I am sure most of you will answer no, we didn’t. A Butterfly park in Mumbai… unexpected.
Anyways I read this first on BNHS, Yes I visit their website quite often as they always have interesting things to explore with nature for kids. I last did the Flamingo watch with them at Sewri and intend to visit the Butterfly Park with them soon.
Located on the outskirts of Thane at Godbandar Road, that is synonymous with bumper to bumper traffic, endless honkings and buildings mushrooming everywhere. The Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden, was started nearly five years ago, enthused by a program on butterflies conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Rajendra Ovalekar, converted his two acres of agricultural land into a butterfly garden. Isaac Kehimkar, India’s foremost butterfly expert and the one who conducts various tours to this garden for BNHS, lent his support.
The first couple of years were difficult for Ovalekar, when he had to grow and cultivate plants that would provide food, shelter and favorable breeding grounds to the butterflies and compel them to stay. Unlike many well-known butterfly gardens in the world, here butterflies are not bred under artificial conditions. The nearby Yeoor hills are also useful in replenishing the butterfly pool of the park, adds Kehimkar, who often accompanies BNHS members to the park.
You can either attend the trip with BNHS or get Ovelkar to take you around, explaining the life-cycle of a butterfly, pointing to pupa, cocoons and caterpillars on the various kinds of plants.
The garden has more than 70 species of butterflies and on any given day it is not rare to see 25 to 30 varieties. The garden is also sometimes visited by migrant species and so you might be surprised to find a few visitors you may not have otherwise expected.
An early morning visit is recommended as butterflies are coldblooded and become increasingly active as the day warms up.
Some species that are easily spotted are the common sailor, common Jezebels, great egg fly, blue oak leaf, common rose, great orange tip, blue tiger and peacock pansy. From Mumbai, drive down the Eastern or Western Express highways to reach Ghodbunder Road. Head to Owla a small village near the Suraj Water Park on this road.
The garden has a car park.
Open 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.
Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden, Ghodbunder Road, Thane(W); Call +91 98 2077 9729, +91 98 6925 6054.
Email: [email protected] ((OR)) [email protected]
Do visit their page on facebook at http://on.fb.me/ihoVQj
This place is up for review:
 Picture Courtesy: Deepak Amembal
KSP Team
Rati Ramadas Girish
Sonika Bhasin
Vaishnavi Venkatraman
