Celebrating Big Butterfly Month September 2024

Walk nearby home at Nanded City Pune Maharashtra on 17.09.2024
Timings: 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Weather conditions: Sunny

Members:
Pavan Damoor

Sharing list of butterflies observed during the walk

Family: Hesperidae (skipper)

1. Small Branded Swift
2. Common Banded Awl larvae
3. Chestnut Bob

Family: Lycaenidae

1. Common Pierrot
2. Zebra blue
3. Black spotted Pierrot
4. Gram blue
5. Dark grass blue
6. Lesser grass blue

Family: Nymphalidae

1. Great eggfly
2. Sahyadri Baby Five ring
3. Common five ring
4. Glassy tiger
5. Common crow
6. Common castor
7. Common leopard
8. Common Baron
9. Chocolate Pansy
10. Peacock Pansy (female egg laying)
11. Tawny coster
12. Striped tiger
13. Plain tiger
14. Common Palmfly
15. Lemon Pansy

Family: Pieridae

1. Common grass yellow
2. Small grass yellow
3. Lemon emigrant
4. Indian Jezebel
5. Indian wanderer
6. Common Gull
7. Mottled Emigrant

Family: Papillondae

1. Common Mormon
2. Tailed Jay
3. Lime Swallowtail

Very good activity of Swallowtails, Pieridae, Nymphalidae and skippers
Observed Crows in dozens sapping on plant shoots accompanied by few Plain tiger, striped tiger and glassy tiger butterflies.
Luckily got egg laying of peacock Pansy butterfly

Happy Butterflying to all.... 🦋🦋

Celebrating Big Butterfly Month September 2024

3rd Butterfly Walk arranged at Sinhagad valley Pune district on 15.09.2024
Timings: 9:00 am to 01:30 pm
Weather conditions: cloudy, showers, partly sunny
Wind 10 kph
Temperature: 20 to 23 degrees

Members:
Pavan Damoor
Dattatray Langi
Dev choudhary
Ameya Gangurde
Rajendra Dharashivkar
Murli Krishnan & partner
Prajakta & Pankaj Kulkarni
Kushal Damoor

Sharing list of butterflies observed during the walk

Family: Hesperidae (skipper)

1. Small Branded Swift
2. Common Banded Awl
3. Grass Demon
4. Malabar spotted flat
5. Vindhyan Bob
6. Chestnut Bob
7. Oriental straight swift
8. Rice Swift

Family: Lycaenidae

1. Common Pierrot
2. Common Hedge blue
3. Malayan
4. Common line blue
5. Tailless line blue
6. Zebra blue

Family: Nymphalidae

1. Great eggfly female
2. Common Three Ring
3. Common five ring
4. Bushbrown sp
5. Glassy tiger
6. Common crow
7. Common castor
8. Common leopard
9. Nawab sp
10. Common Baron
11. Sahyadri blue oak leaf
12. Rustic
13. Common Map
14. Chocolate Pansy
15. Peacock Pansy

Family: Pieridae

1. Common grass yellow
2. Small grass yellow
3. Lemon emigrant
4. Indian Jezebel

Family: Papillondae

1. Blue Mormon
2. Common Mormon

Catterpillar of following species
Common Castor
Grass yellow
Grass Demon
Common crow
Common Banded Awl

Sinhagad valley - located on the base of Sinhagad Fort is a very good Habitat for Birds butterflies mamals reptiles and other insects. The habitat consists of forest, scrubland and farmland. Currently as it is monsoon season Paddy fields are in full swing due to which activity of skippers was seen in abundance. Grass yellow was also seen in abundance as there LHP Takla which is seen everywhere and plenty of egg laying activity.

Overall a good day today. Cloudy and Partly sunny weather with Little bit of showers in between gave a boom to butterfly activity during peak hours.
Observed mud puddling activity of line blue's and grass yellows.

