Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is an ideal destination for all those who have a passion for wildlife. Its unique geographical location has indeed paved the way for nature lovers to come across a variety of flora and fauna. From rainforests in the wet zone to lakes and rivers in the dry zone, many habitats are home to millions of species. Research on wildlife has been entertained at different levels and this weekend a group of nature lovers will launch a pocket guide to the butterflies of Sri Lanka. Speaking to the Daily Mirror Life, Himesh Jayasinghe spoke about the guide and about butterflies in Sri Lanka.
Give us a brief introduction about you.
I do freelance consulting as an ecologist but my educational qualifications are in civil engineering. I had a love for wildlife since when I was small and therefore started studying about birds. Then in 2000 I got in to researching on butterflies. Now I am fully involved in these kinds of research.
What is the book launch about?
We initially published a pocket guide to identify the different varieties of butterflies in 2013 and it was the first edition. Two other colleagues Sarath Rajapakshe and Chamitha De Alwis also helped me in this project. This time we are launching the second edition of this pocket guide.
Sarath Rajapakse (left) and Chamitha De Alwis (right)
What are the contents of the guide?
There are 247 varieties of butterflies in Sri Lanka. During the launch of the first edition of the pocket guide we identified only 245 varieties. But this time two more were added. We have included photos of each variety with a description about their special features, habitats in which they could be found, how they could be distinguished etc.
Where was the research done?
All around Sri Lanka.
Is this a result of what initially started in 2000?
Yes. Why it took so long was because sometimes it takes time for us to identify their behaviors and lifestyles. Some even choose different trees and plants to lay eggs. Therefore different butterflies have different names, lifestyles, habitats etc. So this pocket guide is the result of 15 years of work.
Are these butterflies subject to extinction?
Some of them have faced the risks of extinction mainly due to deforestation. Also there is another issue where plants they usually lay eggs are sometimes subject to extinction and new plants grow for survival. Therefore butterflies again find it difficult to find places to lay eggs.
What : Pocket Guide to Butterflies of Sri Lanka launch
When : December 19, 2015
Where : Met Department, Auditorium
By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
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