2020 Quarterly Magazine of The Nature and Butterfly Society Jan-Mar 2020
PATTAMPOOCHI
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Kallar 200-A long term TNBS study on Kallar Butterflies Birds and Butterflies Survey of Coimbatore Forest Division Birds and Butterflies Survey of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve NEBM VI– Namdapha Tiger Reserve Enroute to Thirukurungudi Malai Nambi Kovil Exploring Siruvani Hills during Official Coimbatore Forest Survey 2019 In News From the Facebook Pages Back Issues
Scarce Shot Silverline - Spindasis elima
PATTAMPOOCHI
Dear Butterfly Lovers, வணக்கம் [Greetings]. The last quarter of an year usually brings lot of excitement to the butterfly lovers as the months of October, November and December are the true butterfly months. The Northeast monsoon becomes active during this period and the butterfly contingent including the rare ones appear. Thus making the tour plan of naturalists a tough one of where to visit and when, since the sightings need to be maximised during this period. This year, the NE monsoon was good and active over Tamil Nadu land mass and the Western Ghats and until December, we had spells of rains. This ensured that the pre-monsoon migration of butterflies kept their dates and the upward migration from plains and the Eastern Ghats to the Western Ghats were active from September to October end. We also saw Emigrants and Albatrosses make movements during November. The conservation managers of the forest department were also busy planning out surveys to take stock butterfly species occurring within their limits. In all, a productive quarter for the conservation managers and naturalists! In the current issue, the first article highlights the results of a long-term study carried out by TNBS at Kallar on the butterfly species occurrence. A significant mark of 200 species is recorded and the detailed report is submitted to the District Forest Officer of Coimbatore Forest Division. The next article briefs about the first integrated birds and butterflies survey held at Coimbatore Forest Division in association with like minded NGOs and 192 butterfly species were reported. The next article highlights another survey held at Sathyamangalam Tiger reserve. The survey is second integrated one on birds and butterflies and 157 butterfly species were recorded with a few surprise rarities. The next article is on a visit made by couple of TNBS members to the north east India for NEBM, to Namdapha Tiger Reserve in specific. All these were penned by Mr. A Pavendhan. In another article, Mr. Theivaprakasham Hari shares his observations from the butterfly walk at Thirukurungudi Malai Nambi Kovil, Tiruneveli district where he documented 101 butterfly species. In the last article, Mr. Sravan Kumar Kadambi shares his camp experience from the Coimbatore Birds and Butterflies Survey. This is followed by “In the News” section where the latest butterfly news published in press is highlighted. “From the Facebook Pages” section portrays the regular photo gallery picked up from Facebook postings during the quarter by members. We hope you enjoy going through this Newsletter and looking forward to your valuable feedback. We believe that the News Letter belongs to every one of us and expect more contribution from all our members going
Editorial Team The Nature and Butterfly Society Pattampoochi– A quarterly magazine of The Nature and Butterfly Society Wings 4 Veins 1 Jan–Mar 2019. Issued on 01.01.2020 Issued from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Cover Page: Sinhalese Five-ring (Pavendhan A)
For Private Circulation Only. Copyright is with TNBS. Please write to us for getting permission to use any of the contents.
Full Page Picture Credits:
Editor: A Pavendhan Editorial Team: Balakrishnan R, Gopalakrishnan S, Nishanth CV, Theivaprakasham H , Viswanathan S and Ramanasaran H
Long-banded Silverline (Pavendhan A), Plains Cupid and Common Lascar (Theivaprakasham H), and Plains Blue Royal and Common Silverline (Gopalakrishnan S).
The Nature and Butterfly Society (259/2018) is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Common Banded Peacock - Papilio crino PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Kallar 200– A long term TNBS Study on Kallar Butterflies Pavendhan A pave67620@yahoo.co.in
Release of Report 200 Butterfly species have been recorded from the Butterfly Hotspot, Kallar, says a TNBS study report, released by Mr. D. Venkatesh, District Forest Officer of Coimbatore Forest Division on the occasion of inauguration of first integrated Birds and Butterflies Survey of Coimbatore Forest Division on 15th December, in Coimbatore. The study was carried out by the members of The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS). Releasing the report, the DFO has mentioned that sighting of 200 species in the natural environment within the protected forest is showing Kallar as a true butterfly hotspot and department will take necessary efforts to protect the butterfly habitat of Kallar.
From (l to r): Mr. A. Pavendhan, TNBS, Mr. D. Boominathan, WWF-India, Mr. D. Venkatesh, DFO, Coimbatore Forest Division, Mr. P. R. Selvaraj, CNS.
