Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden

Few weeks back on a lazy Sunday morning we planned a visit to Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden. Managed by Ovalekar brothers this garden is set up in a private farm, at the foot hills of Sanjay Gandhi National Park(Thane) and is home for 132 spices of butterflies. This is an open air garden, that is, you find butterfly in natural surrounding and not in enclosure. The plantation of  larval host plants, help in butterfly breeding..

As we reached, we were asked to register with names and contact details and were briefed about the life cycle of butterfly, with live samples. And introduced to different species of butterflies.. 

Image credit ASU



Caterpillars 

Pupa

Then Mr. Rajendra, took us to the garden tour. As per him different species of butterflies attract to different plants. Few of them attract to rotten fruits, you can find baskets with rotten fruits hung here and there.. There were 10s of butterflies, but these were the only pics i could click...

Plain Tiger

As a part of National Park, you can find few very rare flowers and trees.

Red Passion Flower

Silk cotton tree

And few common flowers

Bird of Paradise

Hibiscus



And a pet Goose, which attracted most of the kids out there

Travel guide:

• Entry fee: Adult: Rs. 100/- and children below 10yrs Rs.50/-
• Open only on Sunday's from 8AM to 12:30PM
• Contact detail: Mr. Rajendra Ovalekar, contact +91-9820779729
• How to reach:
• Take buses playing between Thane station and Mira Road/Bhayander, alight at Owala Bus stop. You can take an auto rickshaw to reach the garden... 
• If you are driving from Thane, take left at the Owala bus stop on Ghodbunder Road. Another km drive will reach you to the garden.
• More details here in their facebook page Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden

Linked to Floral Friday Foto, Todays Flowers, Camera Critters, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday Around the World, Outdoor Wednesday