‘Life of Butterflies’: a documentary that chronicles butterfly behaviour in great detail

A riot of colors unfold on the display as lovely butterflies flit from one plant to a different, in the opening pictures of Life of Butterflies, a complete documentary on the winged bugs. Shot on the seven-acre Sammilan Shetty Butterfly Park at Belvai, about eight kilometres from Moodbidri city of Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka, the 100-minute movie covers butterfly behaviour in its pure habitat.

The butterfly reserve nestled on the foothills of the Western Ghats drives conservation by participating with individuals, particularly college students. Over 100 butterfly species are sighted recurrently on the park together with the spectacular Malabar banded peacock, Southern Birdwing, Autumn leaf, Gaudy baron, Dark night brown, Tawny rajah to call a few. The butterfly park additionally finds a point out in the World Book of Records, London, for internet hosting consciousness programmes and conservation actions.

Official trailer: Life of Butterflies 

“Butterflies are fascinating insects that indicate the health of our environment. They play an integral part of the food web. I have been keenly observing them for more than a decade and have dedicated myself to conserving them,” says Sammilan Shetty, conservationist who based the park.

He conducts lectures and butterfly walks recurrently and hopes the movie which he shot over a span of 4 years, motivates college students and most people in the direction of conservation.

The footage covers pre-monsoon showers that set off butterfly exercise, adopted by the Southwest monsoon that captures the sights and sounds of the forest, thriving with life. “Every single footage follows a story line and sometimes with surprise twists. For example, the story of symbiosis between the caterpillars of Common ciliate blue and ants. The ants receive honey dew as reward from the caterpillars, and in return the caterpillars get protection against parasitoids and other small insect predators. Unexpectedly, the ants kill a caterpillar for not known reason,” explains Shetty.

Another spotlight is the fascinating transformation of Southern Birdwing, a butterfly which is endemic to South India, from egg to a charming magnificence. Right from a male patrolling his territory, courtship and egg laying, to the grownup butterfly rising from the pupa, the challenges they face and the way they defend themselves have been recorded in meticulous detail. “Though the butterfly is non-palatable to predators, it still faces threat from ants and parasitoids, and has to defend itself. A female Southern Birdwing shooting eggs onto grass blades appears in this documentary, which has never been known before”, says Shetty.

Later elements of the movie present the feeding behaviour in butterflies together with nectaring and mud-puddling. It enthralls you with the life historical past of some of the exceptional butterflies of Western Ghats, together with the Malabar banded swallowtail, Autumn leaf and the long-lasting Malabar banded peacock with its elusive early levels.

The movie additionally throws gentle on the position of predation in Nature and survival methods, together with the symbiotic relationship of ants with the lycaenidae household of butterflies — one of probably the most fascinating phenomena about butterflies recognized to scientific group.

Sammilan Shetty plans to carry common screenings on collaboration with organisations and NGOs throughout the globe that work in the direction of conservation. “We got an overwhelming response from the audience at a recent screening by Nilgiri Natural History Society. We want the film to make people fall in love with Nature and eventually turn conservationists.”

To know extra in regards to the movie screening, whatsapp 98459-93292