Surprisingly there was no record of lemon Pansy, sailors, grass blues.
Will share the photos shortly.
Happy Butterflying to all....

Celebrating Big Butterfly Month September 2024

2nd Butterfly Walk arranged at Vetal tekdi Kothrud Pune district on 08.09.2024
Timings: 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
Weather conditions: Partly cloudy
Wind 16 kph
Temperature: 23 to 25 degrees
Humidity : fluctuating

Members:
Pavan Damoor
Narendra Bhagwat
Dr. Jafar Palot (new member)
Dattatray Langi (new member)
Dev choudhary

Sharing list of butterflies observed

Family: Hesperidae (skipper)

1. Common Small Flat
2. Spotted small flat
3. Small Branded Swift
4. Common Banded Awl - larvae and chrylasis
5. Brown Awl
6. Dart sp
7. Grass Demon

Family: Lycaenidae

1. Common Pierrot
2. African Babul Blue
3. Gram blue
4. Common Guava blue
5. Shot silverline
6. Slate flash
7. Red Pierrot
8. Pale grass blue

Family: Nymphalidae

1. Lemon Pansy
2. Daniad eggfly
3. Great eggfly
4. Common Three Ring
5. Common five ring
6. Bushbrown sp
7. Blue tiger
8. Common crow
9. Common Palmfly
10. Common castor
11. Common leopard
12. Nawab sp
13. Glassy tiger
14. Common Baron
15. Angled castor

Family: Pieridae

1. Common grass yellow
2. Small grass yellow
3. Psyche
4. Common gull (mating pair)
5. Lemon emigrant
6. Common Albatross
7. Indian Jezebel
8. White orange tip
9. Plain orange tip

Family: Papillondae

1. Lime Swallowtail
2. Common Mormon
3. Common Rose
4. Tailed Jay

Overall a good day today with plenty of activity.
Abundance of eggfly, Bushbrown sp, gull , emigrant, WOT, POT seen in very good numbers.
Surprisingly there was no record of Common evening brown and Pioneer White today.

Sharing few pictures of 🦋🦋 clicked during the walk.

Happy Butterflying to all....

Celebrating Big Butterfly Month September 2024

Butterfly Walk was arranged at Saswad and Waghapur Pune district on 01.09.2024
Timings: 8:45 am to 1:45 pm
Weather conditions: Cloudy day,
Wind in full swing 16 kph
Temperature: 23 to 25 degrees
Humidity was very less

Members:
Pavan Damoor
Kushal Damoor

Sharing list of butterflies observed

1. Dark grass blue - 8 to 10 no's
2. Common Three Ring - abundance around 25 to 30
3. Lemon Pansy - 7 to 8 nos
4. Lesser grass blue - 3 to 4
5. Common Rose - 12 to 15
6. Lemon emigrant - 8 to 10
7. Small grass yellow - uncountable , 3 pairs mating
8. Common Grass Yellow - 5
9. Painted Lady - 4
10. Blue Pansy - 3
11. Peacock Pansy - 3
12. Oriental grass jewel - 5
13. Yellow Pansy - 1
14. White orange tip - 1
15. Pioneer - 4 to 5, eggs and catterpillar
16. Indian Jezebel - 1
17. Common Pierrot - 1
18. Black spotted Pierrot - 1
19. Plains cupid - 1
20. Pea blue - 1
21. Angled castor - 5 to 6
22. Joker - 3
23. Common Mormon male

I have participated in BBM from almost 3 to 4 years. During my BBM observations I used to always visit the western ghats section like Tamhini and Sinhagad which comes under a heavy rainfall area.
But this time I had made up my mind to first visit the low rainfall area of Pune district which is mostly the eastern part i.e. Saswad and adjoining.

The abundance of butterflies seen in the month of September mainly due to reduction in Rains and these beautiful insects coming out in large numbers for basking, nectaring and other activities clearly indicates that why shouldn't the Big Butterfly Month be celebrated in the month of September every year.

