Kolhapur’s butterfly garden is attracting tourists and locals alike

The

butterfly

counts not months but moments, and has time enough,” said poet Rabindranath Tagore in one of his poems. And when you visit world of butterflies at

Radhanagari

, you too will slow down and count moments watching them. “It was a really nice experience. I saw plenty of butterflies of different varieties, which we usually don’t see in day today life. It was a satisfying experience to visit the butterfly garden and even see some in the forest area at Dajipur, near Radhanagari,” says Shridhar Kulkarni, presently working in Germany.

Nestled in the lap of the

Western Ghats

, Radhanagari is home to many species of butterflies. According to experts, 70 species can be spotted in the area. The open area butterfly garden was created with the help of Suhas Wayngankar, an expert on the Western Ghats. “The area is rich with plants that host butterflies, so the forest department has come up with the butterfly garden. Out of 70 species that can be found in the Radhanagari region, almost 50 species can be cited in the garden.”
Rajendra Dhumal, range forest officer says, “The area is rich in

biodiversity

. The garden hosts around 40 per cent of the nesting plants and 60 per cent of the host plants. We have also created an area where caterpillars can be kept safe from birds.”

Needless to say, they are getting good response from tourists. Like Shridahar, many others from different areas of the state have started visiting the garden for the experience.

Samrat

Kerkar of Bison club, which has organised a butterfly festival, says, “Many tourists are still not aware about this. Mostly tourist traveling to Goa stop at

Kolhapur

and also spend some time here.” Shalini Patil, a resident of Mumbai who recently visited the garden, says, “It’s difficult to see butterflies in the city, so I took my son to the butterfly garden. We were also surprised to see different species of butterflies and caterpillars on various plants in the area.”

Butterflies like Crimson Rose, Common Jezebel, Common Sailer, Blue Tiger and many more can be spotted easily in the garden. Samrat says, “This is the time when mostly butterflies can be spotted. The best time to visit is around 10 am when the sun is mild. Tourists can visit the butterfly garden and Dajipur forest area to see these butterflies.” He also adds that many researchers and students visit the area for their research. “This is one stop where many species can be spotted. People spend hours studying the various stages of a butterfly’s life,” he adds.