Location: Aravalli Biodiversity Park, Vasant Kunj  
Walk Leader: Mr Sandeep Kannan 
Walk Name: Winter Flutters  
Number of Participants: 10
Names of Participants: Kartik Bakshi, Asheeta Chhabra, Sneha Parul, Mahesh, Amruth, Kirtika, Sayansh, Mohit, Salil, Prem Singh 

On November 16, 2025, the Earth Walks, Asian Adventures & Global Wildlife Fair team, in collaboration with Delhi Tourism & Transportation Development Corporation, organised another walk as part of its Weekly Earth Walks. The location for this specific edition of the walk was the beautiful Aravalli Biodiversity Park, which is situated in the Vasant Kunj area of New Delhi. These walks are an initiative by Asian Adventures to raise awareness about the rich biodiversity that surrounds us. Many of us remain aloof from it, and hence, this step is not just towards conservation of the environment but also making the citizens a part of this necessary step towards the protection of our flora and fauna. Another step in the ladder in the same series was Winter Flutter. The idea of it was to explore and learn about the various butterflies that are found in and around Delhi.  

The fast life of the capital city has been one of the core reasons for the rise of the pollution levels in the city, and hence, the scope of butterflies surviving in the region becomes dimmed. The fact, unfortunately true, is a wake-up call for the need to preserve these species. The walk, which was led by Mr Sandeep Kannan, was an intellectual session in the same domain. The walk started around 8:00 am, when even the chilly Delhi November morning could not deter an enthusiastic crowd from being a part of this walk. The walk consisted of a walk around the Aravalli Biodiversity Park, where the group traced and witnessed different types of butterflies and learnt more about them via the knowledge of Mr Sandeep. 

At the very start of the walk, he had thrown light on the types of butterflies that exist in our ecosystem. These are  

1. The Blues 
2. The Whites and Yellows  
3. Swallow-tailed  
4. Skippers 
5. Brush Footed Family  

With this, the group began in the hope of encountering these on the trail. He also talked about the various stages in the life of a butterfly. This cycle begins with the egg that is the origin of the caterpillar, followed by the formation of the Chrysalis. It is from this Chrysalis that an adult butterfly is born. The complete cycle is known as metamorphosis, and in the case of the moth, the pupa stage remains missing; hence, the changes that a moth undergoes are known as an incomplete metamorphosis. Up next in the journey, the group encountered host plants. These are plants on which the stage of chrysalis or pupa formation takes place. Amaltas is one such host plant that was noticed on the trail. Further, he talked about how butterflies, via their proboscis, which is their straw-like structure, gain minerals and salts. Their source for the same remains soils, excreta of animals, etc. The trail began with the group spotting an egg of the Emigrant Butterfly. This led to the discussion about how butterflies lay eggs: Cluster Egg Laying and One-by-One egg laying. These are strategies that butterflies use to protect their eggs from predators like spiders, monkeys, etc. The journey from the egg to the butterfly is a 7-day process, and the growth of the butterfly depends upon how much food it consumes during the caterpillar stage. The group then spotted the white and yellow colour Pieridae butterfly while he explained how the colours on the scales of butterflies depend upon the season they are born in: wet or dry, for better camouflaging.  

The walk continued with the spotting of Rounded Pirrow and Tiny Grass Blue. When the horrors of the ecosystem were being talked about, wherein butterflies have to choose an ideal location for not just laying their eggs but also while choosing their host plant during the Chrysalis stage, as many a time, if any predators (parasites, etc) find a pupa, they would enter and devour the forming butterfly. So, when the group came across Common Gull, Pioneer, and Tiny Grass Blue butterflies, they also saw these holed chrysalides, which once had held a budding butterfly. Next in the trail, the group saw the Vajradanti plant, which is the host plant for the Pansy butterfly. The butterflies that were added next to the trail to be spotted were the Yellow Orange Tip butterfly, Parnara swift, and Tarucus butterflies. The basic difference between butterflies and moths was then discussed. While a butterfly has club-shaped antennae, a moth has a varied antenna shape.  

The Lemon Pansy, white orange tip, the common grass yellow, and the Striped Tiger were next to be spotted by the group. The trail then prevailed while spotting it was discovering a butterfly or a moth. The trail could not have ended on a better note as the group spotted White Orange Tip, the Grass Jewel, which is the smallest butterfly in Asia, and the Plain Tiger, which is one of the most common butterflies found in Delhi.
 

The Winter Flutter Trail was a huge success as the group learnt about the bio-indicators of our ecosystem: The butterflies, as well as spotted butterflies belonging to 5 different families of the butterfly world. These walks act as reminders of our responsibilities towards the whole ecosystem. They act as a lens to analyse our role in the ecosystem from a newer perspective. Hence, let's join hands together and contribute towards awareness, dissemination of information, and most importantly, working towards conservation by being a part of these weekly walks. It's a step towards making Sunday a productive and eco-friendly day. A day for the environment is a step towards a future that is rich in biodiversity. 

Join us for our forthcoming Earth Walks. Click here https://asianadventures.info/p/af0725/