Overall a very good day today even though less number of species but more in abundance. Even though cloudy we Enjoyed the atmosphere as it was cool and windy and no humidity but exactly the opposite in Tamhini when cloudy.

Will share the photos shortly.

Happy Butterflying to all.... 🦋🦋

Celebrating Big Butterfly Month September 2024

Butterfly Walk was arranged at Saswad and Waghapur Pune district on 01.09.2024
Timings: 8:45 am to 1:45 pm
Weather conditions: Cloudy day,
Wind in full swing 16 kph
Temperature: 23 to 25 degrees
Humidity was very less

Members:
Pavan Damoor
Kushal Damoor

Sharing list of butterflies observed

1. Dark grass blue - 8 to 10 no's
2. Common Three Ring - abundance around 25 to 30
3. Lemon Pansy - 7 to 8 nos
4. Lesser grass blue - 3 to 4
5. Common Rose - 12 to 15
6. Lemon emigrant - 8 to 10
7. Small grass yellow - uncountable , 3 pairs mating
8. Common Grass Yellow - 5
9. Painted Lady - 4
10. Blue Pansy - 3
11. Peacock Pansy - 3
12. Oriental grass jewel - 5
13. Yellow Pansy - 1
14. White orange tip - 1
15. Pioneer - 4 to 5, eggs and catterpillar
16. Indian Jezebel - 1
17. Common Pierrot - 1
18. Black spotted Pierrot - 1
19. Plains cupid - 1
20. Pea blue - 1
21. Angled castor - 5 to 6
22. Joker - 3
23. Common Mormon male

I have participated in BBM from almost 3 to 4 years. During my BBM observations I used to always visit the western ghats section like Tamhini and Sinhagad which comes under a heavy rainfall area.
But this time I had made up my mind to first visit the low rainfall area of Pune district which is mostly the eastern part i.e. Saswad and adjoining.

The abundance of butterflies seen in the month of September mainly due to reduction in Rains and these beautiful insects coming out in large numbers for basking, nectaring and other activities clearly indicates that why shouldn't the Big Butterfly Month be celebrated in the month of September every year.

Overall a very good day today even though less number of species but more in abundance. Even though cloudy we Enjoyed the atmosphere as it was cool and windy and no humidity but exactly the opposite in Tamhini when cloudy.

Will share the photos shortly.

Happy Butterflying to all.... 🦋🦋

Celebrating Big Butterfly Month September 2024

Butterfly Walk was arranged at Saswad and Waghapur Pune district on 01.09.2024
Timings: 8:45 am to 1:45 pm
Weather conditions: Cloudy day,
Wind in full swing 16 kph
Temperature: 23 to 25 degrees
Humidity was very less

Members:
Pavan Damoor
Kushal Damoor

Sharing list of butterflies observed

1. Dark grass blue - 8 to 10 no's
2. Common Three Ring - abundance around 25 to 30
3. Lemon Pansy - 7 to 8 nos
4. Lesser grass blue - 3 to 4
5. Common Rose - 12 to 15
6. Lemon emigrant - 8 to 10
7. Small grass yellow - uncountable , 3 pairs mating
8. Common Grass Yellow - 5
9. Painted Lady - 4
10. Blue Pansy - 3
11. Peacock Pansy - 3
12. Oriental grass jewel - 5
13. Yellow Pansy - 1
14. White orange tip - 1
15. Pioneer - 4 to 5, eggs and catterpillar
16. Indian Jezebel - 1
17. Common Pierrot - 1
18. Black spotted Pierrot - 1
19. Plains cupid - 1
20. Pea blue - 1
21. Angled castor - 5 to 6
22. Joker - 3
23. Common Mormon male

I have participated in BBM from almost 3 to 4 years. During my BBM observations I used to always visit the western ghats section like Tamhini and Sinhagad which comes under a heavy rainfall area.
But this time I had made up my mind to first visit the low rainfall area of Pune district which is mostly the eastern part i.e. Saswad and adjoining.