Kallar- An Introduction Kallar is situated in Mettupalayam Taluk of Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu. A state government run horticulture farm, known more as Kallar Fruit Garden, said to be established in 1900, is situated here. It is situated 14 Km from Mettupalayam, just a Km away from the Gundlupet- Coimbatore- Nagapattinam highways, before the ascend starts to the Nilgiri Hills. From Coimbatore city, it is about 48 Km. The place comes under the Mettupalayam range of Coimbatore Forest Division and is protected. Tourists and general public can visit the horticulture farm during working days of the farm between the prescribed visiting hours. The Fruit Garden is situated on the sides of Kallar river, which run down from Coonoor uphill. The stream eventually joins the River Bhavani near Odanthurai. The surroundings of Fruit Garden boast some rare flora and fauna and very rich of them. It is an important migratory path and corridor for elephants, when they move from Western Ghats to Eastern Ghats and vice versa, apart from the resident population. The place is inhabited by wild animals including predatory animals such as Leopards and Tigers. Enough caution should be exercised by visitors here and should never cross the line to the reserved and protected area without the permission of authorities other than the permitted area. The place is situated approximately 360m above Mean Sea Level and is humid on most days with rainfall accounting approximately 120 cm per year. Although comes under Coimbatore revenue division, geographically, it is situated on the Nilgiris Hills on the eastern slope, in the foothills. Well known to the naturalists as a good birding spot and butterfly Credit: Google Maps hotspot, the place has rich host plants and nectar plants in its natural occurrence for the butterflies and moths (Order: Lepidoptera). The walk from the Highways into the farm, the paths inside the farm and stream side (need FD permission to approach) are the main pales to look for the butterflies. Butterfly migration is also regularly observed PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Kallar 200– A long term TNBS Study on Kallar Butterflies
Early Accounts of Butterflies from Kallar Indian Butterflies were first investigated by Linnaeus in the year 1758. Systematic account of Nilgiri Hills butterflies were first accounted by Sir George Hampson (1888), followed by Evans, Yates, Wynter-Blyth (1943-1957) and recently Larsen (1987,1988). Interestingly, M A Wynter-Blyth was Headmaster at St. George’s School in Ketti (1941-44). His book, Butterflies of the Indian Region published by the Bombay Natural History Society in 1957 was for a long time the only handy guide to butterflies in India. In fact, many of the specimens collected/ species identified are from places like Kallar, Nadugani and Coonoor. Low land forest closely followed by wet evergreen forest make the habitat rich for Butterflies (Source: ZSI). Various accounts and literature indicate a presence of 334 butterfly species for Western Ghats and 324 butterfly species for Tamil Nadu. Torben B. Larsen in his “THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE NILGIRI MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN INDIA (LEPIDOPTERA: RHOPALOCERA) 1987 paper published in BNHS Journal lists 299 butterfly species. However, recent and exclusive account of butterflies occurring in the Kallar Reserve Forest is not readily available and found wanting. Butterflies at Kallar- Study Phase and Methodology Members of The Nature and Butterfly Society, Coimbatore (previously Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society) have frequented the place between July 2014 and August 2019. Visits are usually on holidays, especially Sundays, and at least one visit per month. 3-4 butterfly naturalists participated on an average in a week. Butterflies occurring on the road from NH juncture to Garden gate and inside the garden are recorded family wise, species wise along with population. The results were recorded on checklist sheets and were then electronically stored. Special events and sightings are highlighted to the media and the Forest Department through short notes and press releases like migration events, abundance of species, sighting of rare species. Apart from the adult population, early stages were also recorded like eggs, pupae and caterpillar. No adult butterflies were captured physically and harmed. Photographic evidences have been created for all possible species. Regular observations have been made available in the online Facebook page of the society- Tamilnadu Butterflies. Necessary permissions were sought from the Coimbatore Forest Division when additional areas were required to be inspected and for a formal organised walks (which were however a few instances only). Results- Overview The society has published an interim observation in October 2017 (through society newsletter Pattampoochi: Vol 1 Wings 4 pp: 4-11) for the study period between July 2014 and July 2017 and informal observation between 2012 and 2014. A total of 167 butterfly species have been reported with species representation from five families except Riodinidae. In the current updated context and the period up to August 2019, a total of 200 butterfly species have been recorded by society members. Necessity to prepare the current report and dissemination of the same is due to the significant 200 species. The society has formulated a methodology of defining a hotspot if 25% (75 species and above) of the state checklist species are found in a single definable area (not a broad area, but within a 5 sq. km area). With Kallar touching 200 species now, it should be now called “Super-Hotspot”. The following Table provides the breakup of 200 butterfly species sighted family wise: Table 1: Family wise breakup of butterflies sighted at Kallar S. No
Family
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Papilionidae, Swallowtails Latreille, [1802] Pieridae, Whites and Yellows Swainson, 1820 Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies Rafinesque, 1815 Lycaenidae, Blues Leach, 1815 Riodinidae, Metalmarks Grote, 1895 Hesperiidae, Skippers Latreille, 1809 Total
2 3 4 5 6
No of species sighted at Kallar
No of target species of Tamil Nadu state
15
19
25
32
57
96
57
93
0
2
46
83
200
325 PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Kallar 200– A long term TNBS Study on Kallar Butterflies
This (200 species) is almost two-thirds of the numbers that of the target number of butterfly species for the state of Tamil Nadu (which stands at 324). The Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae families share the top honours with 58 species each. Papilionidae and Pieridae are well represented too. The Hesperiidae family, however, is by proportion least represented with just 46 species. Average no of species works out to 40 species per study visit with maximum of closer to 100 and a minimum of 11 species (just once during the driest period in 2016).
Fig 1: Family wise distribution of butterflies sighted at Kallar
Migration of Butterflies Kallar falls under the migration route of butterflies. The Milkweed Danainae butterflies, namely Dark Blue Tiger, Blue Tiger, Common Crow and Double-branded Crow regularly migrates through Kallar on either direction before the onset of South West and North East Monsoon. Common Albatross, which make mass movements through Aralam in Kerala, then takes a direction towards Nilgiri Biosphere and at times, reaches Kallar in good numbers. We however, suspect this is in small scale, and may not happen every year, and Kallar falls under the fag end of the migratory route. During Summer months, Common Emigrants in thousands make migratory movement. While the Milkweed butterflies make use of land and the river to migrate, the Emigrants are predominantly through river. Albatross movement is not visibly seen. Two major population outburst is recorded in Kallar, one in 2016 of Common Emigrant and another in 2018 of Lime Butterflies. These are freak incidences and was not repeated or not seen in the same scale in the last 10 years. Recommendations A total of 200 species within a short exposure area surveyed confirms the super richness of the butterfly availability and density at Kallar Reserve Forest. When more protected area is surveyed beyond the current allowed public access through systematic surveys along with forest department, we expect the count to raise. All these observations are made over naturally available host and nectar plants, stressing the fact that primary focus is to retain the available forest cover and not much focus is required to add more host and nectar plants here. Conservation efforts must be focussed on the retention of critical plants especially during clearing of vegetation within and outside the Garden area. Systematic surveys and studies may be commenced on long-term to ensure the continuous assessment of butterflies; butterfly presence indicates a healthy eco-system and can act as measure of the overall eco-system. Declaration of Kallar as “Super Butterfly Hotspot� is highly recommended. This place can be a model to other potential hotspots on the natural way of maintaining the biodiversity despite unavoidable human intervention. Eco-tourism on the controlled scale by forest department can be encouraged. Acknowledgements The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS) sincerely thanks the members of the society and all other participants during the studies and walks. The Society also thank the on-line forum members of sharing the lists and their important findings from Kallar. The society also thank the staff and management of Garden, who have shown so much interest and support during the visits. The society sincerely thank the Coimbatore Forest Division, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, providing permissions when required and sought. Our sincere thanks to the past and current District Forest Officers, Rangers and staff for the support provided. Key Study Members: Balakrishnan R, Gopalakrishnan S, Nishanth CV, Pavendhan A, Ramanasaran H, Theivaprakasham H, Viswanathan S and Sravan Kumar K. PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Landscape– Sirumugai Range PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Birds & Butterflies Survey of Coimbatore Forest Division Pavendhan A pave67620@yahoo.co.in
Need for the Study Coimbatore Forest division spreads over 694 square km with seven forest ranges namely Sirumugai, Mettupalayam, Karamadai, Periyanaickenpalayam, Coimbatore, Boluvampatty and Madukkarai. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and bounded by Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Nilgiris, Mannarkad and Palakkad Forest divisions. The diversified vegetation in the division includes evergreen, grasslands, moist and dry deciduous, dry thorn and riparian forests. Birds and Butterflies are indicators of healthy environment and eco- system. The state of Tamil Nadu, which comprises varied habitats, has an estimated 513 bird species and 324 butterfly target species. Coimbatore Forest Division (CFD) which falls under the Western Ghats and Coimbatore District is home to about 380 + birds and about 270+ butterflies. In this regard and in order to assess the occurrence of Birds and Butterflies in the Coimbatore Forest Division (CFD), the District Forest Officer of CFD, Mr. D. Venkatesh IFS had directed to conduct a survey on birds and butterflies. Accordingly, 15-17, November 2019 were chosen as the survey period and planning the exercise started immediately. DFO, ACF and Rangers of all the 7 ranges had guided in the execution of the survey which was coordinated to the micro level by Mr. D. Boominathan, Landscape Coordinator, WWF-India, Mr. P.R. Selvaraj, President, Coimbatore Nature Society, and Mr. A. Pavendhan, The Nature and Butterfly Society. The three NGOs WWF-India, Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS) and The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS) were the coordinators for this exercise along with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. This first ever combined exercise assumes a greater significance as the exercise will help get a baseline data of birds and butterflies and will be instrumental for the conservation of these along with the eco-system, they were part of.
