Plant diversification supportive to butterflies

Plant diversification supportive to butterflies

Herawati "Mbak Iing" Soekardi is a lecturer at Lampung
University, who studies and captively breeds butterflies in
Lampung province. She uses these activities to raise, in a very
practical way, the awareness of local people with regard to
conservation and the importance of maintaining biological
diversity. The Jakarta Post's Oyos Saroso describes aspects of
her work in the articles below.

An extreme diversity of butterflies is a key biological natural
resource here, and its economic potential has not yet been
optimally utilized, while these colorful winged insects in fact
have great economic value through their appeal to ecotourists, as
well for their ability to pollinate crops.

Their diversity is determined by the host plants that feed
butterfly larvae, so the presence of such plants becomes a
limiting factor in the life cycles of butterflies.

Based on butterfly expert Herawati Soekardi's book (2000), the
larvae of several species can live only on certain plants: for
instance, Troides helena only eats the leaves of Aristolochia
tagala and Appias libythea only consumes Cleome rutidosperma
weeds. Butterflies feed on flower nectar so that they act as
pollinators.

The Wan Abdurrahman People's Forest Zone (better known as
Mount Betung) is a protected forest lying at an average altitude
of 1,240 meters. Though famous as a mountain, the zone is more
like a set of large hills. With an area of 22,244 hectares, Mt.
Betung is opposite the Lampung Bay. As a source of water for
citizens of Bandarlampung and South Lampung regency, it also
provides much of raw material for a handful of mineral water
companies.

In the 1970s, squatters began building huts in the area, which
later turned into permanent dwellings on reclaimed land. In 1997,
the beginning of Indonesia's reform era, squatting further
escalated, with almost all big trees cut down.

The land was changed for growing cash crops, which threatened
wildlife in and around Mt. Betung. The rare and beautiful
butterflies, once teeming over the entire area and admired by
tourists, began to disappear.

Realizing the importance of rescuing butterflies, in late 1997
Herawati Soekardi initiated a conservation drive for butterflies
on Mt. Betung. The problem was how to create microhabitats that
would suit the life of butterflies in designated locations so
that they can be conserved.

With the help of activists of a nature lover foundation,
Yayasan Sahabat Alam, Herawati built a 4-hectare butterfly park
for conservation at the foot of Mt. Betung, approximately 450
meters above sea level. The secondary forest was originally
dominated by such plants as coffee, providing no food for larvae
and no blooms, except for weed butterflies (Lycaenidae and
Hesperiidae families).

At first, Herawati began habitat enrichment activities by
increasing the vegetative resources needed by butterflies.
Starting in June 1999, she grew 25 host plant species totaling
200-800 seedlings per species, which were derived from Mt. Betung
at an altitude of 700 meters and several other places in Lampung
and other Sumatra provinces.

The nectar-producing flowering plants grown in the trial area
were based on direct field observations of diverse blooms
frequented by butterflies.

Herawati regularly recorded the butterflies attracted by the
plants every two months after the habitat enrichment course,
based on a survey method. The survey route took the form of a
500-meter five-path cross-section in the open butterfly park.

According to the committed conservationist, the diversity of
butterfly species present in the park was observed in two ways.
First, the species found along designated paths were listed.
Second, each of the host plants was observed intensively for five
minutes, noting the gathering of eggs, larvae and pupae.

"Eggs and larvae were kept in the laboratory until they became
imagoes and then their breeding followed," she explained.
Photographs and dried specimens were made to complete
specification data per species. The wing spans of 10 butterflies
per species were also measured.

After the microhabitat improvement by providing the nectar
producing plants, the Gita Persada Butterfly Park was finally
visited by 41 species of butterflies, which also reproduced in
the area. She said that the species' presence depended on several
key facts, especially on suitable host plants for egg laying and
flowers for feeding. Generally, the host factor limits the growth
of butterfly populations.

Results of Herawati's field survey and identification indicate
that there are 13 species in the park from the Papilionidae
family, nine species from the Pieridae family, two from Danaidae,
2 species from Satyridae, seven species from Nymphalidae, four
species from Lycanidae and four others from Hesperiidae

"We also noticed consistency between the host plants grown and
the butterflies present and reproducing there, particularly those
species from the families of Papilionidae, Pieridae, Danaidae and
Nymphalidae. Butterflies from the families of Satyridae,
Lycaenidae and Hesperidae in the area still have unidentified
hosts, probably weeds and bushes in the same place," she
continued.

Wing span measurement results show that larger butterflies
found on Mt. Betung are from the species of Troides helena,
Papilio memnon and Papilio helenus, all belonging to the family
of Papilionidae.

This family has a large number of species with beautiful
wings, mostly with tails popularly called swallowtails. "Our park
is also frequented by swallowtail butterflies of the species of
Papilio memnon (female), P. helenus, P. peranthus, P. polytes
(female), Pachliopta aristolochiae, Parides coon, P. demoleon and
P. nephelus," added Herawati.