The abundance of butterflies seen in the month of September mainly due to reduction in Rains and these beautiful insects coming out in large numbers for basking, nectaring and other activities clearly indicates that why shouldn't the Big Butterfly Month be celebrated in the month of September every year.

Overall a very good day today even though less number of species but more in abundance. Even though cloudy we Enjoyed the atmosphere as it was cool and windy and no humidity but exactly the opposite in Tamhini when cloudy.

Will share the photos shortly.

Happy Butterflying to all.... 🦋🦋

Butterfly observations 18.02.2024
Sinhagad valley Pune MH India

Members
Pavan Damoor

ButterfliesofPune

Timings: 8:30 am to 1:30 pm

Weather conditions:
Chilled till 8 am
Hotter in the day with unbearable heat
a bit of breeze in between

Things to carry:
Breakfast, Water - 3 litres, fruits, sweets, onion , Cap/hat, first aid box, medicines if required,

Species count: 50

List of sightings observed

Family: Hesperidae (skippers)

1. Vindhyan Bob
2. Grass Demon
3. Golden angle

Family: Lycaenidae (Blues)

1. Pea blue
2. Common Pierrot
3. Angled Pierrot
4. White-tipped line blue
5. Plains cupid
6. Common line blue
7. Tailless line blue
8. Indian Cupid
9. Tiny grass blue
10. Zebra blue
11. Lesser grass blue
12. Common shot silverline
13. Abnormal silverline
14. Forget-me-not
15. Common cerulean
16. Pointed Ciliate blue
17. Dark cerulean
18. Large guava blue
19. Indian Red flash
20. Peacock royal catterpillar

Family: Riodinidae (metal marks)

1. Double banded judy

Family: Nymphalidae (brush footed)

1. Plain tiger
2. Common crow
3. Black Rajah
4. Common Tree brown
5. Common Threering
6. Common leopard
7. Commander
8. Common Sailer
9. Common Lascar
10. Baronet
11. Blue pansy
12. Yellow pansy
13. Lemon pansy
14. Chocolate pansy
15. Peacock pansy
16. Great eggfly
17. Sahyadri Blue oakleaf

Family: Pieridae (whites and yellows)

1. Common grass yellow
2. Spotless grass yellow
3. Small grass yellow
4. Mottled emigrant
5. Lemon emigrant
6. Common Gull

Family: Papilionidae (swallowtails)

1. Lime swallowtail
2. Common Mormon
3. Spot swordtail

overall a very great day today with plenty of mud puddling and nectaring activity.

Happy for getting my first record of 2 larvae of Peacock Royal butterfly 😊

Happy Butterflying to all....

Butterfly observations 11.02.2024
Sinhagad valley Pune MH India

Members
Swanand kesari
Dr Himanshu Pandav
Pavan Damoor

ButterfliesofPune

Timing: 9:30 am to 1 pm

Species count: 40

List of sightings

1. Vindhyan Bob
2. Pea blue
3. Common Pierrot
4. Angled Pierrot
5. White tip line blue
6. Common line blue
7. Tailless line blue
8. Common hedge blue
9. Common shot silverline
10. Abnormal silverline
11. Indian Cupid
12. Tiny grass blue
13. Zebra blue
14. Lesser grass blue
15. Forget-me-not
16. Blue pansy
17. Chocolate pansy
18. Grey pansy
19. Yellow pansy
20. Lemon pansy
21. Commander
22. Common Sailer
23. Chestnut streaked Sailer
24. Baronet
25. Blue oakleaf
26. Great eggfly
27. Blue tiger
28. Glassy tiger

29. Common leopard
    30 Painted lady female egg laying

30. Dark cerulean
31. Psyche
32. Indian wanderer
33. Common grass yellow
34. Spotless grass yellow
35. Lemon emigrant
36. Indian Jezebel
37. Common Mormon
38. Lime swallowtail
39. Grass demon
40. Eggs of Peacock Royal on loranthus
41. Catterpillars of Mormon on lemon/ curry leaves

Happy Butterflying to all....

