The sight of colorful winged butterflies fluttering around in a garden displaying Nature’s beautiful artwork attracts everyone. However not many of us realize their importance of their role in the Natural habitat. Most of us are acquainted with only a few species of butterflies. A reality check will take you by surprise. India is home to around 1,500 species of butterflies among the 17,000 species that are found all around the world. They constitute more than 65% of India’s fauna.

What better way to conserve these species than having an exclusive park for them. Bangalore is now the first city in the country to have an exclusive Butterfly Park. A unique initiative, this park has been well planned with vast expanse of lush green landscapes and hosts of colourful butterflies. At any given point of time, one may encounter thousands of butterflies of 20 different species native to South India, fluttering around.

The Park located at the Bannerghatta Biological Park is amidst naturally landscaped rivulets, wetlands and hillocks, constituting an ideal place for most species of butterflies.

Established through a grant from the department of bio-technology, government of India, government of Karnataka and at of cost of Rs.5 crore, the Butterfly Park situated over a sprawling 7 acres, offering visitors a memorable trip and rich aesthetic appeal. Right from the entrance, visitors are surrounded by some of the most beautiful butterflies. As they walk along the Butterfly Trail, the proximity with butterflies gets even better.

One of the major attractions, apart from the butterflies, is the Butterfly Conservatory, a huge dome-shaped structure with approximately 10,490 square feet of landscaped area meeting all possible habitat requirements including host plants for housing butterflies, thus providing an indoor living environment. It also has a curio shop attached to it.

The project is a brainchild of department of biotechnology, GoI, Zoo Authority of Karnataka, GKVK and Ashoka Trust, an NGO.

It is not just visual appeal at the park. There is also a museum that includes computer animations and other educational information regarding butterflies.

The park is aimed at conservation of butterflies in India, raising host plants for butterflies and sensitizing people regarding issues like butterfly conservation. It also supports a number of research and academic work like studying community ecology, DNA finger-printing and molecular phylogeny of economically valuable species of butterflies in peninsular India.

The park will remain open from 10 am to 5 pm on all days except Tuesday (holiday). An entry fee of Rs. 20 will be charged for adults and Rs 5 for children and will be free for mentally and physically challenged people.