Butterfly Migration

Shri S.K.Bhatnagar was born in 1937 and brought up at Beawar, Rajasthan. After post-graduation in Botany from Ajmer, he dabbled in agricultural aesearch for a couple of years and then became a lecturer for a short period. He started his career as a civil servant in the Rajasthan Administrative Service. He joined the Indian Revenue Service in 1961 and retired in 1999 as the President of the Customs Tribunal.

Shri Bhatnagar's interests lie in the field of biology, literature and mythology. Under the pen name of Santosh Ratan, he prefers to write on scientific topics in poetic format instead of prose. He likes to draw illustrations from Indian mythology and that too in both English and Hindi. He has published 6 books so far — two in English and four bilingually, including poems on the natural wonders of the world. One of his books, Jeev Jagat Ki Aadharshila has been published in paper format while the others are online at http://santoshbhatnagar.weebly.com/ and https://www.scribd.com/user/379765454/S-K-BHATNAGAR-SANTOSH-RATAN.

                                                          BUTTERFLY MIGRATION 

Record holder animals                     Butterflies               Jeevjantuon ke karname

                             Monarch              Champians               Painted lady*

                  Annual long migration                            Erratic long migration

                                                 MONARCH 

                                 flicker -treegrow - Wc- cc

                                                           PAINTED LADY 

                                       Alvesgaspar – Wc - cc

           Beautiful little Butterflies  flittering  merrily here and there

           hopping from flower to flower sipping sweet nectar every where

           little children chasing them in their charming fashion

           bouncing  full of joy in a heart warming phenomenon

           such a pleasant scenario  fills  us with  joy more& more

           Children’s pa and grand pa of course all the more .

                                                **********

            Butterflies show yet another interesting phenomenon

           when some of them embark upon long migration                                                                        

            In fact among north American butterfly population

            Majestic Maripose Monarch’s  Migration is unique

            and one of the natures most amazing phenomenon.

                                              ************

            From Canada and North East U.S  year after year

            millions of these butterflies fly in southward direction                  

            to Mexico’s Sierra Neveda sites ,for wintering there

            on sacred Fir canopy  - 3000 miles away – barely !

            Oh! What a journey !and in a couple of months only;!

            And when temperatures start rising and days lenthen

            shift slightly northward to texas to mate, breed and lay

            eggs on poisonous milkweed leaves  only

            Alas ! only to die, thereafter, there

            leaving successor generation to start Northward journey!

            Oh ! what a pity -  even this generation is not destined

            to reach destination but breed and die on the way

            leaving the successors to reach original home far away.

                                           ********

             What is amazing is that next southward journey

            is begun  by 4th generation which had

            no occasion  to know Mexico or the way

            and yet reaches there any way,

             by the same routes, roosting  on the same

            trees  and reaching  the same Mexican sites

            winters only on the  very same

            sacred Firs , Oh How  !

           And on return journey lays eggs on the  same

           Milk weeds  in Texas!               

            And what is more the generations

            which start Northern journey, again are those

            which had no opportunity to know the way

            or the destination and yet manage to reach there;

                                                 *******

            By God !  It is true;What  an unbelievable  phenomenon !

            A two way long journey completed by 4 generations !

            And at what speed – 50-100 miles a day!

            Navigating  by what clues ! - Winds !

            Sun compass ! magnetic field ! God alone knows !!.

                                                    *******

*Painted lady migrates from Africa to Europe and back

 covering a distance of 14500 kms crossing a desert like Sahara

 and a sea like  Mediterranean  either way ,although it takes

5-6 generations to complete the cycle .