Attend this butterfly trail by an all-female nature club in Mumbai this weekend

A blue oak leaf butterfly. Pic Courtesy/Ketan Anklesaria; Common jezebel; common crow. Pics Courtesy/Rove Jungli

Who else is invited?" - the ultimate decider for many, including this writer, when weighing whether a gathering or a trail is worth signing up for. Six women from the city are making sure this question doesn't bother women who simply want to spend a day out in nature. All Women Nature Walks, a new collective founded by nature enthusiasts Sunita Dighe, Dipti Humraskar, Himani Gupta, Janvhi Jadhav, Priyal Soni, Neha Savla and Vrusha Patel Chokshi, will emerge out of its cocoon after a pilot run this weekend to head to the Maharashtra Nature Park for a seasonal butterfly trail.

Participants at the first trail at Bombay Natural History Society

"The desire to have an exclusive club for women didn't stem only from a safety point-of-view," Chokshi clarifies, adding, "When it's a mixed group, we often see men being more vocal with questions while women subconsciously suppress their thoughts." A trail at the Bombay Natural History Society's Conservation Education Centre last month provided a case in point. "I introduced the women to an agave plant, and called it ‘your tequila plant' for easier understanding. It became a running joke and women - senior citizens, housewives, and collegians - all had a hearty laugh. Watching them shed their inhibitions was a sight to see," she adds.

Vrusha Patel Chokshi

At the park, the butterflies are experiencing their own metamorphosis. "This period is marked by butterflies maturing from their pupa stage in their life cycles. The monsoon brings flowers, making it the right time for butterflies to thrive and mate," Chokshi explains. Species like the blue oak leaf, tiger butterflies, and common jezebel await the group at the park.

Those who aren't great with names need not fret. The butterflies, we learn, are often named after the animals they closely resemble. The common crow, for instance, gets its name for its dark appearance, and the blue oak leaf, from the eponymous tree leaf. As easy as it can get!

ON September 28; 8 am
AT Maharashtra Nature Park, Sion Bandra Link Road.
LOG ON TO @awnw.mumbai on Instagram (to register)
ENTRY Park entry charges apply