Butterfly garden a hit at Eco Park

Kolkata: The butterfly garden inside the Eco Park has become enormously popular people particularly among the research scholars and students working in the field of biodiversity.

The three-acre butterfly zone now has 300 to 400 butterflies belonging to 20 variety. The zone is closed at 5pm to allow the butterflies to sleep. The zone has become immensely popular among the research scholars, students and professional photographers who spent several hours to have a glimpse of the butterflies that often stay behind the leaves. The attractive colour of the butterflies is a spectacle to observe.

"We are really indebted to Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation ( HIDCO) for creating such a beautiful area where one can study biodiversity and spend the whole day. Many young people are pursing photography and several photography clubs have come up in and around Kolkata. The youngsters like to go for nature photography and the zone provides them with enormous opportunity," said Anik Bose, a nature photographer.

Jolly Banerjee, who teaches in a well known school in Kolkata, said students should be taken to the butterfly garden to develop their love for the plants and bio diversity.

"It is a pleasure to see the colourful butterflies and nature is the best teacher," she said. The transformation of caterpillars to butterfly can be observed in a laboratory set up at the butterfly park. The visitors have been asked not to touch the leaves or destroy the plants or hit the butterfly with sticks.

Eco Park has come up as the biggest urban park in Eastern India with over 400 acres of land surrounded by 112 acres of water body. There is rose garden, Japanese garden and zones where people can enjoy cycling and a joggers' ally. The miniature seven wonders have attracted people from all over India. The USP of ECO Park is cleanliness and on special days like Christmas Day, New Year's Day special arrangements are made to help the visitors many of whom come from far off places.