Butterflies

In Sri Lanka about 245 species of butterflies are found. About 23 of the total species are endemic. Ceylon Birdwing is a famous species of endemic butterfly found in Sri Lanka. This endemic variety is widely found in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. Some of the species have been marked as endangered species of which Ceylon Rose has been recognized as a critically endangered species. A newly discovered species of butterfly in Sri Lanka is known as Catopsilia Scylla.
Most of the species of butterflies in Sri Lanka is found in the foothill regions at an altitude of about 910 meter. A handful of species of butterflies are also found at an altitude of 1,200 meter. In the dry zones of the low lying area in Sri Lanka, one can spot only a few varieties of butterflies.
The ideal time to spot butterflies in Sri Lanka is during the southwestern monsoon spanning from March to April and during the northeastern monsoon, which spans months of September and October.
Family wise division of butterfly species in Sri Lanka includes Papilionidae, Hesperiidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae and Lycaenidae. Some of the popular endemic species of butterflies found in Sri Lanka are Ceylon Palmfly, Ceylon Tree-Nymph, Lesser Albatross, Decorated Ace, Ceylon Hedge Blue, Ceylon Indigo Royal etc.

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