A Quick Referencer Dictionary for Children

BUTTERFLIES IN OUR
DAILY LIFE
Thane - Mumbai - Navi Mumbai , Maharashtra

! Special Thanks to Our Mentors, Experts and Photographers!

Mr. Jayant Bhoir Mr.Sanjay Dalvi
Dr.Dattaprasad Sawant Mr.Ketan Aloni
Mr.Shyamlal Laha Mr.Suyog Patil
Mr.Anand Iyer Mr.Suraj Das
Mr.Sandeep Ranade
What is Butterfly?
Butterflies are Insect. Butterflies are beautiful, flying insects with large scaly wings. Like all
insects, they have six jointed Legs, 3 Body parts, a pair of Antennae, Compound eyes, and an
exoskeleton. The three body parts are the Head, Thorax (the chest), and Abdomen (the tail end).

The butterfly's body is covered by tiny sensory hairs. The four wings and the six legs of the
butterfly are attached to the thorax. The thorax contains the muscles that make the legs and wings
move.
Butterflies are one of the most colourful insect species in Earth’s biodiversity. They are
extremely responsive to any changes in their environment, like Temperature, Humidity, Light,
and Rainfall patterns, these insects are identified as useful Bio-indicators. They have different
requirements for different habitat types for mating, breeding, and nectaring (Flower’s Juice on
which Butterfly feeds).

Why Butterfly is Important in Environment?

Butterflies and Moths are indicators of a healthy environment and healthy ecosystems. They
indicate a wide range of other invertebrates, which comprise over two-thirds of all species. Areas
rich in butterflies and moths are rich in other invertebrates.
For the plant world, butterflies pollinate or carry pollen from plant to plant, helping fruits,
vegetables, and flowers to produce new seeds. From the animal point of view, butterflies are near
the bottom of the food chain and provide food (especially in their caterpillar stage) for birds,
mammals, and other insects.

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How do Butterfly Fly?
Butterflies are very good fliers. They have two pairs of large wings covered with colourful,
iridescent scales in overlapping rows. The wings are attached to the butterfly's thorax (mid-
section). Veins support the delicate wings and nourish them with blood.

Butterflies Sun themselves to warm up in cool weather. As butterflies age, the colour of the
wings fades and the wings become ragged.

The speed varies among butterfly species (the poisonous varieties are slower than non-poisonous
varieties). The fastest butterflies (some skippers) can fly at about 30 mile per hour or faster. Slow
flying butterflies fly about 5 mph.

What are Butterfly’s Body Parts?

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Why does a butterfly shake?

The butterflies shiver their wings rapidly in an attempt to warm the muscles inside. You'll often hear
people say the butterflies are trying to get warm enough to fly. But it may be that shivering helps them
get warm enough even to crawl off the ground when they are too cold to fly.

Life Cycle of Butterfly

Butterflies and moths undergo complete metamorphosis in which they go through four different
life stages.

A) Egg - A butterfly starts its life as an egg, often laid on a leaf.

B) Larva - The larva (caterpillar) hatches from an egg and eats leaves or flowers almost
constantly. The caterpillar moults (loses its old skin) many times as it grows. The
caterpillar will increase up to several thousand times in size before pupating.

C) Pupa - It turns into a pupa (chrysalis); this is a resting stage.

D) Adult - A beautiful, flying adult emerges. This adult will continue the cycle.

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What does Butterfly Eat?
Caterpillars spend most of their time eating leaves using strong mandibles (jaws). A caterpillar's
first meal, however, is its own eggshell. A few caterpillars are meat-eaters; the larva of the
carnivorous Harvester butterfly eats woolly aphids.

Butterflies and moths can only sip liquid food using a tube-like proboscis, which is a long,
flexible "tongue." This proboscis uncoils to sip food, and coils up again into a spiral when not in
use. Most butterflies live on nectar from flowers. Some butterflies sip the liquid from rotting
fruits and a rare few prefer rotting animal flesh or animal fluids (the Harvester butterfly pierces
the bodies of woolly aphids with its sharp proboscis and drinks the body fluids).

Where do Butterfly Lives? (HABITAT)

Butterflies are found all over the world and in all types of environments: hot and cold, dry and
moist, at sea level and high in the mountains. Most butterfly species, however, are found in
tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests.

Many butterflies migrate in order to avoid adverse environmental conditions (like cold weather).
Butterfly migration is not well understood. Most migrate relatively short distances (like the
Painted Lady, the Red Admiral, and the Common Buckeye), but a few (like some Monarchs)
migrate thousands of miles.

How many Types of Butterflies are there?