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Birds & Butterflies Survey of Coimbatore Forest Division
Sinhalese Five-ring
Orange-tailed Awl
Nilgiri Grass Yellow
Blue Admiral
Picture Credits: Participants PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Birds & Butterflies Survey of Coimbatore Forest Division
Discussion An impressive 211 bird species and 192 butterfly species have been recorded from the recently concluded two-day survey conducted by Coimbatore Forest Division (CFD) of Tamil Nadu Forest Department and jointly organised by WWF-India, Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS) and The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS), mentioned Mr D Venkatesh, District Forest Officer of Coimbatore Forest Division. Announcing the results, Mr. D Venkatesh, DFO has congratulated all the participants and forest officials for the successful exercise despite a cloudy and rainy conditions in many parts of the division during the survey. He has mentioned that the data generated on these birds and butterflies will be used as a baseline now and will help identifying areas which need special focus with respect to conservation. Detailing chronologically, various surveys undertaken in CFD and elsewhere, the DFO has mentioned the advantages of such surveys with examples of Lion-tailed Macaque and increased participation of well-informed volunteers of late. The DFO has also mentioned, much to the delight of participants that the birds and butterflies survey will now be assessed more regularly covering different seasons over the next few years. This will help in continuous monitoring of the eco-system. Mr. D. Boominathan, Landscape Coordinator, WWF-India, commented that it is heartening to see the field level staff getting exposed to birds and butterflies, while the focus is usually on the elephants and tigers. He requested for the continuous monitoring of the status of birds and butterflies of the division. Mr. P.R. Selvaraj, President, Coimbatore Nature Society, mentioned that it is a new experience for the members of CNS despite the regular weekly field visits and appreciated the participating members and accompanying department staff for their level of involvement and quality of the work carried out. Mr. A. Pavendhan, President, The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS), highlighted the higher number of species present in the Coimbatore district (270 +) and within the Coimbatore Forest Division, in areas like Siruvani Hills and Kallar. Participating members have shared their experiences of the survey and appreciated the richness of the division and touched upon areas of focus and immediate attention. Some of them have even requested for extending the scope of the survey to other lesser known life forms present within the division. Among the total number of 192 butterflies recorded, 15 belongs to swallowtails (Papilionidae), 27 belongs to the whites and yellows (Pieridae), 56 belongs to the Nymphalidae family, 54 belongs to blues and judies (Lycaenidae and Riodinidae) and 40 to the Skippers (Hesperiidae). Butterflies such as Common Rose, Lime Butterfly, Grass Yellows, Common Emigrant, Mottled Emigrant, Tigers and Crows, Bushbrowns, Sailers, Pansies, Lineblues, Grass Blues, Awls, Chestnut Bob, Borbo species are seen dominating in all ranges of the forest division during survey. Interesting butterfly sightings include Singhalese Five-ring (first record photographic record for the Coimbatore district), Common Onyx, Nilgiri Grass Yellow, Blue Admiral, Nilgiri Tit, Orange-tailed Awl, Common Sergeant, Many-tailed Oakblue, Common Imperial and Leaf Blue.
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Landscape– Jeerahalli Range PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Birds & Butterflies Survey of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve Pavendhan A pave67620@yahoo.co.in
Need for the Study Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve is a protected area and tiger reserve along the Western Ghats in the Erode District of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. First declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 2008 and enlarged in 2011, it covers a forest area of 1,408.4 square km and is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. In 2013, it became the fourth tiger reserve as a part of Project Tiger in the state of Tamil Nadu. Sathyamangalam forest range is a significant wildlife corridor in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve between the Western Ghats and the rest of the Eastern Ghats and a genetic link between the four other protected areas which it adjoins, including the Billigiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Sigur Plateau, Mudumalai National Park and Bandipur National Park. The sanctuary covers parts of Sathyamangalam taluk and Gobichettipalayam taluk of Erode District in north western Tamil Nadu. In December 2018, first combined birds and butterflies survey was conducted across Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve covering all ranges. The survey returned 241 bird species and 150 butterflies. The updated checklist (June 2019), stands at 252 birds and 166 butterflies (based on summer survey held in June 2019). In this regard, and in order to assess the current status of occurrence of Birds and Butterflies in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, the CCF &FD of STR, Dr. V. Naganathan IFS had directed to conduct a survey on birds and butterflies, for the second year in running during peak winter season. Accordingly, 13-15, December 2019 was chosen as the survey period and planning the exercise started immediately. District Forest Officer & Deputy Director Mr. P.G. Arun Lal, IFS, Sathyamangalam Division, STR, District Forest Officer & Deputy Director, Mr. Kumili Venkata Appala Naidu, IFS, Hassanur Division, STR had guided in the execution of the survey. The survey was coordinated to the micro level by Mr. C Sakthivel, Biologist, STR and Dr V. Kannan, Biologist, STR, Forest Range Officers of 10 ranges and NGO representatives of The Nature and Butterfly Society, WWF-India, Coimbatore Nature Society, and Vulture Conservation Forum.
