Hullo there all our Quirkers!
Sun rays streaming down through foliage of trees, flowers purple yellow and of all the colours of the rainbow and BUTTERFLIES…a lotta them, fluttering away to glory! This image seems impossible to find amidst the concrete maze of Mumbay doesn’t it? Well QUIRK AND THE CITY to the rescue!
All you nature lovers who have lost all hope or even those tired souls who are desperately trying to find the colours of nature in a mess of cold steel and glass…we have a butterfly park for you! Yes, close to Mumbay!
The Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly garden is located on the Ghodbunder Road in Thane near Suraj Water Park. An initiative of Rajendra Ovalekar, who got encouraged after attending a program by Bombay Natural History Society, he converted his two acres of agricultural land into a butterfly garden. Assisting him was India’s foremost butterfly expert, Isaac Kehimkar.
The butterflies here are not bred under artificial conditions.He started with cultivating plants that would provide food and a breeding ground for butterflies, hence making them stay. The nearby Yeoor hills add to the butterfly reserve of the park.
It is best for first timers to take a guided tour by Ovalekar.
You first get a gist of the lifecycle of butterflies and then start spotting them!
Photographers..get those cameras out! It is best to come early in the morning as butterflies become increasingly active as the day warms up.
The garden has more than 70 species of butterflies and is also visited by migrant butterflies sometimes, so you might be in for some surprises!
Some of the easily spotted species-
Sun rays streaming down through foliage of trees, flowers purple yellow and of all the colours of the rainbow and BUTTERFLIES…a lotta them, fluttering away to glory! This image seems impossible to find amidst the concrete maze of Mumbay doesn’t it? Well QUIRK AND THE CITY to the rescue!
All you nature lovers who have lost all hope or even those tired souls who are desperately trying to find the colours of nature in a mess of cold steel and glass…we have a butterfly park for you! Yes, close to Mumbay!
The Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly garden is located on the Ghodbunder Road in Thane near Suraj Water Park. An initiative of Rajendra Ovalekar, who got encouraged after attending a program by Bombay Natural History Society, he converted his two acres of agricultural land into a butterfly garden. Assisting him was India’s foremost butterfly expert, Isaac Kehimkar.
The butterflies here are not bred under artificial conditions.He started with cultivating plants that would provide food and a breeding ground for butterflies, hence making them stay. The nearby Yeoor hills add to the butterfly reserve of the park.
It is best for first timers to take a guided tour by Ovalekar.
You first get a gist of the lifecycle of butterflies and then start spotting them!
Photographers..get those cameras out! It is best to come early in the morning as butterflies become increasingly active as the day warms up.
The garden has more than 70 species of butterflies and is also visited by migrant butterflies sometimes, so you might be in for some surprises!
Some of the easily spotted species-
 |
| Common Sailor |
 |
| Common Jezebel |
 |
| Great Eggfly |
 |
Blue Oak Leaf |
 |
| Common Rose |
 |
| Great Orange Tip |
 |
| Peacock Pansy Breakfast with Butterflies conducted by BNHS(Ovalekar's earlier employers) |
With Ovalekar’s help, one can understand the camouflaging and mimicry the butterflies undertake to ward of predators.
The park is open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays, the park charges an entry fee of Rs 50 per head. For large groups, Ovalekar can arrange for simple breakfast at Rs 25 per head, with adequate advance notice.
I really had to fight the urge to run behind these colourful beauties…so go ahead and plan a day of fresh air and some little flight fantasies!
Until the next QUINK… quirk it up!
Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden, Ghodbunder Road, Thane(W); Call +91 98 2077 9729, +91 98 6925 6054.
The park is open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays, the park charges an entry fee of Rs 50 per head. For large groups, Ovalekar can arrange for simple breakfast at Rs 25 per head, with adequate advance notice.
I really had to fight the urge to run behind these colourful beauties…so go ahead and plan a day of fresh air and some little flight fantasies!
Until the next QUINK… quirk it up!
Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden, Ghodbunder Road, Thane(W); Call +91 98 2077 9729, +91 98 6925 6054.
Their facebook link
p.s. Lepidopterophobia is fear of butterflies :D
