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