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Birds & Butterflies Survey of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
Common Onyx
Nilgiri Tit
Sinhalese Five-ring
Pale Four-Lineblue
Picture Credits: Participants PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Birds & Butterflies Survey of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
Discussion Over 200 bird species and 157 butterfly species have been recorded from the recently concluded two-day survey conducted by Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) of Tamil Nadu Forest Department and jointly supported by The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS), Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS), WWF-India and Vulture Conservation Forum (VCF) mentioned Dr V Naganathan IFS, Chief Conservator of Forest & Field Director of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. Explaining the findings and highlights of the survey, the CCF & FD, Dr V Naganathan mentioned that the healthy numbers of Birds and Butterflies recorded confirms the healthy eco-system present in the Tiger Reserve and reflects the various conservation program in place. The critically endangered vulture species continue to thrive in the STR, and renewal of earlier abandoned nesting sites by them is a good and welcome site for the Vulture Conservation managers He also mentioned that the rare Sinhalese Five-ring butterfly, has a well-established presence across STR and suitable scientific studies will be planned to conduct on them on the favorable conditions that exist for their high and healthy population and the same will be protected. He also happily announced the sighting of Nilgiri Tit (Hypolycaena nilgirica), probably a first sighting for their presence in the Eastern Ghats. This butterfly belongs to the Lycaenidae family and is present in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. Another rare butterfly, Common Onyx (Horaga onyx) is also recorded for the first time at STR. Announcing the results, Mr. P. G Arunlal, DFO has congratulated all the participants and forest officials for the successful exercise despite a cloudy and rainy conditions in many parts of the division during the survey. He also mentioned that the updated checklist of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve based on this current survey data, added to the previous recorded data, now stands at 291 bird species and 184 butterfly species. The DFO has also explained various conservation measures that are taken in STR and various measures to eliminate invasive plant species and invited involvement of all participants in the exercise. Among the total number of 157 butterflies recorded, 10 belongs to swallowtails (Papilionidae), 24 belongs to the whites and yellows (Pieridae), 44 belongs to the Nymphalidae family, 48 belongs to blues and judies (Lycaenidae and Riodinidae) and 31 to the Skippers (Hesperiidae). Butterflies such as Common Rose, Common Banded Peacock, Common Grass Yellow, Yellow Orange-tip, Common Jezebel, Common Gull, Psyche, White Four-ring, Tawny Coster, Common Sailer, Yellow Pansy, Chocolate Pansy and Lemon Pansy are seen dominating in all ranges of the forest division during survey. Interesting butterfly sightings include Nilgiri Tit (first known record for the Eastern Ghats), Common Onyx, Pale Four -Lineblue, Blank Swift, Canara Swift (all significant records for the Eastern Ghats), Sinhalese Five-ring, Blue Admiral, Rounded Palm-redeye, Restricted Demon, Angled Flat and Common Shot Silverline. The highlights of the survey belong to the following three species:
Nilgiri Tit, a Lycaenidae family butterfly, so far sighted from the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, is sighted first time from the Eastern Ghats, from known records. Location: Jeerahalli Range . Common Onyx, another important and rare species sighted from Gundri, Kadambur camp. A second record for the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, as Salem registered a record a few months back. Sinhalese Five-ring, discovered in STR last year, which was a second sighting for the state, is well established all over STR especially in abundance in a few areas like Jeerahalli and Bungalow Pudur. This is good news and need good protection. PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Leopard Lacewing Cethosia cyane
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NEBM VI-2019 Namdapha Tiger Reserve Pavendhan A pave67620@yahoo.co.in
This is the 6th event of North-east Butterfly Meet, held every year in one of the North-eastern states, and me and Nishanth CV attended third time in a row. Namdapha National Park is situated on the eastern most part of India, and may just touch the Myanmar, if someone travels less than 100 Km or so. It is in Arunachal Pradesh. We reached Dibrugarh, Assam on 13th September morning. We proceeded to Tinsukia and along with Mrs. & Mr. Naveen left to Miao by car. We reached Dapha Valley Tourist Lodge and found the entire participants assembled there. After exchanging pleasantries with all participants, and making a customary group picture, all of us left for Deban, where our stay for the next three days were scheduled within the core Namdapha National Park. It is a Tiger Reserve, and the easternmost rainforest available in India. The area is 1985 square km. The drive is a 26 Km one and through some of the toughest roads you would ever see, and the rains have only made it worse. We were taken on two treks and ladies were taken on a SUV. All Mahindra made vehicles. Minom & Roshan were the two young wonderful local organisers for the event. The drive was thrilling and exciting, as we happen to see the big flowing river, the tribal villages and their predominant paddy fields, their cattle and pigs. We must cross the river at a place where the water was flowing, and then take the long road through deep dense forest. The shaky and rhythmic movement of vehicle made me sleep for a while too. We stopped at a check post and after providing ILP details and vehicle numbers etc. we proceeded to the base camp at Deban. We were allotted traditional huts, where tourists usually stay. These were placed facing the River. The light is supported by solar. The hut is made in a traditional way. Pillars from the ground for about 2 feet, over which basement is made. The material used are all nature and the roof are again thatched. Inside we had a bed laid over the floor. And a small attached bathroom. We were dependent on the attenders to bring water for us in buckets and once we collected rainwater to manage. It is a new experience, overall.
