Sohna, Haryana India (11/2/00)

[Mark Walker]

50 km South of Delhi, tucked amongst the human masses and agricultural
patchwork, is an area of arid, hilly, scrubby habitat - not much different
from my homeland here in California.  Much different from the woodland and
jungle habitat I encountered farther north, one would expect that the lep
activity in such a place would be dismal - or at least less abundant and
diverse.  When I asked Rohtas to maneuver me (I stopped referring to it as
"driving") to Sohna, he was a bit surprised - as few tourists ever venture
there.  As we drove through the small impoverished town, I noticed little
vegetation and began to wonder why I had considered this spot to be worthy
of maneuvering to.  But then the road rose above the town, climbing into the
rocky hills above - into an interesting terrain.  When we stopped, I climbed
out of the Ambassador to Pierid heaven.

White ones, yellow ones, orange ones, green ones, white and yellow ones,
white and orange ones, orange and yellow ones.  There was no end to the
diversity.  Every moment brought something new before my eyes.  There is no
way I can begin to identify the quantity or variation.  Nearly every swing
of the net proved to be an introduction to something different.  Perhaps my
favorite of these were the Ixias species (Orange Tips).  While I never did
see the big guy (Hebomoia glaucippe, or Great Orange Tip), the medium sized
and little ones were no less spectacular.  Ixias pyrene (Yellow Orange Tip)
is especially gorgeous - along with it's cousin, Ixias marianne (White
Orange Tip).  The various species of Whites is equally amazing.  Most are
heavily marked with green and black scaling on the underside, and remind me
a lot of our Pontia, Pieris, and Neophasia species.  The most common of
these was Cepora nerissa (Common Gull).

Another common butterfly of this habitat is the Plain Tiger (Danaus
chrysippus) - the Indian equivalent of our Monarch (see
http://www.butterflysite.com/images-live/Nym-Dan%20Danaus%20crysippus%20M.jp
g).  This is one of the few butterflies that can be seen flying through the
dense cities - seemingly indifferent to any lack of flora.

The Lime Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus) is also common - although difficult
to capture.  It is a strong flyer, but will occasionally stop to nectar (if
you're lucky enough to find a spot with flowers).  This was one of the more
unusually marked butterflies that I encountered.  Here's two images from the
"Butterflies of Thailand" website:  

http://www.butterflysite.com/images-live/Pap%20Papilio%20demoleus%20UN.jpg
http://www.butterflysite.com/images-butt/Pap%20Papilio%20demoleus%20malayanu
s.jpg

Two other common butterflies of the city are the Pea Blue (Lampides
boeticus) and the Common Cerulean (Jamides celeno).  These two hairstreaks
can be seen in just about any garden spot in Delhi.  The latter reportedly
is one of those blues that has a larval relationship with ants ("Butterflies
of India", Gay, Kehimkar and Punetha, Oxford University Press ).  In Sohna,
one could also find the Zebra Blue (Syntarucus plinius) flittering about the
scrub.

The Common Evening Brown (Melanitis leda) is another peculiar bug that can
be found readily in the heart of the city.  My first encounter with this
insect was from my hotel room in Delhi.  One morning I opened the curtains
just before sunrise (I was up most of the nights from jet lag), and found a
large Nymphalid perching on my window sill.  Later, I would see this
butterfly more often - always flying either just before first light or right
after sunset.  Rohtas got pretty good at sighting Leps on the wing during
our driving escapades.  "TITILI!", he would pronounce.  This became
interesting during the evenings - especially when we'd stop for beverages.
Little fires would be burning at roadside huts - where we would purchase our
refreshments.  These spots were often crowded with people drinking chai.
Occasionally, we'd startle a perching Evening Brown - which would then
flitter it's way about the camp.  "TITILI!", Rohtas would exclaim.  The
resulting stares we'd receive were less than heartwarming.

Mark Walker
Oceanside, CA

 
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