printed from
The Times of India -Breaking news, views. reviews, cricket from across India

City has potential for butterfly gardens
5 Jun 2002, 0002 hrs IST, Manjiri Damle,TNN

PUNE: Traditionally recognised as a city of education, two-wheelers and pensioners, Pune may easily become a city of butterflies if PC and Sumitra Thomas have their way.
A retired Indian Forest Service official, P.C. Thomas has taken up the mission of developing butterfly gardens in the city and surrounding areas. One such garden was established in 1997 at the Sai Udyan in Pimpri Chinchwad and has attracted over 65 varieties of butterflies as well as numerous researchers. The St. Mary's Church and Venkateshwara Hatcheries have already set up similar projects with Thomas's help.
"Butterflies are excellent indicators of the environmental status of a place and Pune has all the ingredients to become a city of butterflies," Thomas told TNN. "There are numerous environmentalists and nature lovers in the city, the climate is excellent and all the plant species required to attract and breed butterflies are locally available. Besides, Pune lies in the western ghat region which has 330 varieties of butterflies," said Thomas who offers his consultancy free of charge as a "social obligation".
"One does not need a large expanse of land to develop a butterfly garden. Even people living in housing societies, apartments or terrace flats can develop their own butterfly gardens," he said. "It all depends on planting the right kind of trees, herbs and plants once you decide whether you just want to attract butterflies or encourage their breeding as well," he added.
Roses, dahlias and chrysanthemums may be attractive to look at but they don't excite the butterflies. "For luring butterflies one needs to plant cosmos, marigold, zenia, potter weed, sunflower, jasmine and glyricidia in large number. If you plant lemon, curryleaves, krishnakamal, mango, bel, camellia, sonchafa, custard apple and bamboo the butterflies will breed on them,", Thomas explained. One also needs to have lots of sunlight and some screening plants to obstruct the flow of wind.
Thomas's own bungalow in Yerawada has an exotic mix of plants and trees that attract a mass of butterflies in the season which starts from July. One would see lush growth of lantana, also known as the 'butterfly bush', but hardly any roses in his garden. Along with creating butterfly gardens, Thomas has also set up a butterfly watchers club which will be inaugurated next month.
Besides the Pimpri Chinchwad civic body, the Pune Municipal Corporation and its garden enthusiast garden superintendent Y.S. Khaire have been using Thomas's expertise. "The massive plantation along river Mutha has been planned in such a way so as to attract a large number of butterflies", Thomas stated. So, we may soon have beautiful and exotic butterflies flitting along the river bank to compensate for the smelly waters!

Butterfly Club lends Monarch a helping plant

Article online since August 8th 2008, 7:00


Be the first to comment on this article

A Monarch Butterfly rests on a flower.

Butterfly Club lends Monarch a helping plant

Monarch butterflies have been spotted around Queens
County. In and around Caledonia, they have also been confirmed
breeding.The beautiful and mesmerizing Monarch Butterfly is a Species
at Risk in Nova Scotia. It is listed as "Special Concern" by COSEWIC,
the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

“This amazing creature travels over 5,000 km in
the fall, from Canada to Mexico”, says Brennan Caverhill, MTRI
volunteer and Species at Risk Stewardship Biologist in Kejimkujik
National Park – “It is sometimes known as 'the storm king'
because it is most active when the thunder rolls, and there is
electricity in the air.”

“The
Monarch is threatened by habitat loss throughout the wintering grounds
in Mexico, pesticide use along the migration route in the United
States, and similar factors here at home”, says Amanda Lavers,
Executive Director of the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI) in
Kempt.

That's why a group of people in Queens County and around
southwestern Nova Scotia have developed a "Butterfly Club" which
encourages members to plant their own butterfly garden, including
native plants like Yarrow, Asters, and Boneset. Adult butterflies feed
on the nectar-rich flowers, but the most important flowers are native
Swamp Milkweed plants, which have been grown by local organic farmers
at Wild Rose and Pleasant Hill Farms.

The Monarch relies
exclusively on Milkweed plants for growth and survival, because adults
will only lay their eggs on this plant. When caterpillars feed on
Milkweed leaves, they become poisonous to birds and other predators.

Caverhill
and Lavers are two of several biologists at Kejimkujik and MTRI who
have been encouraging Queens County residents to plant Milkweed in
their gardens. With help from volunteers and expert students from
Clarke Rutherford Elementary in Cornwallis, who planted their own
butterfly garden last year, a model garden was planted in June at MTRI.
Members who join the "Butterfly Club" agree to plant their own
chemical-free garden, and provide important habitat for the Monarchs
and many other butterfly species that call Nova Scotia home.
VanDyk'sHealth Juice Products have also joined the effort by planting a
similar garden in West Caledonia.

