Butterfly Haven Emerges
from its Cocoon
By Cora Lamas, Philippnie Daily Inquirer, January 30, 2000
Butterflies
thrive amidst the flora in a spacious but cozy garden in Bulacan. Wings
aglow with yellow, brown, red and other bright and startling colors,
they gracefully glide amidst rows of various Philippine plants.The aerial
ballet flashes a rainbow of colors, as the insects flutter around the
500-square meter canopied garden. Some would then swoop down to sip
the nectar of a flower. Others may attach themselves to leaves to lay
their eggs.
"It takes about five
hours to reach a nearby forest like Sierra Madre just to look for different
species of butterfly. But now, after 30 minutes to one hour from Manila,
you can feast your eyes on them, "says Dr. Bonifacio Cayabyab,
one of the environment and biodiversity consultants of the Pulilan Butterfly
Haven. His enthusiasm is understandable. The Haven boasts of having
15-20 different species of butterflies and as many different varieties
of plants, a number far greater than those in its counterparts in Europe.
Thanks
to its tropical climate, the Philippines is a butterfly-rich country.
As of 1993, studies showed that the country hosts a total of 1,674 butterfly
species; 44 percent of these are indigenous or are native to the Philippines.
Europe, in contrast, can claim only 200 different species per country.
And, Dr. Cayabyab, who also heads the Plant Quarantine Support Laboratory
of the National Corp Protection Center, says the Philippines could have
more as newer species are being discovered in places like Mt. Apo and
the Sierra Madre forests.
Ecological Balance
Cayabyab's
paper on the captive breeding of butterflies summarizes the reasons
why the Philippines is in danger of losing these beautiful insects.
The presence of wide variety of butterfly species like those found in
the Haven points to two imporatant factors crucial to the insects' survival:
ecological balance and a healthy biodiversity. Butterflies are extremely
sensitive to climate change, toxins and pesticides. This means that
the more butterflies you see fluttering around you garden, then the
lesser the pollution is in your area. Of course, the reverse is also
true: if you don't see even one butterfly dropping in for a visit in
your place, then maybe it's time to check your area for pollution level.
As
for biodiversity, butterflies feed on very specific flowers. They don't
sip the nectar of just any flower. Similarly, only certain plants can
host their eggs. Thus, the more butterflies you see around you is an
indication of the greater variety of the plant life in your garden.
"Butterly houses like the Pulilan
Butterfly Haven contributes to the maintenance and conservation of Philippine
butterflies," Dr. Cayabyab concludes. BIR
Deputy Commissioner Estelita Caleon-Aguirre, owner of the Pulilan Butterfly
Haven, said, "I had wanted a place in Pulilan where students can
come and learn about nature." In particular, she had been thinking
of the 127 scholars the educational foundation named after her late
husband, Honorato Aguirre, was sending to school. Sustained encouragement
by local government officials kept the idea alive.
It was a business conference
in Palawan in May of 1999 that firmed up her decision. A visit to Palawan's
Butterfly Garden inspired her to create one of her own in her family's
ancestral land in Pulilan. Several consultants, Dr. Cayabyab among them,
helped convert and expand what was then an orchid farm into the new
Butterfly Haven.
