India’s first Butterfly Park is located in Bannerghatta and is one of the more interesting places to visit in Bangalore. It has a lovely tropical setting with a host of plants and shrubs to attract Monarch Butterflies & other Butterflies. Children and the young at heart will love the surreal settings which include an artificial waterfall as well, making the Butterfly Park one of most enjoyable places to visit in Bangalore. The museum and Audio visual show on butterflies takes you on a captivating journey back in time to trace the origin of butterflies and how the fate of man and butterflies are interlinked. The Butterfly Park is a must visit among places to visit in Bangalore.
Reaching Butterfly Park
The Butterfly Park is located adjacent to the parking area of the Bannerghatta Zoo, about 22 kms from Bangalore city, making it a convenient option among places to visit in Bangalore.
Butterfly Park Bangalore Timings
Butterfly Park Bangalore Timings are 9am-5pm, and the park is closed on Tuesdays. Butterfly Park is fast rising on the list of places to visit in Bangalore.
What to see in Butterfly Park
The inhabitants of Butterfly Park make it one of the more enchanting places to visit in Bangalore. Start your trip at the Butterfly Conservatory, a 10000 sq feet circular enclosure with a polycarbonate roof. More than 20 species of Butterflies can be found here. Do you know how many Butterfly species are there in this world? There are 1,500,000 insect species and 200,000 of these species are of Lepidoptera (as moths and butterflies are called) worldwide. 15,000 of these species are butterflies and the rest are moths!
The Conservatory will lead you to the next dome which houses an informative Museum. It provides a pictographic representation of the 4 stages of lifecycle of a butterfly- the egg, larva or caterpillar, pupa or chrysalis, and the adult. Butterflies come in all sizes. The Eastern pygmy blue, Brephidium isophthalma is the smallest with a wingspan of about 5/8 of an inch. Bird-wing butterflies from New Guinea, with wingspans of up to 12 inches happen to be one of the largest.
The last dome in the complex is a theatre where you can catch a 20 minute movie about butterflies. Beyond giving information about butterflies, it focuses on their conservation. The movie is thought provoking as it explains how the fate of man and butterflies are interlinked and conservation of the environment is in mutual interest. The Butterfly Park turns out to be a good combinations of entertainment and education among places to visit in Bangalore.
By the way, do you know how Butterflies got their name? There is no consensus on this and ancient traditions in each country have a different explanation. But, I loved English version. It seems witches were believed to turn in to butterflies and steal butter from people’s homes and fly away!
Butterfly Tattoos
Butterfly tattoos are a rage the world over especially among women. While Butterflies are a an obvious choice for a Tattoo choosing a design can be quite difficult. Since tattoos are for life, it is important to make a proper choice of design for the Butterfly tattoo. The 4 main types of Butterfly tattoos are Celtic, Realistic, Tribal and Cartoon. Celtic Butterfly Tattoos are a series of knots that are weaves over top and bottom of each other. Usually Celtic butterfly tattoos are in black and white while Realistic butterfly tattoos are colourful. Tribal butterfly tattoos follow a series of edgy line weaved in a tribal design. Cartoon butterfly tattoos have a black outline and look like cartoon characters. A custom design is also possible but that would mean finding a great butterfly tattoo artist! For a look at some Butterfly Tattoo designs visit here.
A Startling Discovery about butterflies
Can you believe it that Butterflies use mimicry to save their lives from predators? Some species imitate other species to enjoy the protection of an attribute they do not share. Viceroy butterflies imitate the looks of Monarch butterflies as predators know that the latter is distasteful to eat and leads to vomiting!
Travel Tips for Butterfly Park
Butterfly Park is an excellent one day trip from Bangalore. You can include a tour of the Bannerghatta zoo as it is just adjacent to the Butterfly Park. An interesting option here is to take the Safari vehicle that will take you to spot Tigers, Lions and Bears. You can also visit the Crocodile and Snake farms inside the zoo premises. It is a miniature version of the Crocodile Park in Chennai.
For a photoblog on Butterfly Park with Butterfly pictures, visit Butterfly Park
For a travelogue on the fabulous Golden Temple of Tibetans near Coorg, check Tibet Experience near Bangalore.