Caverhill and Lavers were recently grocery shopping in Caledonia and spotted numerous monarchs at Aunt Nettie's B&B.

Upon
closer inspection, they found a garden full of Milkweed, many small
green eggs on the undersides of the plant, and all kinds of fat yellow,
black, and white striped Monarch caterpillars. The new owners of Aunt
Nettie's, Pat and Chuck Groocock, were surprised about all the
attention.

“We were thinking of re-planting some of the
gardens, but now that we know how important the Milkweed is, we'll be
sure to keep it,” says Pat Groocock. “We're now full
fledged members of the Butterfly Club and we're learning about native
plants and insects that make this part of the world a special
place.”

As a fundraiser for MTRI, Diane Clapp has been volunteering her time at local farmers markets and selling swamp milkweed plants.

“By
encouraging the creation of more butterfly gardens among your family,
friends, and communities, the team hopes to spread beauty and awareness
about not only the Monarch Butterfly, but also other species at risk
throughout Nova Scotia,” says Clapp. “There are over 40
species at risk living in Nova Scotia, and we can do lots to
help!”

For more information about the club, species at risk, and MTRI, call 682-2371, check out www.speciesatrisk.ca and www.merseytobeatic.ca - and visit an organic farmer near you!

Tips for an at-home butterfly garden

July 27, 2008

There are several things to remember while planning a butterfly garden, says Bob Greene, curator of the Museum of Science's Butterfly Garden. * Curator from Concord covers finer points of luring butterflies
Your site needs a fresh-water source, a forested area, direct sunlight, and shelter from the elements. Select a variety of plants that bloom at different times. Create a mud puddle near the garden; butterflies rely on them for nutrients.
Home gardeners need two kinds of pesticide-free plants to attract butterflies: host plants, such as wild cherry and sassafras, and nectar plants, like buddleia. Greene buys plants from organic nurseries whenever possible to establish and maintain a healthy ecosystem. He avoids pesticides, and relies on a range of natural techniques, including aphid-consuming ladybugs, to fight off plant killers. If you're feeling adventurous, chop up bananas and oranges and set them out in your yard. Some butterflies love rotting fruit, but so do most insects.
STEPHANIE M. PETERS
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
(http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/07/27/tips_for_an_at_home_butterfly_garden/)

Tata Steel zoological park becomes abode of butterflies- Jamshedpur Butterfly garden

Tata Steel zoological park becomes abode of butterflies
Submitted by rashmijsr on Sat, 2008-02-23 07:25. General

Jamshedpur, Feb. 21: Much on the lines of the butterfly parks down south,
a separate enclosure for the colourful creatures was inaugurated today at
Tata Steel Zoological Park.

Inaugurated by Sanjiv Paul, the managing director of Jamshedpur Utilities
Services Company, the Butterfly Park is a gift of the Tata Steel
Zoological Park authorities to the citizens of Jamshedpur in the centenary
year of Tata Steel.

There are around 135 butterflies of five species in the 3,500sqft park.
Located close to Machan area on the zoo premises, the park has been
divided into two separate sections.

If one room has been earmarked to breed species under controlled
temperatures, another houses the main display section open for public
viewing. ?We have got close to 21 species of butterflies in and around the
city. Of these, five species have been identified for proper breeding at
the laboratory,? said M.S. Jain, the director of Tata Steel Zoological
Park.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 6.5 lakh, the zoo authorities have spent
close to seven months in pursuit of the species to be housed at the park.
Given the shape of an arch, the huge enclosure is well covered by an agro
net. The park is built with an objective to preserve rare varieties of
butterflies and increase their numbers.

The specially designed park has a presence of close to 13 varieties in the
display section. The varieties available at the laboratory are the Common
Mormon, Common Crow, Plain Tiger, Lemon and Castor breeds.

Surviving on a life cycle of 45 days, a lot of larvae are currently being
bred in the laboratory section. Inside the laboratory are a host of plants
with all the specific requirements to help the butterflies multiply fast.

?Food has been separately arranged for all the species as each one of them
survive on a different plant,? said Jain.

There are some bright plastic flowers on which a cotton dipped in honey is
kept at the centre which adds to the show and provides sustenance for the
butterflies.

Work on the park had begun way back last September with tribal artists
from nearby villages being engaged to paint butterflies in bright colours
on the walls of the enclosure.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080222/jsp/jharkhand/story_8932576.jsp

Meet the butterfly woman - Yahoo! India News

Meet the butterfly woman - Yahoo! India News: "Meet the butterfly woman

Wed, Mar 12 01:10 AM

Jamshedpur: When the tourists arrive at Butterfly Park in Jamshedpur to take a close look at the hundreds of the winged wonders flitting across flowers in their cages, they more often than not come across a spindly woman moving diligently in the enclosures checking out the foliage there. She checks the leaves and the flowers, collects a few samples and then moves on.