Butterflies belongs to the order Lepidoptera. Lepidos is Greek for "scales" and Petra means
"wing". These scaled wings are different from the wings of any other insects. Lepidoptera is a
very large group; there are more types of butterflies and moths than there are of any other type of
insects except beetles. It is estimated that there are about 150,000 different species of butterflies
and moths (there may be many more). There are about 28,000 butterfly species worldwide.

India is a home for around 1,800 species and subspecies of

butterfly. Around 254+ species of butterfly recorded in
Maharashtra State and in Mumbai, Thane there are more
than 174 + butterfly species exists.

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What should we do to Save Butterflies?
Butterflies play an important role in pollination after honeybees by pollinating a major portion of
economically important crop. Around hundred species of butterflies are at the verge of extinction in
India. If the butterfly population decline then it will directly affect the agriculture industry as well.

Let us see how we can put our efforts to “Save Butterfly “

Here are 6 ways you can help save the butterfly:

1. Don’t use Pesticides in your own garden / farm: Many pesticides contain very harmful
chemicals, which kills weed / grass / plants on which butterfly lay its eggs in and its larvae feed
on it. Without weed / grass / plants, the butterfly would cease to exist.

2. Plant native Weed / Grass / Plants / Trees: It is important to plant weed / grass / plants / trees
native to your area to promote biodiversity and enable the natural migration pattern of the
butterflies.

3. Join the fight to stop climate change: Butterflies are very sensitive to seasonal temperature
changes, but changes in the weather cycle would confuse the butterfly and disrupt the entire life
and migration cycle. With a Drastic and Frequent changes in a Temperature, not only is the
migration at risk, but the life of the butterfly could be threatened by changes in habitat and weed
availability.

4. Stop Deforestation: Many butterflies rely on the forests / grass lands in our area as their habitat.
Illegal tree cutting and raising concrete constructions, reduces the acres of trees that are left to the
butterflies. We should ensure to protect these habitats to save their lives.

5. Learn More: There are many organizations which are dedicated to research and conservation of
the butterfly. We can work along with them to know more about saving.

6. Spread the Word: Educate others about the butterfly decline and encourage them to take the
steps to protect this delicate species.

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Some of the Butterflies You will get to see in the below mentioned parks, gardens
near us.

Do visit these and learn how efforts has been taken to enrich butterfly.

Butterfly Gardens in Mumbai – Thane – Navi Mumbai to Visit

1) Ovlekar Wadi Butterfly Garden

Address: -Ovalekar Wadi, Owala Village, Takkarda Road, Ghodbunder Road, Thane,
India

2) Butterfly Garden
Address: 4th Rd, Ram Krishna Nagar, Khar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400052

3) Butterfly Park, CBD Residents' Agro Society

Address: opposite, Lane Number 1, Sector 9, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
400614

Apart from above some places like Maharashtra Nature Park, Borivali National Park
(Sanjay Gandhi National Park) Somaiya School Vidyavihar, Byculla Zoo, Yewoor Hills,
Nagla Bunder, and Trungareshwar National Park etc.

Note: Butterflies captured in this Dictionary are most commonly found in

Areas around us within Mumbai – Thane – Mumbai (Maharashtra)

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Index in Alphabetical Order
Sr.No. Butterfly by Name Page No.
1. Angled Pierrot 9
2. Angled Sunbeam 9
3. Apefly – Female 9
4. Apefly – Male 10
5. Baronet – Male Open Wing & Closed Wing 10
6. Black Prince 11
7. Black Raja 11
8. Blue Mormon – Female State Butterfly of Maharashtra 11
9. Blue Mormon – Male State Butterfly of Maharashtra 12
10. Blue Oakleaf – Open and Closed Wing 12
11. Blue Tiger 13
12. Chocolate Pansy 13
13. Commander 13
14. Commom Sailor 14
15. Common Baron – Male & Female 14
16. Common Bluebottle 15
17. Common Castor 15
18. Common Cerulean 15
19. Common Crow 16
20. Common Grass Yellow 16
21. Common Gull – Female & Male 16-17
22. Common Jezebel – Closed & Open Wing 17
23. Common Leopard 18
24. Common Map 18
25. Common Mormon – Male & Female 18-19
26. Common Nawab – Closed Wing & Open Wing 19
27. Common Pierrot – Closed Wing & Open Wing 20
28. Common Rose 20
29. Common Wanderer – Female & Male 21
30. Danaid Eggfly – Male 21
31. Danaid Eggfly – Female Open & Closed Wing 22
32. Gaudy Baron – Female 22
33. Great Eggfly – Female & Male 23
34. Great Orange Tip – Male Open & Closed Wing 23 -24
35. Grey Pancy 24
36. Hedge Blue 24
37. Indian Sunbeam – Female & Male 25

