Butterfly Gardening: Theory and Practice

Contents: 1. Butterflies – An Introduction. 2. Butterfly Conservation. 3. Strategies for Butterfly Conservation. 4. Methodology for setting up an Outdoor Conservatory / Butterfly. 5. Ex situ Conservation and Indoor Butterfly Conservatories. 6. Laboratory, Library and Staff Requirements for a Butterfly House. 7. Plant Requirements for a Butterfly Conservatory.

Butterflies are organisms of great aesthetic appeal to all sections of people- young and old. They add brilliance, peace, serenity and tranquillity to our surroundings. They perform important roles in nature – as pollinators, as a source of food for higher groups of organisms, transfer of solar energy to other organisms and as indicators of environmental quality. Over- exploitation of natural resources and the unscientific developmental activities of man have resulted in the disappearance of several butterflies which were once quite common in our surroundings. Butterfly gardening is a powerful conservation strategy to bring back our lost butterflies and to generate public interest in conservation. Butterfly gardening is also a therapy against loneliness, depression and isolation.

The younger generations of India are conservation oriented. Their greatest outdoor pleasure is butterfly watching and photography. This book helps the young and the old as well as nature lovers to understand the habitat requirements of butterflies and to create a butterfly garden in any location.