Troides helena
In the world of fiction, butterflies are frequently equate with beauty. Many writers express natural beauty by means of butterflies. Song writers do the same.
Pop diva Mariah Carey has used butterflies as an exotic symbol, representing the passion for life. Unsurprisingly, Carey's furniture, bed sheets and bathroom wallpapers are adorned with illustrations of colorful butterflies.
In the real world, the presence of butterflies in a certain environment serves as one of the most important indications of its healthy state. Areas where butterflies rarely appear have less refreshing vegetation, particularly plants with sources of food for butterfly larvae and imagoes or young insects.
Butterflies undergo a metamorphosis in four phases, in which their eggs hatch larvae, before growing into pupae and finally young, winged insects. Eggs are laid on young leaves of host plants, with each butterfly species having its own type of vegetation. Larvae have several stages before they become pupae of chrysalis, from which butterflies will emerge.
Adult butterflies are swarming around to find flowers for their nectar as a source of energy, which enable their movement and reproduction. Through habitat engineering and the supply of various plants to attract them, butterflies can be "invited" to certain areas for breeding. So, with a plot of land and the proper host vegetation grown on it, a butterfly park can be established.
Specific plants, for food, should also be supplied to lure them. So the brief cycle of life of butterflies goes on, with their beauty continuing to enhance natural and human environments.
According to avid butterfly enthusiast Herawati Soekardi, the landscape for butterflies to live in should be filled with certain plants suited to the species to be invited. Without heeding the types of host plants, water conditions, air factors and other food sources, other insects will appear instead of butterflies.
The more butterflies that are around, the faster local flower plants will grow because they help in the pollination process. "Information on vegetative resources supporting the life of some butterfly species is very useful for conservation. Most of the chrysalis phase actually needs no more particular food, which is supplied by nature," she went on.
Before building a butterfly park, advised Herawati, a survey should be made to identify the types still found in a particular local environment. If there are none, a butterfly "hunt" can be carried out in another place, without overlooking the types of flowers attracting the butterflies and the host plants feeding their larvae.
Apart from making available the land as desired, a butterfly park can be set up by growing various nectar producing flower plants like soka, lantana, kaliandra and menur, as well as host of plants for butterfly larvae such as soursop, avocado and lime.
When all the vegetation required to invite butterflies is planted, only time will tell when large groups of butterflies are going to come around to reproduce and adorn the new park at the same time.
TJP/Oyos Saroso HN
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