A festival that makes a pretty picture

Plum Judy (Abisara bifasciata)

Ever watched Plum Judy perform a distinctive dance to evade predators? Beautiful, graceful, varied and enchanting - happiness, they say is watching a butterfly take flight. Get ready to be surrounded by these charming creatures as the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and World Wide Fund for Nature - India (WWF India) partner with mid-day to bring to the city the unique and informative Butterfly Festival 2019. With curated events that include workshops, contests and screening of documentaries, this event, spread over two weekends, is for all ages.

Black Rajah (Charaxes solon)

Caroline Pais, education officer, WWF India - Maharashtra State Office, says, "Butterflies are one of the most recognisable and appealing insects around us. Their myriad colours, shapes and delicate flight have provided inspiration to poets and artists. Our goal is to celebrate them."

Tawny coster (Acraea violae)

Dr Raju Kasambe, assistant director - Education, Conservation Education Centre, BNHS Mumbai explains how butterflies help flowers pollinate and are a source of food for other animals. "I hope the festival proves an effective tool to create awareness about the importance of butterflies in nature."

Dr Raju Kasambe

The line-up includes butterfly trails, a documentary on the migratory journey of some species, and origami workshops. Photography enthusiasts can look forward to participating in a competition.

There'll be plenty of opportunities to capture butterflies in their element. The winning entries picked by BHHS, WWF India and mid-day's photo editor Ashish Rane, will receive a host of goodies including publications by eminent authors, exclusive products from BNHS and WWF India. All entries will be showcased at an exhibition held during the festival. Winners will be felicitated on the last day at a ceremony involving a storytelling segment with celebrated author Katie Bagli.

What: Butterfly Festival, 2019
Where: BNHS Conservation Education Centre (CEC), near Film City, Gen. Arunkumar Vaidya Road, Goregaon East
When: October 13, 19 and 20
Cost: Rs 200 (entry, nature trail, exhibit, activity)
Call: To register, call 9594929107 or mail cec-mumbai@bnhs.org

Sign up for photo contest

All entries must come in before 12:00 IST on October 15, 2019. To participate, drop an email to butterfly.photocomp2019@gmail.com

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