Butterflies go wherever they please and please wherever they go.
They are messengers of nature, not only adding brilliance to their surroundings
but also pollinating flowers and revealing the healthiness of our communities.
Butterflies are among the most beautiful organisms in the universe, which have fascinated naturalists for centuries. There are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies distributed throughout the world.
India, with its diversified ecosystems ranging from the snow-clad temperate forests in the Himalayas to the tropical wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, has a rich butterfly fauna. So far, about 1500 species of butterflies have been recorded from India, of which about 314 species are found in Kerala, which include a high proportion of rare and endemic species.
All of these butterflies are found in the Western Ghats region as well. Butterflies being highly diversified in their habits require specific ecological conditions for their survival. Natural forests, grass lands, canopies of trees as well as wet areas along the banks of rivers and streams are the typical butterfly habitats. However, due to various reasons, particularly due to human intervention, the habitats of many butterflies have been altered.
As a result, many species of butterflies that were once very common in our homesteads and country sides have vanished. Species loss has tremendous implications on biodiversity. It has been stated that extinction of a single species would eventually lead to extinction of about a dozen or more species that are linked with it.
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