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Sr.No. Butterfly by Name Page No.
37. Lemon Pancy 25
38. Lime 26
39. Painted Lady 26
40. Palm Fly 26
41. Peablue 27
42. Peacock Pancy 27
43. Pioneer 27
44. Plain Tawny Rajah 28
45. Psyche 28
46. Red Pierrot – Closed & Open Wing 28-29
47. Small Salmon Arab 29
48. Striped Tiger 29
49. Tawny Coaster – Closed & Open Wing 30
50. Tawny Coaster 30
51. Western Striped Albatross 31
52. White Orange Tip 31
53. Yam Fly 31
54. Yellow Pansy 32
55. Zebra Blue 32

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ANGLED PIERROT

ANGLED SUNBEAM

APEFLY (FEMALE)

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 APEFLY (MALE)

BARONET (MALE-CLOSED WING)

BARONET (MALE-OPEN WING)

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BLACK PRINCE (FEMALE)

BLACK RAJAH (MALE)

BLUE MORMON (FEMALE) - STATE BUTTERFLY MAHARASHTRA

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 BLUE MORMON (MALE) – STATE BUTTERFLY MAHARASHTRA

BLUE OAKLEAF (OPEN WING)

BLUE OAKLEAF – (CLOSED WING)

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BLUE TIGER (FEMALE)

CHOCOLATE PANSY

COMMANDER

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 COMMON SAILOR

COMMON BARON (MALE)

COMMON BARON (FEMALE)

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COMMON BLUEBOTTLE (MALE)

COMMON CASTOR (MALE)

COMMON CERULEAN

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 COMMON CROW (MALE)

COMMON GRASS YELLOW

COMMON GULL (FEMALE)

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COMMON GULL (MALE)

COMMON JEZEBEL

COMMON JEZEBEL (OPEN WING)

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 COMMON LEOPARD

COMMON MAP

COMMON MORMON (MALE)

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COMMON MORMON (FEMALE)

COMMON NAWAB – CLOSED WING

COMMON NAWAB – OPEN WING

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 COMMON PIERROT – CLOSED WING

COMMON PIERROT – OPEN WING

COMMON ROSE

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COMMON WANDERER (FEMALE)

COMMON WANDERER (MALE)

DANAID EGGFLY (MALE)

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 DANAID EGGFLY (FEMALE –OPEN WING)

DANAID EGGFLY (FEMALE – CLOSE WING)

GAUDY BARON (FEMALE)

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GREAT EGGFLY (FEMALE)

GREAT EGGFLY (MALE)

GREAT ORANGE TIP ( MALE-CLOSED WING)

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 GREAT ORANGE TIP ( MALE- OPEN WING)

GREAY PANSY

HEDGE BLUE

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INDIAN SUNBEAM (FEMALE)

INDIAN SUNBEAM (MALE)

LEMON PANSY

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 LIME

PAINTED LADY

PALM FLY

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PEABLUE

PEACOCK PANSY

PIONEER

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 PLAIN TAWNY RAJAH

PSYCHE

RED PIERROT

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RED PIERROT (OPEN WING)

SMALL SALMON ARAB

STRIPED TIGER

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 TAILED JAY (CLOSED WING)

TAILED JAY (OPEN WING)

TAWNY COSTER

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WESTERN STRIPED ALBATROSS

WHITE ORANGE TIP

YAMFLY

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 YELLOW PANSY

ZEBRA BLUE

Intention to make this Dictionary, is to make Children introduce about the Small
and colourful world of Butterfly. They will feel more “Involved”, if they can identify
common species around them by their name.

This is a Tiny Step towards involving and passing this Knowledge and Legacy to
Coming Generation who will Nurture it and Preserve it!

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 !! Thanks !!
Sincere Thanks to all Uncle’s who introduced me to this Tiny Colourful World
of Butterflies and helping me in Identifying and undrstanding Butterfly’s World.
So Friends whenever you see any Butterfly anywhere , Identify them by there
Name, Love them, Embrace Them , Nurture them and Help them to Flourish.
--- Pradnyan Patil

Photo Courtesy and Copyright:

Mr. Jayant Bhoir Mr.Sanjay Dalvi
Dr.Dattaprasad Sawant Mr.Ketan Aloni
Mr.Suraj Das Mr.Suyog Patil
Mr.Shyamlal Laha Mr.Anand Iyer
Mr.Sandeep Ranade
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