Tamil Nadu becomes the fifth State in the country to declare its own State Butterfly, along with Kerala, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.
Tamil Nadu becomes the fifth State in the country to declare its own State Butterfly, along with Kerala, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.
Adding to its regional symbols of the State Animal, Bird, Flower and Tree, the State of Tamil Nadu has found its butterfly in Tamil Yeoman, a colourful and commonly-found butterfly in the State. The announcement was made by the State Forest Department through a Government order dated June 26, in which the Head of the Department stated that the State Butterfly was selected to emphasise the significance of the butterfly species.
The tawny (light brown or brownish orange) colourful migratory butterfly, between 60 mm and 75 mm in size is one of the 36 endemic butterfly species of the Western Ghats and can be spotted in moist, deciduous, evergreen forests, foothills and streams. The Tamil Yeoman is found in almost all of the butterfly hot spots in the State, 32 in total, including three from Coimbatore.
With butterfly enthusiasts from across the State pressing the State continuously for a State Butterfly, a few names that were suggested were the Tamil Lacewing, Common Banded Peacock and Tamil Yeoman.
Of the three, Tamil Lacewing and Common Banded Peacock despite being beautiful are not found throughout the State unlike the Tamil Yeoman, which is quite common. In addition, cousins of the Common Banded Peacock which was next in contention to the Tamil Yeoman above the Tamil Lacewing, were already selected as State Butterflies of Kerala (Malabar Banded Peacock) and Uttarakhand (Common Peacock). Hence, a peculiar-looking butterfly was suggested.
“When a butterfly is selected as a State symbol, it should have some significance. The Tamil Yeoman is beautiful, it is not scheduled under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, commonly found and the name of the species in Tamil Thamizh Maravan has a cultural significance as well, which makes it a good choice,” said P Mohan Prasath from the Act for Butterflies, a butterfly conservation organisation based in Coimbatore.
The host plant of the butterfly is Chaulmugra (Hydnocarpus pentandra), which is endemic to the Western Ghats and found throughout the hill chain. The Tamil Yeoman is one of the 324 butterflies in the State and is one among the few that carries the word Tamil along with Tamil Lacewing, Tamil Catseye and Tamil Dartlet.