Butterfly observation 04.02.2024
Sinhagad valley Pune MH India

Pavan Damoor

ButterfliesofPune

Timing: 9:30 am to 1:30 pm
Latitude:
Longitude:

As we have visited Tamhini plenty of times so decided to change our location 😁 so this Sunday I planned to visit Sinhagad valley Pune which is very much near to my home. And with past experiences and observation I knew that the butterfly mud puddling activity must have already begun at the valley and it was the same.

This time I am sharing the list of butterflies sightings in a different format, it's a half hour count (scientific data method)

I started my butterfly walk from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm so a total of 8 counts in 4 hours.

Sharing the list of butterflies observed at Sinhagad valley

Also my special sighting of day is mentioned in the last so stay tuned ☺️

1st count - 9:30am to 10:00 am - 5 species

1. Common evening brown - (roosting) broken wings
2. Common Sailer - puddling
3. Glassy tiger - puddling
4. Red line small grass yellow - Roosting
5. Common evening brown - roosting
6. Common Grass yellow - Roosting

2nd Count - 10 am to 10:30 am - 9 species

1. Daniad eggfly (male) - puddling
2. Common Map - puddling
3. Common fivering - roosting
4. Common Pierrot - nectaring
5. Common Bush brown - roosting
6. Common Sailer - basking
7. Indian Cupid - basking
8. Tiny grass blue - nectaring
9. Lemon pansy - basking

3rd count - 10:30 am to 11:00 pm
10 species

1. Common Jezebel - nectaring on lantana flowers
2. Common Sailer - puddling
3. Chocolate pansy - puddling
4. Pea blue - puddling
5. Common silverline - basking
6. Blue tiger - puddling
7. Lemon pansy - puddling
8. Blue pansy - basking
9. Grass demon - basking/ sapping on bird dropping
10. Forget-me-not - puddling

4th count - 11:00 am to 11:30 am
10 species

1. Indian Red flash - puddling
2. Indian Nawab - basking/ puddling
3. Pointed Ciliate blue - basking/ cleaning its Probosics with its legs
4. Peacock pansy - basking
5. Blue pansy - basking
6. Lemon pansy - basking
7. Yellow pansy - basking
8. Chocolate pansy - puddling
9. Common threering - puddling
10. Pea blue - group puddling

5th count - 11:30 am to 12 pm
10 species

1. Grey pansy - basking
2. Lemon emigrant - male and female puddling
3. Vindhyan Bob - puddling
4. Indian Nawab - puddling
5. Grass demon - sapping on bird dropping
6. Daniad eggfly male - puddling
7. Great eggfly female - puddling
8. Double banded judy - puddling
9. Pointed Ciliate blue - puddling
10. Mottled emigrant - puddling
11. Tiny grass blue - puddling

6th count - 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm
9 species

1. Common line blue - puddling
2. Lemon pansy - basking
3. Spotless grass yellow - nectar
4. Common Sailer - basking
5. Common Pierrot - basking
6. Zebra blue - nectaring
7. Dark grass blue - nectaring
8. Mottled emigrant - nectaring
9. Striped tiger - flight

7th count - 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
10 species

1. Common leopard - nectaring
2. Blue tiger - nectaring
3. Common Sailer - basking
4. Lime swallowtail - nectaring
5. Dark palm dart - nectaring
6. Indian wanderer - nectaring
7. Spotless grass yellow - nectar
8. Common grass yellow - nectar
9. Indian Cupid - nectaring
10. Vindhyan Bob - nectaring
11. Common Palmfly - flight

