Explore Mumbai’s Butterflies and Wildlife on the BNHS CEC Karvali Trail
Beginning of the new avenue - A report on the Mumbai Earth Walks ecology walk held at BNHS CEC
Date: 13 September 2026
Location: BNHS CEC
Walk Theme: Ecology Walk
Walk Leader: Ayaan Sham
Walk Coordinator: Nita Deb
No. of participants: 24
After the immense success of Earth Walks in places like Delhi, Lucknow, Gir, Pangot, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Pune, it was time to extend the ambit of the walk, and there would have been no better choice for Asian Adventures & Global Wildlife Fair than Mumbai. The first walk was unfortunately welcomed by rain, but that did not deter the spirits of our participants, who managed to reach the location on time, dressed in raincoats and gumboots. The walk leader gave a brief introduction about the locality and the history of Earth Walks to the participants. They were curious and excited to know what they might encounter during the walk. Through the BNHS CEC’s Karvali Trail, the participants' first encounter was with the different varieties of fungi and flowers. Some of these were Hill turmeric and Indian Gingerbread. After encountering some more plants by continuing on the trail, a Blue Wanderer butterfly was noticed next. The walk leader explained the life cycle of the butterfly and also noted that the big butterfly month is about to start soon. Other notable species of butterflies that were noticed on the walk were the great orange tip, yellow orange tip, common rose, common Mormon, and common grass yellow.
When the discussion about the metamorphosis of the butterflies began, the participants were curious to know how to differentiate between the caterpillars of different species of butterflies. The walk leader explained that host plants play a key role in identification, and the group started closely monitoring various host plants to get glimpses of the caterpillars. In this process, different moths and butterfly eggs were also observed by the participants. As the groups continued to encounter various organisms like the orb-weaver spider, snails, crickets, grasshoppers etc, they also encountered signs of macro-organisms such as the leopard the marks of which were clearly visible on the tracks and the nail marks could be seen on tree bark. The walk leader here explained that this is a territory-marking activity and highlighted the human-animal interaction and conflict in the urban setting. The discussion then shifted to how abiotic factors such as rain, geology and weather affect an ecosystem. Right in the middle of this intriguing discussion, the participants noticed the skin of a rat snake, denoting the prominent presence of reptiles in the region.
Overall, the walk was a successful event where the participants learnt about the urban ecology of the region and its role in maintaining the balance in the natural environment. You can too be a part of Earth Walks and discover what extraordinary lies around you. Click on the link to find out where the next adventure is taking place this Sunday Click here: https://asianadventures.info/p/af0725
