Date with Butterflies on Sunday , February 6 , 2011

Did you know? A butterfly tastes its food with help of its feet. Tigers, Jezebel, Sergeants, Peacocks , Commanders, Nawabs, Sailors, Barons, Rajahs are the names of butterflies. That a caterpillar weaves itself into a cocoon before it becomes a Butterfly. Also that butterflies are never attracted to Rose flowers and that some butterflies feed on alcohol.

More such startling facts about the winged beauties would be revealed to you, if you agree to have a date with Butterflies, a BCOG programme happening on February 6 , 2011 at the Butterfly Conservatory Of Goa , Rajnagar , Pisgal Priol Ponda , Goa. Our country is a host for more that 1,501 species of butterflies and an Biodiveristy hot spot like Goa is blessed to have 250 species. It is a rare person who would not be attracted by the delicate beauty of butterflies. And to help you spot these jewels and learn more about their nature and habits, the Butterfly Conservatory of Goa ( BCOG ) has been arranging a fun filled day called as ' Date with Butterflies '. The half-day programme begins with butterfly watching nature trail at the Conservatory. This is then followed by interactive sessions on Indian Butterflies and butterfly photography, Copycats in Butterflies, Wonders of Early Stages of Butterflies, Tips on gardening for butterflies.
Nature lovers should ensure they don't miss this opportunity. Entry is Rs.150 per person.The last date of registration: Feb 4 , 2011For registration, email your entries to butterflyconservatoryofgoa@gmail.com or call on 9822125474 ( Rohit ) / 9822895474 ( Jyoti ) .

Nature Appreciation Trail - 2

A perfect family outing for those inclined to spend Sunday with nature ! :

Wild flowers ; Interesting shrubs ; Fascinating Butterflies ; Beautiful Birds ! A small trail and some witty chatter - an opportunity to learn about and appreciate nature at its best.

An event meant for the whole family between 9:00 am to 12:30 pm beginning at the Butterfly Conservatory of Goa ( www.bcogoa.org ), Ponda followed by a short trek to the Bhutkhambh Plateau.

Call us on 9822125474 ( Rohit ) / 9822895474 ( Jyoti ) / 9049853484 ( Prasad ) for more details .


Spot registrations also open. Entry Rs.150 per person – entire proceeds will be donated to BCOG to purchase plants.
www.bcogoa.org

Nature Appreciation Trail on January 26 , 2011

A perfect family outing for those inclined to spend January 26th holiday in scenic outdoors :

Wild flowers ; Interesting shrubs ; Fascinating Butterflies ; Beautiful Birds ! A small trail and some witty chatter - an opportunity to learn about and appreciate nature at its best.

An event meant for the whole family between 9:00 am to 12:30 pm begining at the Butterfly Conservatory of Goa ( http://www.bcogoa.org/ ), Ponda followed by a short trek to the Bhutkhambh Plateau. Call us on 9822125474 ( Rohit ) / 9822895474 ( Jyoti ) for more details .


Spot registrations also open. Entry Rs.150 per person – entire proceeds will be donated to BCOG to purchase plants.

Woes of naming the plants

Watakakakaka...can't figure out where the kakas end , just like in banananana. Getting the name to stop at the right place is a lot easier than identifying the plant in the wild. I am equipped with pretty decent photos of the host plants of butterflies along with their :

1. Common name

2. The vernacular name

3.The botanical name

4. Classification details

5. Fairly good description of what it flowers like , seeds like , fruits like, smells like or tastes like.

But it is God given talent to actually identify them - thats something that's hopelessly missing with me . Why ? I can't even place people's faces even if I saw them everyday. And these are green leaves , all looking similiar.

I need a botanist . A good one ! We had the good fortune of two of them visiting us . One was the page ( pronounced paa-gay ) family - Nuvendu was damn good ! The other was Nandan Kalbag . Wish we had atleast one of such treasures in Goa !

Meanwhile it is a painful trial and error . The wrong plants would invariablely sprout leaves instantly and the correct ones would shrivel and dry. And the ambitious butterfly breeding program takes a few steps behind.

Some of the success stories :

Southern Birdwings on some aristolochia plant ( maybe tagala or indica )

Tamil lacewings on passion fruit creeper

Giant Redeyes and palm fly on yellow palm

Common Mime on cinnamon

Blue Mormon on lemon and orange shrubs

Blue Tiger Moth on the freshwater mangrove

Monkey puzzle on Ixora

Red Pierrots on kalanchoe and bryophyllum

Baron on mango

Tawny Costers on passion flower

Common Mormons on curry leaves ( Murraya indica )

Yamfly on smilax

Lascar on zizypus.....and sailors on God knows what