Kerala is home to about 330 varieties of butterflies. Of these, 37 are native to this region.
Butterflies in the order Lepidoptera belong to one of the super families of Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea. These insects are remarkable for their striking colours and beautiful patterns on their wings.
India belongs to the oriental zoological region and the geographical features of this part of land are well reflected in the flora and fauna of Kerala, too.
The Common Jay (Graphium doson) prefers to live in the thick, riparian, moist deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests in India. It is most commonly found in the lower elevations in the Southern Indian forests, including those of the Eastern Ghats.
This black butterfly, with a pale-blue, semi transparent central band has a marginal series of smaller spots on the wings. The underside of the wing is brownish with white spots. The wingspan is 70 to 80 mm.
The Common Jay is an active butterfly and can be seen constantly on the move. It can easily travel between the ground and the canopy of 40 meters tall evergreen forests. While feeding form flowers, it keeps its wings vibrating
