This nature enthusiast from Wadala has gifted Mumbai with its first record of various species of butterflies.

Nelson Rodrigues, a copywriter by profession but love for nature made him study about various butterfly species. Rodrigues spent almost six years at various green zones in Mumbai and has also documented 153 species of butterflies. He has gifted Mumbaikars this record in the form of a book named ‘Butterflies of Mumbai’.

Not only butterflies but Rodrigues has also recorded 103 caterpillar species and the same record is also included in the book. As per a report published in Hindustan Times, he said, “The idea was to educate citizens about the importance of conserving these species. With the advent of concretisation and various developmental activities in the financial capital that rapidly increased over the last five decades, the butterfly population started dwindling in the city. This gave me the impetus to study them.” 

Rodrigues also informed that there is a decline in the butterfly species in the city due to air pollution and reduction of green habitat. Indian Red Flash, Red Spot, Silverstreak Blue, Orange Awlet and Crimson Rose are few of the rare species that have been included in the book. Whole Rodrigues has also recorded three new butterflies in Mumbai in the year 2014 named Abnormal Silverline (Cigaritis abnormis), Giant Red Eye (Gangara thyrsis) and Large Guava Blue (Virachola perse).

“The Southern Birdwing, the biggest known butterfly in India, which was known to frequent gardens in Mumbai, is not seen in the city anymore,” he said. The book categorises the butterflies according to their colours to make it user friendly.  “Earlier butterflies were categorized on the basis of families, which was a little complex. So the book was drafted with colours such as yellow, orange, blue, green, black and multicoloured and so on. On spotting a butterfly at your garden, all you need to do is flip to the page with the same colour,” he said adding, “With an aim to educate children, the first few chapters of the book have been written in a question-answer format.”