The importance of river ecosystem for butterfly species

Water is crucial not just for humans but for other species too.

Namprikdang, located by the riverbank, is a place that I often visit to photograph the butterflies.

During natural disasters like landslides, butterflies, beetles and other species of insects are affected the most as they live by the riverside.

From what I know, 50 per cent of the butterfly species are found in river valleys as they feed on waterborne plants as algae and the decayed fruits.

Any natural or man-made disaster not just destroys the feeding place but also their very ecosystem where these butterflies metamorphose.

These beautiful creatures, as they phase from eggs to the caterpillar stage, require different plant hosts for both the processes and that species of ferns, orange trees etc. are grown on the riverbanks.

The presence of the river is very important for these species to maintain their lifecycle.

by Sonam Wangchuk Lepcha

Place: Panag, Dzongu, North Sikkim