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Common Raven
Veined Jay
Five-bar Swordtail
Great Archduke
Sergeant Major
Elbowed Pierrot
Common Mottle
Pale Green Awlet PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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NEBM VI-2019 Namdapha Tiger Reserve
Day 1 of the meet: We woke up around 5 AM and found the light was good and some people were already chasing the crepuscular Awlets. We saw an Orange Awlet and then a Popinjay and other early morning active butterflies like Common Evening Brown, Dark-brand Bushbrown, Common Five-ring and a Grass Demon. We then moved to the main building area, where there was a lawn with a few nectar flowers in bloom. Tamil Lacewing, Spangle, Yellow Orange-tip and Common Mime were the regular visitors to the flowers, which continued until we left. Other butterflies in the vicinity to note are Skippers, Purple Sapphire, Constable, Glassy Tiger, Naga Pied Flat, Blackvein Sergeant, Punchinello, Pale Wanderer, Fluffy Tit, Tailed Jay, Commander, Lesser Albatross, Quaker, Vagrant and a Dingy Sailer. We had our breakfast in between. The food was served in banana leaves placed in a bamboo basket. And Bamboo shoots were used to serve Tea and drink water. It was raining, and we could not decide what to do. Luckily, Sandex Vargheese alerted us that a Common Mottle (we were calling it as Darkie, until checked for correct ID) was resting nearby and we immediately pumped to capture it. The rain was slowing down and the loosely formed group of us decided to walk to Anamika falls. We started walking towards Anamika falls, which is about few kilometres from the base camp. It was a momentary phase of no rain and we could spot just a Punchinello, until we reached the first falls. We saw a Constable and a Punchinello and a Quaker nearby. We walked further towards a point, where the road joined the main road leading to Bijay Nagar. There was, however, some good activity around the 2 nd waterfalls and the bridge, so we decided to spend quality time here. Large Yeoman, Tiger Hopper, Common Jester, Elbowed Pierrot, Great Orange-tip, Northern Spotted Ace, Tabby, Long-branded Bushbrown, Yellow Jezebel, an unidentified Hedge Blue and a Staff Sergeant. However, a co-operative Jungle Glory made our day. At this point, the rain started pounding and we have decided to retreat to the camp with our umbrella and raincoats on. We briefly halted at forest staff shed on the way back to escape from heavy rains. Once at the camp, we spent some time around the Ranger office building, which we named as “Pettai” for its strategic location and an odd chair to sit. A White Dragontail made a brief appearance and hovered over stagnant water before disappearing. We also spotted a Bright Sunbeam and a Black Prince. After the rest and lunch for an hour or so, it was back to action again. We could add a Common Mormon, Plain Puffin, Plain Earl and Pale Grass Blue to the list. Three Rufous-necked Hornbills made an appearance on a tall tree briefly, before flying off. Most birds are heard than seen here. We then spotted females of Dark and Great Archdukes. Also added a Watson’s Bushbrown, a Plain Bushbrown and a Dark Evening Brown. We finished the day around 4 PM with a repeat sighting of Common Mottle. Day 2 of the meet: The day again dawned early, but we got up little late as the rains were pouring down. It was around 7 AM, the rain relented for a while. Umbrellas were out and the butterflying had to start. The Pale Green Awlet and Indian Awlking were the early ones to make appearance. And the usual nectar seekers were there, and we could add Skippers like Pelopidas agna and Parnara sp. to the list. Around 11 AM or so, when the rains finally stopped, we started walking towards Anamika falls as we could not cover it in full on the previous day. It was the turn of male Archdukes to make their presence today as we walked slowly along. Other butterflies to note are Tailed Jay, Rings, Chocolate Albatross, Banded Treebrown, Long-banded Bushbrown, Purple Sapphire, Striped Blue Crow, Common Cerulean, Large Yeoman and others. As we were badly looking for a priced butterfly to appear, it finally showed up! What a Gem it is. A brilliant blue on the upper and cryptically designed on the under, it was wonderful to watch the Common Gem butterfly for a while. It was time to take the long walk after recording the Vagrant and Dingy Sailer. We reached the second falls near the Bijoy Nagar road junction and decided to explore the place leisurely. First to make an appearance was a Pale-marked Ace (Absent Ace). It was soon followed by White Dragontail, a female Cruiser, Black Prince, Elbowed Pierrot, Map Butterfly, Branded Lineblue, Constable, Fluffy Tit, Punchinello and Orchid Tit. At this point in time, couple of tribal with loads of material on their shoulder were walking towards Miao. Ajith Raut told me that they were carrying Cardamom and probably walked down for a few days from the deep inside of the Jungle from Bijay Nagar area. We reached Anamika falls earlier than expected. We saw a Red Helen taking minerals from a rock. And a Banded Ace came to the wet soil. A possible Common Yeoman was also recorded. Other butterflies recorded here include Cruiser, Common Hedge Blue, Great Orange-tip, Fluffy Tit, Mishmi Ace, Common Jester, Elbowed Pierrot, Common Bluebottle, Chocolate Albatross, Tabby, Unbroken Sergeant, Dark Blue Tiger, Common Cerulean, Common Grass Yellow. An Orange Oakleaf was flying past and we could not capture by camera. We realized it was 3 PM and forgot our lunch too. While waking back, we could only add a female Plain Earl. It was almost 5 PM when we reached the camp and the field activity ended without any further significant addition. The evening meeting was held to consolidate list for the day. We had couple of presentations too. The day’s total for me was 73 species. PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Common Gem Poritia hewitsoni
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NEBM VI-2019 Namdapha Tiger Reserve
Day 3 of the meet: With two days experience behind us now, we were only hoping for a few more additions, considering also the fact that the closing meeting was scheduled to be around 1130 AM. It was raining in the morning and we were worried about another washout day. We packed everything and kept the bag ready. The first shot on the camera was around 915 AM after taking breakfast. After capturing the usual visitors around, the Lacewings, Ravens, Great Eggflies, Sapphires and a Blue-striped Crow, we started leaving the camp, not knowing which directions to take, but inclined strongly towards the Bijoy Nagar side. We spotted a Common Emigrant came and sat under a tree. It was surprising to see the emigrants in rare status here, contrary to back home! We spent some time around the entrance building area and could spot a Potanthus sp., males of Archdukes, Cruiser, Plain Puffins and a few more. We then took the short steep climb to reach the Bijoy Nagar road. This was slippery and took the breath out of us and took 10 min exactly to reach. Once on the road, it was pretty decent walk for the next few hours. A few butterflies inside a locked building were spotted and except me, everyone jumped into the building. I took some records from the gate and stayed on the road to follow the active Common Ciliate Blues. The butterflies inside finally turned out to be a Courtesan and an Indian Red Admiral. The walk about a kilometer or so and then return had many new species added to the list, thanks to improved weather. They include Indian Purple Emperor, Sergeant Major, Dark Pierrot, Staff Sergeant, Veined Jay, Common Jay, Yellow Sailer, a Sunbeam, Tailed Jay, Long-banded Silverline, Glassy Tiger, Mishmi Ace and a Chocolate Royal. On return to the main building, added a Magpie Crow and a Five-bar Swordtail. We wrapped the session in the field by 2 PM and after finishing the lunch quickly, assembled for the final session. After customary speeches, and receipt of certificates, we left to Miao. We then took a cab to reach Jagun and from there, took an Omni bus to reach Tinsukia and left Coimbatore on the 4th day morning. Our special thanks to all the organisers and participants for making the trip memorable and to Mrs. & Mr. Naveen for the wonderful hospitability extended to us.