Meet Malti Majhi - the tribal woman who shoulders the responsibility of breeding butterflies for the Tata zoo. A dedicated worker, Malti devotes her time wholeheartedly for the breeding of the winged creatures.

She collects eggs found on the leaves of the vegetation in the park and transfers them to small baskets at a larvae-breeding chamber. When the larvae grow into pupae, she shifts them to the butterfly breeding house.

It is her responsibility to see that the creepy larvae take the right food at the breeding house. For this, she arranges for over a dozen species of green plants.

She also prepares a mixture of honey and water in the right proportion for the butterflies to feed on. The cycle of breeding eggs to putting butterflies for exhibition has to go on without a break.

And she does it with a smile on her face. The Tata zoo management has even"

DNA - India - Butterfly park opened in Kerala - Daily News & Analysis

DNA - India - Butterfly park opened in Kerala - Daily News & Analysis: "Butterfly park opened in Kerala
Agencies
Saturday, February 23, 2008 23:38 IST

In a move to develop eco-tourism, the park has around 135 species

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In another initiative to add a new feather to Kerala’s eco-tourism cap, a butterfly safari park has been opened to public at Thennmala Eco-Tourism project in Kollam district.

The park, set up with an estimated cost of Rs 24 lakhs was designed by Kerala Forest Research Institute with the help of Thennmala Eco-Tourism Promotion Society over 3.5 hectares which has a natural habitat for various species of butterflies.

“This will be the first of its kind in the country as in other butterfly parks, butterflies are kept in nets. Here, the people will be able to see butterflies in natural habitat,” Eco-Tourism Director TP Narayanan Kutty said.

Nearly 135 different species of butterflies including the rare and endemic ‘Autumn Leaf Butterfly’ have been sighted in the park and its periphery, he said. However, the director said butterfly sighting was seasonal. The lifespan of some varieties of butterfly was only four days and in some other case it"

Bandra gets city’s first butterfly park

Vithal Kamat, executive chairman and managing director of The Orchid, who inaugurated this unique park said, “The main idea behind this project is to provide citizens a place which can act as a stress buster besides educating them about beautiful creatures like butterflies.”

The hospitality group has a full-fledged vermin-culture and horticulture department. Since it is becoming extremely difficult to spot butterflies in the city, this group carried a study to ascertain the conditions that assist in breeding of butterflies. Following this, the team planted plants like Lantana, Lila, Exora Singapur, Exora deffi, Hibicus Hawai, Nerium Oliandar, Sunflower, Cassia, Ficus etc.

An official associated with the group said, “Apart from opening such parks, we are also looking at the options of maintaining traffic islands and space below the flyover through eco-friendly initiatives.” The group is planning several other eco-friendly projects in the western suburbs. The official added, “In fact, we have plans to open study centers, which would be helpful for students who are cramped for spaces in Mumbai. Besides, we are also planning to provide facilities at such places to budding talent who want to hone their skills in sculpting.”

Anil Deshmukh, State Public Works Minister, while lauding the efforts requested the group to beautify the flyover structure. “They can take a leaf of out of history and use them as themes to decorate our flyovers”.

Kamat said, “The idea behind making this butterfly park is to make the city beautiful. The city has given us so much; this is our way of returning back to the city. The government has also been very cooperative in our venture and we plan to construct a few other such gardens with the government’s support in the near future.”

(http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=70&contentid=2008070820080708143500248441f5d13&pageno=1#)

The Hindu Business Line : TNAU setting up butterfly park at Vandalur

The Hindu Business Line : TNAU setting up butterfly park at Vandalur: "TNAU setting up butterfly park at Vandalur

Our Bureau

Coimbatore, March 5 The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) Coimbatore is to set up a butterfly garden with insect museum at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur in Chennai.

Being promoted under a scheme of the Tamil Nadu Government’s Department of Tourism and Culture, the proposed butterfly garden will have a host of plants and habitats landscaped (such as bushes, lianas, streams, waterfall, rock-gardens) to facilitate exhibiting butterflies in their natural settings.
Host plants

It will also have larval and adult host plants to maintain various stages of the butterflies. The garden will have a network of ponds interconnected by streams to maintain humidity in the area and have suitable amenities for the visitors including resting places and counters selling theme pamphlets, curios, models/charts/paints of butterflies.

The move is aimed at conserving nature.
Insect species

According to Dr R. Samiyappan, Director, Centre for Plant Protection Studies, TNAU, the insect museum to come up at the entrance of the garden, will have common Indian species of all insects in the form of preserved specimens and photographs and have an art gallery that will depict images of Indian butterflies including those of endangere"