SPECIES HIGHLIGHT

A glimpse into one of nature’s most extraordinary travelers recorded in the DBC-1 Project Area.

DID YOU KNOW?
Painted Lady Butterfly
Painted Lady
One of the world’s most remarkable migratory butterflies, the Painted Lady is capable of traveling thousands of kilometers across continents during its seasonal movements, making it among the most widely distributed butterfly species on Earth.
THE INDUS DELTA

BUTTERFLY DIVERSITY

The Indus Delta supports a diverse butterfly community, shaped by its mangrove forests, coastal vegetation, mudflats, and adjoining agricultural landscapes. These habitats provide essential resources for feeding, breeding, and seasonal movement of butterfly species across the region. Butterflies here play an important ecological role as pollinators, supporting plant reproduction and contributing to overall ecosystem balance.

Steppe Eagle in the Indus Delta Least Concern

Plain Tiger

Danaus chrysippus

Habitat Open coastal habitats, grassland, scrubland, gardens, and mangrove margins with flowering vegetation.
Ecological Role Active pollinator of Avicennia marina during its bloom season. Caterpillars sequester toxins from milkweed host plants, making adults unpalatable to predators, contributing to chemical ecology of the coastal ecosystem. Aposematic colouration plays a role in predator-avoidance dynamics across the project area..
Steppe Eagle in the Indus Delta Least Concern

Danaid Eggfly

Hypolimnas misippus

Habitat Open woodland, coastal scrub, mangrove margins, and vegetated areas with flowering plants.
Ecological Role Pollinator of coastal flowering plants during peak mangrove bloom periods. A classic example of Batesian mimicry, the male mimics the toxic Plain Tiger to deter predators, contributing to the area's predator-prey dynamics. Caterpillars feed on Portulacaceae and Convolvulaceae, controlling ground-level plant growth at mangrove edges..
Steppe Eagle in the Indus Delta Least Concern

Small Salmon Arab

Colotis amata

Habitat Dry coastal scrubland, open ground with low flowering vegetation, and mangrove margins.
Ecological Role Pollinator of Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata during bloom periods, directly supporting mangrove reproductive success and seed set. Among the earliest pollinators active at mangrove edges during morning bloom hours, providing pollination services when other species are less active..
Steppe Eagle in the Indus Delta Least Concern

Painted Lady

Vanessa cardui

Habitat Open fields, coastal vegetation, gardens, flowering scrubland, and mangrove bloom areas throughout the project.
Ecological Role Key pollinator of Avicennia marina, Ceriops tagal, and Rhizophora mucronata during flowering periods. One of the world's most widely distributed and migratory butterflies, connecting the Indus Delta to global pollinator networks.