The country’s tiger-cheetah-leopard-wolf and gharial state Madhya Pradesh, may soon notify the Orange Oakleaf variety as its state butterfly. If the state forest department’s proposal to declare Kallima inachus as the state’s butterfly materialises, the Orange Oakleaf will become the central Indian state’s official ‘state butterfly’.

Confirming that a proposal has been sent recently to the state government, MP’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF-Wildlife), Subhranjan Sen, said once the proposal is cleared, MP will join the select league of states that already have their state butterflies.

Orange Oakleaf thrives in Satpura Forests

“The Orange Oakleaf butterfly is particularly found in the dense forests of the Satpura Mountain Range. Its declaration as the ‘state’s butterfly’ will render momentum to focussed efforts on butterfly conservation,” Sen told TNIE on Sunday.

It flies along the central Indian highlands to Pachmarhi and Amarkantak in the Satpura Mountain Range in Madhya Pradesh.

Its wings are shaped like a leaf when in a closed position. When the wings are closed, only the cryptic underside markings are visible. The resemblance to a dried leaf, a masquerade, is extremely realistic and gives the genus its common names, the oakleaf or dead leaf.

MP to become first central Indian state with an official butterfly

At least ten states and Union Territories in the country have granted state butterfly status to unique genres of butterflies. These states include Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttarakhand, which notified their state butterflies between 2016 and 2023.

Once MP notifies the Orange Oakleaf as its state butterfly, it will become perhaps the first state in central India to do so.

The Orange Oakleaf butterfly flies in the Himalayas at low elevations, from Jammu and Kashmir to Garhwal and Kumaon, and across West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and other northeastern states. It is also found in central and peninsular India, including Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Butterflies vital for ecosystem health: PCCF

“Butterflies occupy a key position in ecosystem stability by acting as pollinators, helping plants reproduce and being a critical part of the food web or chain also, rendering a food source for predators like birds and bats. They are also vital environmental indicators, as their sensitivity to changes in their habitat signals the overall health of an ecosystem,” the PCCF-Wildlife said.

Notification of a state butterfly by the forest- and wildlife-rich state will also promote focussed research on various butterflies in MP, which is already considered home to 150 to 175 butterfly varieties.