Research

We are involved in assessing the diversity and abundance of organisms such as ants, snails, spiders, birds, medicinal plants, crickets, dungbeetles and other insects in butterfly habitats in and around Bangalore City limits. This is being done seasonally three times a year in educational campuses, botanical gardens and vacant residential plots within Bangalore City limits. We also have a control plot which is in forest-land with as much original vegetation as possible. The birds and butterflies are being sampled with transects, and the ants, spiders, and insects by pitfall traps and litter collection. Soil samples would be used to sample snails and dung-baits for dunbeeetles. The results of the survey will have practical applications and will help us evolve our butterfly gardens into urban biodiversity gardens. The study will also generate management implications that can help in managing urban parks and landscapes with importance to the creatures sampled.

Besides this we also involve school and college children to get familiar with butterfly research. They make checklists of butterflies found in a locality in particular seasons and also observe the adult food plants visited by butterflies. The nectar quality and quantity are also measured for the flowers visited. This provides good information on the flower preferences of butterflies. We also hope to involve interested citizens of Bangalore in butterfly censuses along specific trails in the city. Data generated in this manner would be published under the concept of ‘Citizen Science’. This would contribute to a consciousness towards urban biodiversity awareness and conservation.