Summary:
At present, more than 550 species of butterfly exist in Uttarakhand, according to the state forest department. Nainital: A species of butterfly, commonly known as ‘Dark Sapphire’ and hitherto found only in Sikkim and Assam, has been spotted in Nainital for the first time. We need more butterfly enthusiasts, especially students to explore its fauna and flora. Uttarakhand is a potentially good habitat for butterflies. The species, whose biological name is Heliophorus indicus, was spotted by a team of the state forest department and a group named ‘Walk in the Woods’ which works for wildlife conservation.This is the first record of this butterfly in western Himalayas, said the state forest officials.Shankar Kumar, statistical officer, Kumaon division, forest department told TOI, “It is a big success..