Picture Credits: NEBM Participants
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Enroute to Thirukurungudi Malai Nambi Kovil Theivaprakasham Hari theivaprakasham@gmail.com
Southern districts have always been an under-explored with respect to diversity of butterflies. Last month (01 November 2019), I got a chance to visit Valliyur (வள்ளியூர்) town of Tirunelveli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on an invite by Mr. Prakash Loganathan. A one day field exploration was planned at Thirukurungudi Malai Nambi Kovil which comes under Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. Malai Nambi Temple is located amidst forests and a stream. The temple is at the average distance of 3.1km with changing elevation from 159MSL to 347MSL from the Foothill. The very place reverberates calmness and devotion. In this picturesque location, resides Malai Nambi. There are two modes of transport to reach the Malai Nambhi Temple. The first and common mode of transport is through uphill trek for 3.1km from the foothills Forest check post. The other mode of transport is through Jeeps. Jeeps are available from Thirukurungudi to Malai Nambhi temple. Own vehicles are navigable till foothills and is inaccessible till the temple due to poor road conditions and the hilly terrain. A nominal entry fee of Rs.30 for an adult is collected at the entrance of foothills forest check post. On 01 November 2019, we as a team of three comprising of Mr. Ramanasaran H, Mr. Theivaprakasham H and Balakrishnan S started the butterfly walk at 08.00AM. The weather was sunny and the sky was clear after the rains the previous night. On the way towards the foothills, we observed a strong butterfly migration especially consisting of Common Emigrant, Lime butterfly and Common Crow. The butterflies migratory movement was heading towards Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu in the directions of North-North East South–South West. After reaching the forest check post at the foothills, we could see many butterflies namely Golden Angle, Plain Hedge Blue, Zebra Blue, Lobed beak and Common Albatross happily mud-puddling near the river stream even with much disturbance from the movement of public. On walking towards the hill, we were able to sight few mud-puddling patches with mainly blues. Each mud puddling patches was filled with at least 10+ White-tipped Lineblue, Dingy Lineblue and Forget-me-not which was something unusual and significant. The three visually similar pierrots namely Common Pierrot, Banded Blue Pierrot and Angled Pierrot were also seen mud puddling together. The Plain Hedge blue was also seen more in numbers compared to Common Hedge blue. One of the either side of the path towards the temple always had a river stream flowing through it. After walking 2km, we sighted a massive mud-puddling area mostly with Swallowtails and White and Yellows. Some of the butterflies seen were Common Banded Peacock, Blue Mormon, Common Leopard, Common Mormon, Common Jay, Southern Blue Bottle, Common Emigrant, Mottled Emigrant, Common Albatross, Grass Yellows, Pioneer and Common Gull. PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Enroute to Thirukurungudi Malai Nambi Kovil
The worrying part was the observation of butterfly road kills by the jeeps travelling towards the temple. The minimum overall road kills that I could count during the walk was more than 200. The Monkey Puzzle, Dark Wanderer, Southern Birdwing and Rustic occasionally greeted us on the way towards the temple. We rested for sometime near the forest shed which is located just before the temple. While munching some snacks, a unique flight pattern of Grass Yellow butterfly was noted. I went chasing behind the butterfly for a record shot. After a 10minutes of hide & seek, I was able to photograph the Grass yellow. To my surprise, it turned out to be a rare Nilgiri Grass Yellow. As the cumulus clouds started to cover up the skies, we planned to return back. On the way back, we spotted few rare butterflies namely Short-banded Sailer, Blue Admiral and Leaf Blue. A huge Monitor Lizard was also sighted. At the end of the butterfly walk, we were able to document an impressive number of 101 species of butterflies with the family Nymphalidae dominating with 32 species followed by 28 from Lycaenidae. Hesperiidae family was least represented with nine species. The species richness of 101 butterflies species at Thirukurungudi Mali Nambi Kovil is quite significant. The place has a huge potential and therefore more exploration and systematic surveys would unveil more rare butterflies from this place.
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Enroute to Thirukurungudi Malai Nambi Kovil
List of butterflies sighted: Papilionidae 1 Southern Bluebottle 2 Common Jay 3 Tailed Jay 4 Common Rose 5 Crimson Rose 6 Southern Birdwing 7 Common Mormon 8 Malabar Raven 9 Blue Mormon 10 Lime Butterfly 11 Common Banded Peacock Pieridae 12 Three-spot Grass Yellow 13 Small Grass Yellow 14 Common Grass Yellow 15 Nilgiri Grass Yellow 16 Common Emigrant 17 Mottled Emigrant 18 Crimson-tip 19 Small Orange-tip 20 Plain Orange-tip 21 White Orange-tip 22 Yellow Orange-tip 23 Great Orange-tip 24 Dark Wanderer 25 Common Wanderer 26 Striped Albatross 27 Common Albatross 28 Common Gull 29 Common Jezebel 30 Psyche 31 Pioneer Nymphalidae 32 Southern Beak 33 Glassy Tiger 34 Blue Tiger 35 Dark Blue Tiger 36 Striped Tiger 37 Plain Tiger 38 Double-branded Crow 39 Common Crow 40 Common Nawab 41 Anomalous Nawab
42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63
Southern Palmfly Common Evening Brown Common Bushbrown Glad-eye Bushbrown White Four-ring Tawny Coster Common Leopard Tamil Yeoman Rustic Black-vein Sergeant Common Lascar Common Sailer Chestnut-streaked Sailer Short-banded Sailer Common Baron Common Castor Blue Admiral Blue Pansy Yellow Pansy Chocolate Pansy Lemon Pansy Great Eggfly
86 87 88 89 90 91 92
Gram Blue Small Grass Jewel Grass Jewel Lime Blue Common Acacia Blue Leaf Blue Monkey Puzzle
Hesperiidae 93 Brown Awl 94 Common Banded Awl 95 White Banded Awl 96 Suffused Snow Flat 97 Water Snow Flat 98 Golden Angle 99 Indian Skipper 100 Chestnut Bob 101 Parnara sp
