Nature of Bhutan
The Kingdom of Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy situated in the eastern Himalayas, bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and India to the south. Its highest peak is Gangkhar Puensum (alt.7,570 m), which remains the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. The country is approximately the size of Kyushu, Japan, and its capital, Thimphu, lies at an elevation of 2,320m.
For many years Bhutan remained largely isolated from the outside world. Diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom were established in the early twentieth century, and following the Second World War the country gradually became accessible to foreign visitors.
Agriculture and livestock husbandry are the principal industries. Much of the country remains covered by forest, and its natural environment is exceptionally well preserved. Evergreen broad-leaved forests, similar to those occurring in the warm-temperate zone of Japan, are widespread throughout the country.
Bhutanitis ludlowi
In August 1934, the British explorers Frank Ludlow and George Sherriff discovered the Bhutan Glory, Bhutanitis ludlowi, in the Trashiyangtse Valley of northeastern Bhutan. The species was subsequently described as new in 1942 and was named in honor of Ludlow. It is now also known to occur in the neighboring Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. In August 2011, an expedition consisting of six participants, including myself, together with a three-member NHK television crew and several Bhutanese staff members, set out to rediscover this remarkable butterfly. The expedition was successful, and the rediscovery was later featured in a television documentary. Details of the survey were published in Butterflies 60 (Harada et al., 2012), the journal of the Butterfly Society of Japan.
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Mating Pair of Bhutanitis ludlowi
The male and female first became entangled in flight and then dropped to the ground, where mating was immediately initiated. Shortly afterward, the pair flew up and settled in a tree. The upper individual is the female.
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Chrysozephyrus bhutanensis
Although specimens of Chrysozephyrus bhutanensis had been collected before the Second World War by Frank Ludlow and his colleagues during their explorations in Bhutan, the species was not described as new until 1957. It is also distributed in Sikkim and Nepal. In the early morning, males can be observed flying around the forest canopy along roads through the evergreen broad-leaved forest zone, their brilliant green metallic sheen flashing in the sunlight. Individuals were also encountered at mountain passes above 3,000m in elevation. The larval host plants belong to the family Ericaceae.
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Euthalia (Limbusa) durga
Euthalia (Limbusa) durga is a large species distributed throughout the Himalayan region and has also been recorded from northern Myanmar. In Bhutan, it occurs in a relatively subtropical environment at an elevation of about 1,740 m, where its distribution is highly localized. Adults fly actively along sunny forest edges and frequently settle on leaves, rocks, and exposed banks.
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Sephisa chandra
Sephisa chandra is distributed from the Himalayan region through Myanmar to Taiwan. Males often rest on the ground with their wings fully spread and are frequently attracted to animal droppings and other organic matter for feeding. Females differ markedly from males in wing pattern, exhibiting a bluish coloration, although considerable variation occurs among individuals.
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Kallima inachus
Kallima inachus is a forest-dwelling leaf butterfly distributed from the Himalayas through Myanmar and Thailand to Laos. Adults are frequently attracted to animal droppings and other sources of nutrients on the forest floor. In the Trashiyangtse Valley, large numbers were observed gathering on mule dung deposited along the trail, where they fed in groups.
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