Introduction

Nepal is a home to diverse flora and fauna due to variability of geographical structure and temperature. Forests of lowlands are mainly deciduous and mixed deciduous types. The moderate riverine forests shelter more species of butterflies among others ( Khanal B,2008). Butterflies of Nepal belong to five different families. Nepal has 660 butterfly species to date (Poel, 2016). Likewise, forests of Chitwan consists of several species of butterfly. Generally, butterflies  are colourful and mostly fly during the day, while some are crepuscular: they fly at dawn or dusk. Butterflies are classified into different families according to their wings structure, colour and characters. Butterflies play an important role in agriculture by pollinating crops. Furthermore, they are also a good source of food to some predators like birds, lizards etc. They can play the role of indicator for a healthy environment and healthy ecosystems. Likewise, they are a boon to tourism as their beauty with vibrant colours attracts tourists from all over the world. They are not harmful, however, some butterflies like Plain tiger etc, are poisonous.

 Objectives

To prepare the checklist of butterfly species found in and around Shree Jaldevi Community Forest, Chitwan

Methodology

Study area

Shree Jaldevi Community Forest lies in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, ward no 2, Aaptari of Chitwan district Nepal. The forest covers a total area of 197.87 hectares. It was established on 2058 B.S under District Forest Office, Chitwan. The forest is divided by Narayanghat-Muglin highway and River Narayani runs through the western part of the forest. This forest is a home to various species of flora and fauna including some rare species. The tropical climate of the area and presence of water bodies, grasslands etc are also favourable to various species of butterfly. The community forest also consists of a park called “Jaldevi Park” full of vibrant flowers and ponds attracting several butterflies every day.

Research design

The study was conducted on the 15^th of May to the 17^th of May, 2020.

Pollard Walk

A footpath line inside the forest was used as transect line and butterfly within a 5-meter band on both sides of transect were photographed. Furthermore, several attempts were made to spot the butterflies by searching throughout the study area after the completion of the transect walk. 

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

Species identification were made visually, using binoculars(10*50MM) when needed. The photographed butterflies were later identified with the help of books like Butterflies of Nepal, Colin Smith, Internet resources and consultation with experts.

Result

Checklist of butterflies