Lycaenidae 64 Danaid Eggfly 65 Indian Sunbeam 66 Pointed Ciliate Blue 67 Dingy Lineblue 68 Transparent 6-lineblue 69 Common Lineblue 70 Tailless Lineblue 71 White-tipped Lineblue 72 Angled Pierrot 73 Banded Blue Pierrot 74 Dark Cerulean 75 Common Cerulean 76 Forget-me-not 77 Pea Blue 78 Zebra Blue 79 Common Pierrot 80 Pale Grass Blue 81 Tiny Grass Blue 82 Bright Babul Blue 83 African Babul Blue 84 Plain Hedge Blue 85 White Hedge Blue
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Enroute to Thirukurungudi Malai Nambi Kovil
Mud puddling
Common Banded Peacock
Southern Beak
Malabar Raven
Leaf Blue
Opaque six-lineblue
Plain Hedge Blue
Forget me-not
Blue Mormon
Golden Angle
Zebra Blue
Common Lineblue
Double-branded Crow
Banded Blue Pierrot
Monkey Puzzle PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Enroute to Thirukurungudi Malai Nambi Kovil
Common Mormon
Blue Admiral
Common Cerulean
White–tipped lineblue
African Babul Blue
Nilgiri Grass Yellow
Common Leopard
Lime Blue
Small Grass Jewel
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Exploring Siruvani Hills during Official Coimbatore Forest Survey 2019 Sravan kumar K sravankumar.k@thehindu.co.in
Siruvani, the name synonymous to Coimbatore. I am fortunate to explore this hills during the first official Coimbatore Forest Survey 2019 for both Birds and Butterflies organised by Coimbatore Forest Division along with TNBS, CNS and WWF. I am happy to be part of Boluvampatti team, my team mates are Mr. Pavendan, TNBS, Mr. Ganesh and Mr. Rajesh, trainee ACF from CASFOS. After a well organised opening survey meet at Forest college auditorium, we 4 started to our camp at Irutupallam for overnight stay. It was not a good start as my work horse Maruti Gypsy showed us how things can always go wrong. Just 5 minutes into our travel, back tyre got punctured. I am fortunate to find puncture shop just 100 mtrs away. After fixing it, we all headed our camp. It was a cloud 9 moment for me once I reach the camp. It was a suite room with all amenities, thanks to organisers and Forest department for the stay arrangement. After brief discussion, we all went to bed, setting alarm at 5 am. The day started with lot of hopes and excitement, we both had different species wish list. To name a few, I want to see Yellow breasted flat, Nilgiris grass yellow, royals and white bellied woodpecker. After a cup of Chai and packed breakfast we entered Chadivayal checkpost, the starting point of our survey. We were accompanied by forest Guard Ms Uma Nandhini. It was early morning 6.30, clouds are still on with gentle breeze and haziness, driving into the woods felt like I am the luckiest person in the world. Just minutes into our exploration, i could hear husking voice, Heat spotted woodpecker. Nano second iding skill Mr. Pavendan spotted Heat spotted woodpecker. It was a hurrah moment, but I am not as lucky since I loaded my DSLR with Macro lens and kept my 100-400 in the car, before reacting it just entered the bushes. We stayed there for sometime exploring both birds and butterflies, we got regular species but no wow moment again. With determination of finding something rare, we moved deep into the woods. Man proposes, god disposes. Life is always expect the unexpected, on that day we were praying god please do not rain, but god has something else for us in store. With overnight heavy rains, sun was adamant not showing to us. It drizzles for couple of minutes and them stops and that happens till noon. In the process, forest guard Ms. Anu Nandhini got interest and started to look out for butterflies, she even took few pictures in her mobile. She was every eager to learn, we to the maximum extent helped her how to Id each butterflies and what butterflies means to our environment and why we should conserve them so on. We were happy to create interest among forest custodians. More they get into these tiny creature, we are assured that the future of forest is in safe hands.
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Exploring Siruvani Hills during Official Coimbatore Forest Survey 2019
With determination, after exploring foothills around 11.30 am, we said lets try ghat section where usually, we sigh rarities. With thick undergrowth and deep potholes, the ghat section was punishment to drive. To make things worse there were 4 landslide zones, slushy red soil and water logging tested both the driving skill and vehicle ability to negotiate the terrain. Somehow with 4 wheel drive, we managed to cross all but the final landslide just before the grass hill almost eroded the road and it was end of journey. We decided not to risk ourselves and explored the area around us. We got fulvous pied flat, Nilgiri Grass yellow and few other common species. Considered to be a real hot spot turned out to be a empty terrain. With heavy heart and disappointment, we decided to descend down to filtering plant again hoping mud puddling activities would have started. But the day turned out to be a normal day, not much of wow moments. Having said that, we did not go home empty handed. We ended up day 1 with few notable species like Nilgiri Grass yellow, Short Banded sailer, Blue Admiral, Peacock Royal, Slate Flash, Plain puffin and Bush hopper along with common species. If my memory is right we ended up close to 80 species. We were determined, if sun shines on day 2, we will compensate day 1 deficit. With good food and sleep day 2 started with big hopes and expectation. Not always, things works to our advantage. Day 2, we went to Kovai Kutralam. It was worst outing in my life, from morning 6 am till 9.30 am, we would sight only 3 species, in the so called butterfly hot spot. We still were determined to make good of available 2 hrs to call it for the day. Hard work paid off, we managed good number of species in the remaining 2 hours, 30-35 but all common. Went to elephant camp, river side but we were unfortunate. We came back to camp, declaring end of the day, but luck favours the brave, we sighted Common Imperial in our camp along with few other common butterflies. It was like, wow. With good memories, we consolidated our report, 102 species of butterflies was recorded, the highest number by any team in the survey. What ever be the climate or terrain, if we have determination and patience, the end result will always be fruitful. Lesson re-learned. We said bye bye to Siruvani and headed back to forest college auditorium for closing meeting.
