Butterfly Month: Telugu photographer records highest number of butterflies for three years in row

Wildlife photographer and environmentalist Jimmy Carter Polimati has recorded the highest number of butterflies during the Big Butterfly Month- 2024 (BBM) by clicking pictures of a whopping 182 species of butterflies.

Sangareddy: Wildlife photographer and environmentalist Jimmy Carter Polimati, a native of Maredumilli in Alluri Sitharamaraju district of Andhra Pradesh, has recorded the highest number of butterflies during the Big Butterfly Month- 2024 (BBM) by clicking pictures of a whopping 182 species of butterflies.

The BBM is a nationwide citizen science programme that takes place annually throughout the month of September, inviting individuals of all ages and backgrounds to study and document the world of butterflies.

Jimmy Carter photographed 182 species of butterflies out of the 195 recorded by wildlife photographers across India in September this year. A record number of 1,294 people participated in BBM-2024 in India this year. Interestingly, he has continued to top these charts for the last three years. He had recorded the highest number of butterflies in 2022 and 2023 as well. During his entire career in wildlife photography, Carter has photographed 232 species across India including 177 from Andhra Pradesh. The wildlife photographer has uploaded all his observations on www.inaturalist.org. Usually, the photographers of butterflies upload their records on the India Biodiversity portal and Ifoundbutterflies apart from www.inaturalist.org.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Carter said India had 1,380 recorded butterflies while the world had over 17,000 species. As many as 270 butterflies have been recorded in Andhra Pradesh so far. A variety of butterflies were found in States located close to the Himalayas apart from the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats in India while Vishakapatnam Ghats, West Godavari forests, Papikondalu national park, Nallamala forests and Seschachalam forests were known their’s rich beta diversity. Reiterating that the butterflies were an indicator of rich biodiversity, Carter said the erasing of forests and rapid urbanisation were posing a serious threat to beta diversity in India.

Stating that the butterflies would play a key role in the ecosystem by acting as pollinators, he underlined the importance of protecting them by conserving the forests.