Photo credit: Jose K
Yamfly butterflies are found across India and are commonly seen in the Western Ghats. They are especially numerous during the monsoon season in damp forest patches. This species has reddish orange bordered with black on the upper sides of the wings and a lighter yellow on the bottom. At the back of the wing, Continue reading
The dark evening brown butterly is found in the forested tracts of the Western Ghats and the Himalayas to Arunachal Pradesh up to 2100 maters. These butterflies prefer shady glades in moist forest habitat, and are attracted to refuse and bird droppings. They have prominent gray wing borders, and apical eye spots.
Small Grass Yellow Butterflies are more common in the foothills, prefering open, lightly forested areas where it flies around bushes. Their yellow wings have distinctive black outer margins, which are broader in the female. Both sexes have two black spots at the end cell of the underside of the forewing. Continue reading
Photo credits : Jose K
Peacock Pansy Butterflies are found across India up to 2000 meters throughout the year, prefering forest edges, waterside vegetation and gardens. These orangish butterfly with prominent peacock eye spots, to smaller eye spots on the upper forewing and larger on the hindwing are very common in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Continue reading
Common leopard butterflies are found across the Western Ghats up to 2000 meters. These butterflies prefers forest edges, grasslands, damp patches and wild flowers. This butterfly has black spots and wavy lines with a-pinkish violet tinge underneath the hind wing. Continue reading
The Common Tiger Butterfly is found across the Kerala’s Western Ghats up to 2500 meters. These butterflies prefers open forest, flying close to the ground in wooded habitats and migrating to the higher hills during summer. Continue reading
Photo credits: Aparna P
The Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore) is a colorful butterfly distributed all over Kerala from the plains to the hill ranges up to 1500. They are primarily found close to and during monsoon season, prefering open grass land, forest edges and gardens. Continue reading
Photo credits: Aparna P
The Blue Admiral butterfly, Kaniska canace, is a colourful butterfly commonly found in the hills of Southern India up to 2500m above sea level. Usually solitary, this butterfly is blackish blue with shining silvery blue bands across the outer edge of the wings. These butterflies fly close to ground, preferring to be near water, forest openings and paths.
Photo credits: Shiny Jose
Kerala’s butterflies are a richly diverse and scientifically interesting group of insects, which number around 330 species in the state. The largest butterfly in India, the Southern Birdwing, has a wingspan of about 25 centimeters, and the smallest, called the Grass Jewel (pictured below), has only a 1.5 to 2 centimeter wingspan. Can you name the species in the photo above? Continue reading
mud-puddling
Periyar Tiger Reserve is home to an impressive species diversity of 160 butterflies, underscoring the crucial relationship between plants and animals. Butterflies mainly males need minerals for reproduction, so they are often found gathering together to take salt and minerals from the wet soil and plants in a behavior called mud-puddling. Continue reading
Among the 144 families of butterflies in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, the Common Pierrot is distributed across the forest, flying from January to December in the plains. Continue reading
Common Crows
Males of many butterfly species assemble on spots of ground contaminated with animal urine or excreta or even some food plants. The butterflies absorb essential elements such as sodium that have been lost during the mating process. Continue reading
Photo credit: Ramesh Kidangoor
The Painted Sawtooth is a rare butterfly seen in Kerala’s forest settings only during January – April. The males fly extremely fast and have reddish orange spots on the back side of their wings.
Plain Tiger Butterflies are commonly seen throughout the year in the grass lands and open forest areas of Kerala. Their wings are reddish yellow with white spots on the upper side. Continue reading
Fulvous Pied Flat Butterflies are found inside deep forest habitats. Both genders are reddish brown in colour but the male has two large yellow hyaline spots on the upper wings. Continue reading
The Lemon Pansy Butterfly is among the many species commonly seen in and around the open forest and grass lands of the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
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The impressive diversity of more than 150 butterfly species in Periyar underscores the crucial relationship between plants and animals. The Grey Pansy butterfly are one of the larger varieties found commonly in the reserve, usually near riversides and open grasslands. Continue reading
The Periyar Tiger Reserve is famous for butterflies, in fact 144 species of butterflies have been identified in this region. The Common Castor (Ariadne merrione) is a frequently sighted example.
Southern Rustic Butterflies are commonly found in Periyar’s forest areas, flying up and down and resting in shadowy places. Their wings are dark brown and yellow. Continue reading
Common Palmfly is one of the frequently seen butterflies throughout Kerala. Coconut, Areca Nut and other ornamental palms are the main food plant for this species.
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