How I Turned My Small Balcony into a Flourishing Garden That Attracts 5000 Butterflies

Who doesn’t enjoy watching colourful butterflies in flight? The winged beauties leave anyone fascinated, with children deriving so much pleasure from chasing them around.

However, the very existence of butterflies, today, is facing so many threats — including habitat loss, climate change, and indiscriminate usage of pesticides on plants. Seen abundantly earlier, their habitat is now unfortunately confined only to a few parks and gardens.

But interestingly, in the heart of Mumbai, Priyanka Singh’s apartment has turned into a haven for many butterfly species — including the monarch butterfly, common jay, lime swallowtail, and rare species like the common crow and common tiger.

Affectionately dubbed the ‘Butterfly Mom’, Priyanka has transformed her balcony into a paradise, all set up to attract these winged beauties. Picture this: lemon trees, lantana, curry leaves, and West Indian jasmine, all blooming and buzzing with life. These plants aren’t just for show – they provide the perfect spots for butterflies to lay their eggs.

In the last 10 years, she claims to have nurtured over 5,000 butterflies.

Priyanka believes that eggs face destruction without the appropriate environment for growth. After hatching into caterpillars, they voraciously feed on plants until they metamorphose into pupae, eventually emerging as beautiful butterflies. Before taking flight to seek out new habitats, they are given respite in spacious jars.

Originally from Varanasi, Priyanka never imagined working to protect biodiversity. However, when she moved to Mumbai, she was disheartened to witness ecological degradation. Having spent her childhood enjoying the shade of trees, she wanted to raise her daughter in an environment closer to nature. This motivated her to create this organic garden.

Then one day, she saw a small caterpillar eating a leaf from one of her plants. And after a few days, she saw that this caterpillar had transformed into a beautiful butterfly. After that incident, she became so fond of butterflies that she started reading about them.

This newfound passion led her to create a small ecosystem to rear butterflies in her home on the 13th floor. In the last 10 years, she claims to have nurtured over 5,000 butterflies!

Edited by Pranita Bhat. All photos: Priyanka Singh.