A FLUTTERING DISCOVERY

BY THE MIDDLE OF THE last decade, I had been studying Indian butterflies for over 20 years, however, I had never observed butterflies at high altitudes in the trans-Himalayan habitat. So, in 2015, I decided to visit Ladakh to search for butterflies.

- SANJAY SONDHI

A review of publications on butterflies of Ladakh did not yield much information. Vadim V. Tshikolovets, an independent Czech researcher, had published "The Butterflies of Ladakh" in 2005, covering 101 butterfly species. It was based on surveys conducted between 1998 and 2004. Another paper by a researcher from the Zoological Survey Of India based on surveys between July and September 2009 revealed only 20 species.

While some butterfly species found in Ladakh belong to the Oriental region, most species belong to the Palearctic region and are not recorded in the other parts of India. I was intrigued by the paucity of information on butterflies in this region.

Having never visited Ladakh previously, I called upon friends and acquaintances who had been visiting this marvellous landscape for years to plan my visit.

"Where and when should I visit?" was my key question. To my astonishment, I got responses ranging from "There are hardly any butterflies in Ladakh" to "Butterflies in Ladakh? Huh? We haven't seen any!" After conversing with a few frequent visitors and tour companies in Ladakh, I realised I would have to plough my furrow.