8th count - 1 pm to 1:30 pm
10 species

1. Painted lady - nectaring (most widely distributed butterfly in the world. It is found everywhere except the Arctic and Antarctic regions)
2. Indian Cupid - puddling
3. Spotless grass yellow - puddling
4. Pea blue - nectaring
5. Painted lady - roosting

It was getting hotter so I decided to pack up and leave for home. Had kept my camera in my sack too 😞
At that time around 1:45 pm I got to observe a very special sighting even though I couldn't click a photo of the beauty, but it made my day more beautiful 🤩

Malabar Banded Peacock 🦋 (Endemic to Western Ghats)
Special sighting for valley

Today's total species count - 45

Family count

1. Skippers - 3
2. Blue's - 11
3. Metal marks - 1
4. Brush footed - 21
5. White & Yellow - 7
6. Swallowtail - 2

Activity count - 72

1. Puddling - 26
2. Nectaring - 18
3. Basking - 17
4. Roosting - 7
5. Sapping - 1
6. Flight - 3

Species seen couple of times - 27

1. Blue pansy - 1
2. Blue tiger - 1
3. Chocolate pansy - 1
4. Common evening brown - 1
5. Common grass yellow - 1
6. Common Pierrot - 1
7. Common Sailer - 4
8. Daniad eggfly - 1
9. Grass demon - 1
10. Indian Cupid - 2
11. Indian Nawab - 1
12. Lemon pansy - 3
13. Mottled emigrant - 1
14. Painted lady - 1
15. Pea blue - 2
16. Pointed Ciliate blue - 1
17. Spotless grass yellow - 2
18. Tiny grass blue - 1
19. Vindhyan Bob - 1

ie, 72 Less 27 = 45 Species count

Apart from butterflies observed plenty of birds & Bees/ wasp

Birds - House sparrow, Jungle crow, Wabbler/ babbler, Flame backed woodpecker, Verditer flycatcher,
Monarch, Red whiskered/ vented bulbul, Yellow throated sparrow,
Black drongo, Shikra, Crested Serpent Eagle, Laughing dove

Mammals
Langoor & Wild Boar

Will share the photos shortly

Happy Butterflying to all.... 🦋🦋

Butterfly observation 28.01.2024
Tamhini Pune Maharashtra India

Dr Himanshu Pandav
Pavan Damoor

ButterfliesofPune

Timing: 8:30 am to 1:00 pm

Total species count: 30

1. Spotted small flat (nectaring)
2. Dark grass blue (basking)
3. Lesser grass blue (basking)
4. Grass jewel (roosting)
5. Common cerulean (roosting)
6. Tiny grass blue (basking)
7. Double banded judy (roosting)
8. Common Sergeant (adult, catterpillar in 2nd instar, infested catterpillar)
9. Lemon Pansy (basking)
10. Grey pansy (basking)
11. Chocolate pansy (nectaring)
12. Yellow pansy (flight)
13. Peacock pansy (basking)
14. Common Leopard (basking)
15. Common evening brown
16. Common Mormon (puddling)
17. Red Helen (flight)
18. Common grass yellow (roosting)
19. Psyche (basking)
20. Common gull (basking, nectar
21. Common castor (flight)
22. Common Sailer (basking)
23. Common crow (puddling)
24. Blue tiger (flight)
25. Rustic (basking)
26. Angled Pierrot (flight)
27. Tailless line blue (puddling)
28. Great eggfly (roosting)
29. Forget-me-not (puddling)
30. Three ring (basking)
31. Black prince catterpillar

The overall butterfly activity has gone down within a span of 15 days. Last visit on 14.01.2024 we got around 50 to 55 species, but now only 30 species.
Main reason for such a low count could be due to cold climate conditions during night & early morning and immediate rise in temperature by getting much hotter during day time. Due to this sudden change in weather conditions the butterflies might have either migrated or preferring to stay where they are and not coming out.

Happy Butterflying to all....