Southern Bird Wing may be state butterfly of Karnataka

The Forest department has sent a proposal to the state government to declare Southern Bird Wing butterfly as the state butterfly. If all goes well, Karnataka will be the second state in the country after Maharashtra to have a state butterfly.

Karnataka already has Indian Roller as the state bird and elephant as state animal. The forest department sent the proposal to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife) and state government in the last week of June. The proposal was to be tabled at the State Wildlife Board meeting that was scheduled to be held on August 1, 2016, for its approval. However, the meeting has been postponed indefinitely as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who heads the Board, is mourning the death of his son Rakesh.

Sanjay Mohan, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Research and Utilisation) told Deccan Herald that the decision to have a state butterfly is to attract people to nature, educate them, create awareness about the species and increase conservation for this flagship species, as in the case of tigers. This particular  butterfly was chosen because of its colour- red and yellow, which is same as the colours of the state flag. It is also easy to sight this butterfly which is found in abundance in the state. It is not endemic and is also the largest butterfly found in India.

The idea to have a state butterfly cropped up at the previous With Nature (OWN) workshops. The workshops are held in the forest department head office to explain fundamentals to nature lovers. The workshops comprise various elements such as awareness about antlers, beehives, tiger scats and flora and faunaMohan said.

Conservationists and entomologists are of the view that this will be just a mere publicity stunt. Environmentalist M B Krishna said Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh both have Indian Roller as their state bird. So, this time while choosing the butterfly, they should be cautious and ensure that no other state has the same one. The butterfly should be unique to the state.