New Delhi, Oct 19 (IANS) The Lodhi Gardens in Delhi will now host a wide variety of butterflies in a dedicated conservatory that was inaugurated Monday.
This initiative is the first of its kind in the capital, according to Anand Tiwari, spokesperson of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), which is one of the agencies involved in the project.

“A portion of the Lodhi Gardens, three acres in size, has been converted into a butterfly conservatory. A small insectory has also been created, with 22 host plants for butterfly larvae. This is the first of its kind in Delhi,” Tiwari told IANS.

The conservatory, which was inaugurated by Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, has been declared an insecticide and herbicide-free zone.

Tiwari said visitors will be able to view the conservatory from a natural elevated walkway without disturbing the habitat.

Besides the NDMC, Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), Delhi University and Green Circle, an NGO, are involved in the project.