Austin Ajit has learnt more from nature than from textbooks. Treading softly in the wild alongside experts has broadened his interests beyond birdwatching into insect life. While his peers got hooked to screens during holidays, the 13-year-old Horamavu boy did something more meaningful — he took part in butterfly surveys in Sikkim, Honey Valley in Kodagu and Devalsari in Uttarakhand, alongside mentors of the Bangalore Butterfly Club, popularly known as BBC. “Jungles with rich, varied foliage create a haven for butterflies,” he says, as he searches for them with booted eagles soaring overhead and peafowls strutting through the undergrowth. Two-tailed spiders, Russel’s vipers, cobras and an unending pile of moths are regular sights in the wild, but nothing catches his fancy like a Tawny Coster or Tailed Jay. Austin is also a regular at the butterfly walk organised by BBC in Bengaluru. “Three hours of counting butterflies go by in a breeze, and I feel sad while heading back after each walk,” he says.
Austin Ajit
Austin’s upcoming book, inspired by butterflies of Doresana palya, tells the story of a squirrel who learns to love insects it originally considered “mundane, little glittering bugs.” BBC, the volunteer group co-founded in 2012 by four butterfly enthusiasts — Ashok Sengupta, Rohit Girotra, Haneesh KM and Nitin Ravikanthachari — has around 350 members currently, actively contributing to butterfly conservation and education, besides promoting butterfly watching. “Our primary focus is Bengaluru, but we organise butterflywalks to the Western Ghats and various parts of India,” says Girotra, who works with Oracle.
Blue Pansy
Through BBC, many have found great mentors like Dr Krushnamegh Kunte and Nitin, leading lepidopterists who co-authored the book, ‘Butterflies of Bengaluru,’ documenting 179 species of winged wonders in the city. Kunte’s Indian Foundation for Butterflies has been an umbrella organisation for the club. Organised nature walks in Bengaluru give a peek into the city’s diverse butterfly population. Apoorva Hemmige Arun, a student at RV College of Engineering, spotted her first Yamfly at Kalkere Arboretum during a guided walk. “It was fluttering around the bushes,” she recalls. Chasing Butterflies At 61 Butterflies never cease to amaze 61-year-old Sengupta. Last week, he saw a Painted Lady at Hesara ghatta. “The Painted Lady travels thousands of kilometres from Europe to the Indian plains, completing its journey over generations. Somehow, the route is embedded in these tiny creatures, and they visit Bengaluru too,” says Sengupta, an independent researcher and a retired Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan teacher.
Painted Lady
Sengupta’s tryst with butterflies has been eventful. He made headlines in 2024, after discovering a new species called Conjoined Silverline, in Kodagu. During his stint as a schoolteacher, Sengupta encouraged his students to create a butterfly park within the school, providing a habitat for various butterfly species and allowing them to learn about their life cycles and ecological importance. More Species, More Joy Karnataka state boasts over 350 species of butterflies, while India has around 1,400.
Common Grass Yellow
Bengaluru has observed a significant rise in its butterfly species, which is encouraging. Data collected by the butterfly club shows the city now hosts approximately 180 different butterfly species. This represents a notable increase from the 130 species recorded 13 years ago. Interestingly, it indicates a positive environmental change within the urban landscape, with pockets of butterfly-friendly habitats persisting, despite urban development. Increased public observation and Bengaluru’s location as a corridor also contribute to new species recordings. “The city is the corridor or connecting link for Western and Eastern Ghats endemic butterflies, and we record species as they move or increase their respective ranges,” explains Nitin. The butterfly population in the city has been consistent across all these years.Among butterflies commonly spotted in Bengaluru are Common Crow, Blue Tiger, Common Jay, Lemon Pansy, Blues, Common Mormon, Grass Yellows and Lemon Emigrant. They can be seen flying around in parks and small green patches. “My favourite butterfly is the Common Hedge Blue. It is breathtakingly beautiful with its distinctive blue colour,” says Adithya Samprathi, a student.Butterflies play a vital role in ecology as pollinators and essential links in the food web. “They are one of the primary sources of food for birds and reptiles, and they also pollinate a ton of plants. They also feed on multiple weeds as caterpillars and can manage weed and invasive plant population,” explains Haneesh.
Dark Blue Tiger
The Bangalore Butterfly Club collaborates with the Karnataka forest department for an annual five-day Butterfly & Bee festival, typically between October and December. The festival promotes awareness about butterflies, bees and pollination. Scientist’s Cherished Memory Nitin, a postdoctoral scientist, has spent his life studying butterflies. He particularly likes Apollo butterflies found in high-altitude meadows.
Bhutan Glory
He once observed Bhutan Glory (Bhutan’s national butterfly) mud puddling (taking in minerals and salts from wet soil) in Arunachal Pradesh. This unusual activity occurred early in the morning, despite cloudy weather conditions. Years later, the surreal sight remains one of his most cherished butterfly memories. Join A Butterfly Walk Butterfly enthusiasts can join BBC’s free walks and surveys on Sundays. These events occur at Doresani palya Forest Research Station and Kalkere Arboretum. Participants learn about butterfly species and collect vital data for research. The data is shared with researchers at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. Wing Commander KR Nagesh (retd) leads these informative nature excursions. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………While one can learn about butterflies from books and videos, seeing these dazzling insects in the wild alongside experts has a completely different effect. Observing their behaviours, favourite nectaring plants, and patterns up close burns those facts into your memory. I’ve also made a lot of friends at BBC, including Deepa Mohan, a passionate birdwatcher and Mamlakatoi Haidarova, who taught me a lot about fungi Austin Ajit | 13, BBC MEMBER AND HOMESCHOOLER
