Lot of people go to various dense forest zones for butterflying, I do the same. Areas nearing dense forest is likely to have more species and hence there are chances to photograph some new species than those which are present in your collection.
One fine day I decided to visit completely different terrain. I decided to visit Nannaj Widlife Sanctuary which is dominated by grassland and scrub-land habitat. Most of the Deccan plateau and Central Indians planes are covered by these type of habitats. So I decided to check these areas for butterflies.
Nannaj wildlife Sanctuary is a grassland plane reserved for the protection of bird called Great Indian Bustard alias GIB. Large grassland area is protected and hence one can find good insect population in this area. Sanctuary is dominated by Blackbucks and various types of larks, babblers and Francolins. Year 2007 was an average rainfall year and good grass cover was to be seen in the month of September.
A brief report of what I recorded during Nannaj visit.
Date: 11 Sept'07
Location: 15 Km from Solapur
Landscape: Scrub + grassland
Weather: Hot but not humid, sunny with partial clouds, light breeze, grass green and soil slightly wet from previous day's shower.
Pieridae
1. Common Emmigrant - Large number (Hundreds)
2. Mottled Emmigrant - Large number (Hundreds)
3. Common grass yellows - Large number (Hundreds)
4. Crimson tip - One sighting
5. Small orange tip - 4-5 sightings
6. Common Albatross - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
7. Pioneer (Caper white) - Common (approx 10 sightings)
8. Common gull -
Nymphalidae
9. Joker - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
10. Blue Pansy - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
11. Lemon Pansy - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
12. Yellow Pansy - 4-5 sightings
13. Common Four Ring - Common (approx 10 sightings)
14. Common Leopard - Common (approx 10 sightings)
15. Painted Lady - 4-5 sightings
16. Danaid eggfly - 4-5 sightings
17. Plain Tiger - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
18. Glassy Tiger - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
19. Common Crow - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
Papilionidae
20. Common Rose - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
21. Crimson Rose - 4-5 sightings
Lycaenidae
22. Plains cupid - Abundant (more than 20 sightings)
23. Indian Cupid - 1 sighting
24. Gram blue - Common (approx 10 sightings)
25. Lesser grass blue - Common (approx 10 sightings)
26. Common Cerulian - Common (approx 10 sightings)
27. Dark Cerulian - 1-2 sightings
28. Common Pierrot - 1-2 sightings
29. Rounded pierrot - 4-5 sightings
30. Pale grass blue - 4-5 sightings
31. Dark Babul Blue- 4-5 sightings
32. Pale Babul Blue- 4-5 sightings
Hesperiidae
33. UN ID skipper (dart?) - Only one sighting
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