Photo Feature
Love Is Generous
<p><strong>Shamik Sanyal, Love is generous.</strong> <em>Being frugivores, it makes sense for hornbills to exchange fruits. But what about butterflies? A cloud of spot puffin Appias lalage male butterflies descend on a patch of moist mud in the Buxa Tiger Reserve. Here they sip essential salts and minerals lacking in their nectar diet. Such aggregations are most often seen in the Papilionidae and Pieridae families. Males then utilise these nutrients to develop a neat little packet of spermatophores, which in turn help the female to lay viable eggs, increasing the couple’s chances of passing on their genes to another generation. A vital goal in the game of love.</em></p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> <em>Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal</em></p>