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Plains Cupid - Chilades pandava PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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In News
Introduction about Butterflies and TNBS– Vazhipokkan YouTube Channel
On 3rd October, and on 8th October, the Vazhipokkan channel released two parts of the interview on the society and introduction to butterflies, that was filmed on 29th September. While the video on society traces the origin and purpose of the society and its activities, the introduction part on butterflies can quickly get a basic understanding on butterflies. The following links may be used to access these.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYEY1e688sA&t=22s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rNSQW7QdZM&t=3s
Article on the Western Ghats Butterflies
Butterflies of the Western Ghats. An article in Tamil in Kaadu Magazine. This is an attempt to give a simple overview of the butterflies of the Western Ghats in Tamil. The article is done by TNBS senior member Mr. A. Pavendhan. The article touches upon the Western Ghats introduction, no of butterfly species present, a brief introduction about butterflies and endemic status of the species present.
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In News
Current Status of Butterflies in The News Minute
The News Minute covered a video news on Butterflies of the Western Ghats. 17 Nov 2019. The link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2v-N9T1Kdc
Kallar-200, A Hotspot needs its rightful attention
A 5 year study result on Kallar butterflies was released during opening meeting of CFD survey. It also marked the sighting of 200th butterfly sighting. 15 Nov 19. The report is covered well by The Hindu, The Hindu (Tamil) and The Times of India
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In News Birds and Butterflies Survey Nov 2019– Coimbatore Forest Division
The first integrated birds and butterflies survey held at Coimbatore Forest Division, which was co-organised by TNBS, CNS and WWFIndia is well covered in the Tamil and English Print media. Such coverages, we believe will bring good attention on these species. PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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In News
Special Article on the occasion of Coimbatore Formation Day
On the day of Coimbatore District Formation, an article on Butterflies of Coimbatore is published in the special edition of The Hindu. 24.11.19
Awareness Program at Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore
An awareness program on butterflies to KCT Team was done, based on the initiative of Saravanan Chandrasekaran of KCT. 24.11.19 PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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In News Vellalore Lake Butterflies
The efforts of Coimbatore corporation and Kovai Kulangal brought back the nature life and water at Vellalore lake. TNBS visited the lake on request and made a checklist of butterfly population there. The NGO invited students from Sri Ramakrishna college of Arts and science, and volunteers numbering 50. An insight on butterflies and need to conserve them were passed on. About 30 species of butterflies were recorded. TNBS Team: Sravan Kumar. K, Nishanth CV and Ramanasaran H. 01.12.2019
WWF-India Training Program for Nature Guides at Chinnar, ATR
WWF India conducted a training program for Nature Guides at Chinnar, Anamalai Tiger Reserve. TNBS provided introduction on birds and butterflies. 08.12.19 PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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In News
Birds and Butterflies Survey Dec 2019– Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
The second successive year, integrated birds and butterflies survey held at Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, which was co-organised by TNBS, CNS, WWF-India and others is represented in the Tamil and English Print media.
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Butterfly Vision—Identification Software
The news article on Butterfly Vision-AI-powered Butterfly Identification Web Application (https:/butterflyvision.in/) was featured in The Hindu-Metro Plus Newspaper in various editions, namely Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, and Thiruvananthapuram ((23 Nov 2019). There was also a coverage in one of the Malayalam newspaper.
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Common Lascar - Pantoporia hordonia
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From the Facebook Pages...
African Marbled Skipper by Syed Kaleel
Black Rajah by Anand Sundaram
Blank Swift by Kavi Bharathi
Blue Admiral by Harish G Mallaya
Blue Mormon by Loganathan Lakshmi
Canara Swift by Gandhi Sankar
Common Banded Peacock by Sadhees Kumar
Common Baron by Jayamohan PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Common Castor Sundara Manikkam
Common Crow by Subramaniam Venkatramani
Common Evening Brown by Bhupathi Vignesh
Common Grass Dart by Kalmadi Rajiv
Common Grass Yellow by Sekaran Sridhar
Common Gull by Nagaraj Latha
Common Jezebel by Rama Neelamegam
Common Leopard by Prakash Gururajan PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Common Evening Brown by Mithun Kumar
Common Leopard by Sathya Seelan
Common Line Blue by Sun Raja
Common Mormon by Monika Gandhi
Common Nawab by Sahitya Selvaraj
Common Onyx by H Byju
Crimson Rose by Saravana Saran
Danaid Eggfly by Vinod Sadasivam PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Crimson Rose by Soundar Ells
Dark Blue Tiger by Balaji Balachandran
Dark Grass Blue by Navin Joseph
Dart sp by Amar Bharathy
Forget Me Not by Thiroomorti Ra
Guava Blue by Preethi Selvaraj
Indian Sun Beam by Senthil Kumar
Joker by Ravindran Kamatchi PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Lemon Pansy by Vijayakumar Ramamoorthy
Lime Butterfly by Abinav
Little Orange Tip by Elavarasan Malaiyappan
Painted Lady by Muniraj Palanisamy
Pea Blue by Rohini Ramalingam
Peacock Pansy by Sasikumar Appu
Plain Orange Tip by Gopal Krishnan
Sinhalese Five Ring by Subhasree N PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Plain Tiger by Bhanu Mathi
Plains Cupid by Darshan M Trivedi
Plane by Pavendhan Appavu
Red Pierrot BY Um VI
Restricted Demon by Theivaprakasham Hari
Scarce Shot Silverline by Haneesh KM
Sinhalese Five Ring by Ramanasaran Hari
Striped Pierrot By Arun Kumar PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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From the Facebook Pages...
Tawny Coster by Arumugam Chandrasekaran
Tailed Palmfly by Jee Jeevith
Three Spot Grass Yellow by Sravan Kumar
Tiny Grass Blue by Vishwa Nathan
Yellow Orange Tip by CV Nishanth
Yellow Pansy by Devika Devi
Zebra Blue By Preethi Selvaraj
Common Leopard By Calvin Jose PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Plains Blue Royal - Tajuria jehana
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Back Issues
Back Issues From the first issue released on Jan 1, 2017, we have released 12 issues so far, every quarter, and all the back volumes may be found in the following link: https://sites.google.com/view/tamilnadubutterflies/
Contribution to News Letters Our quarterly newsletter contains a broad range of news and articles on butterflies that are specifically interest to the Tamil Nadu landscape. We look forward to receive contributions from as many cross-section of naturalists as possible on their butterfly experiences, field visits, checklists, interesting sightings, butterfly behaviours observed, life cycles, educative picture stories, etc. We are excited to hear from you all! If you would like to contribute an article, news item or event notice for our newsletter please contact us at tamilnadubutterflies@gmail.com PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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Common Silverline - Spindasis vulcanus PATTAMPOOCHI A TNBS MAGAZINE WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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