Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka

Foreword
Preface
Butterflies have been a subject of great interest to young and old alike throughout
the ages and all over the world. As creatures of nature, their colorful wings and day
active nature has enabled humans to observe and study them, as well as coin poems
and stories and legends. As it is for most other animals and plants on this planet,
butterflies today are threatened with habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation,
pollution and over exploitation. Sri Lankan butterflies have had little attention paid to
their ecology and conservation needs despite these serious threats to their existence
in the wild. What might not be known to most people is that butterflies also play an
important role in ecosystems, which would be noticed only once they disappear. Like
many other species, butterflies have specific requirements of habitats and nutrition
which need to be understood clearly if they are to be protected. A noticeable decline
in the once flourishing Sri Lankan butterfly population indicates the need to actively
undertake measures to ensure the protection of these creatures and their habitats.
This book, Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka, offers a very good introduction to
butterflies for those who wish to learn more about this group by showing how to
identify them in the field, main features of their lifecycle, behaviour, distribution in
Sri Lanka and preferred food plants. A notable feature of this very useful book is its
overview of Sri Lanka’s endemic butterflies. Therefore, I have no doubt that this book
is a very important contribution to the study of butterflies in Sri Lanka and will serve
as a useful and accessible guide for amateurs and enthusiasts alike.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the author Mr. Himesh Jayasinghe,
a young but well known butterfly enthusiast and researcher for developing this
valuable resource. It is my opinion that young people of a country who will soon
grow up to become adults and therefore decision makers, need to be made aware
as early as possible, that pursuit of material wealth at the expense of nature is never
sustainable and will eventually lead to the downfall of all, plants, animals and humans.
Dilmah Conservation through endorsement of Mr. Jayasinghe’s effort has once again
demonstrated their commitment to conservation of nature in this beautiful and
biodiversity rich country of ours. It is our hope that their support to ensure that
specialist knowledge is made available in an accesible format to the young and old
and emerging butterfly enthusiasts will not only lead to a greater interest in the study
of butterflies and their habits but that it will help enhance butterfly conservation
practices in Sri Lanka.
Since its inception in 2007, Dilmah Conservation has engaged in promoting sustainable
environmental and social development initiatives geared towards supporting the
preservation of Sri Lanka’s natural and cultural heritage. In line with its commitment
to the conservation of nature and the environment, Dilmah Conservation is engaged
in inland and marine conservation and habitat restoration towards ensuring the
protection of Sri Lanka’s wealth of biodiversity. Initiatives include support extended
to the Udalwalawe Elephant Transit Home, the establishment of a biological corridor
in Endena, Ratnapura, the discovery of new amphibian and reptile species, reef and
shipwreck conservation and the conservation of wild horses in Delft Island.
Dilmah Conservation’s butterfly gardens initiative is aimed at conserving butterflies
and creating urban sanctuaries for learning more about these elusive, delicate
creatures that have been subject to various environmental pressures. The butterfly
garden at the Moratuwa MJF Centre is presently home to over 50 species of butterfly
out of 245 recorded in Sri Lanka. It became apparent that the preservation of these
creatures can be easily pursued by anyone with an interest in doing so, as their
presence is often bound to a combination of preferred host and nectar plants.
Following the success of this experience, Dilmah Conservation helped establish a
butterfly garden in Royal College, Colombo and extends its support to maintaining
the garden at Lady Ridgeway Hospital.
Dilmah Conservation hopes that this visual guide will be useful to butterfly enthusiasts
seeking to make their own home gardens more butterfly-friendly, and play a role in
their conservation.
Dr. Nirmalee Pallewatte
Senior Lecturer, Head of Department
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
08 Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka
Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka 09