Looking at Ecology from Butterflies Taihu Ecological Island has conducted butterfly observations for 16 consecutive years
May 22nd is International Biodiversity Day. In the past two days, a team that has been observing and studying butterflies for many years at the Taihu Ecological Island in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province started this year's work.
The first step in butterfly scientific research is to identify species with the naked eye, and some need to be captured and observed at close range. At the same time, information such as species, location, humidity and temperature are recorded. This small team led by Li Zhaohui has been conducting observations on the Taihu Ecological Island for 16 consecutive years.
The team members were surprised to find a "treasure land" next to a bus stop. An area of just a few square meters was very rich in biodiversity. You can see with the naked eye two butterfly larvae feeding right next to each other.
Along the way, members of the butterfly expedition discovered a total of 12 species of colorful butterflies from 5 families, which surprised them.
Li Zhaohui, director of the Institute of Applied Ecology of Nanjing Xiaozhuang University: Usually butterflies only eat one or even one type of plant. We can also directly show the presence or absence of plants through the presence or absence of butterflies or the number of plants.
Ecology from the perspective of butterflies Taihu Lake’s biodiversity continues to enrich
The number of butterfly species reflects the richness of local biodiversity. Judging from the observations over the years, the ecology of Taihu Lake is constantly improving and its biodiversity is constantly enriched.
Professor Li Zhaohui has been conducting butterfly scientific research on Taihu Ecological Island since 2009. Over the years, some gratifying changes have made him more and more confident.
Li Zhaohui, director of the Institute of Applied Ecology of Nanjing Xiaozhuang University: The butterfly species recorded on Taihu Lake Ecological Island have made steady progress in recent years. The most unforgettable thing is that we recorded a very rare swallowtail butterfly in China - the broad-tailed swallowtail butterfly at the top of Piaomiao Peak in 2021. The emergence of rare butterflies is already a good response to ecological environment protection.
Li Jiying, Chief of the Ecological Monitoring Section of the Suzhou Environmental Monitoring Center: We started monitoring butterflies on Xishan Island in Taihu Lake in 2021, and conducted it again in 2023. Judging from the data from both times, the number is growing, and the types are probably increasing. 12 kinds.
In recent years, Suzhou City has conducted biodiversity background surveys in Taihu Lake in order to comprehensively understand the background status of biodiversity and propose targeted protection measures based on scientific research and observation results. For example, a patch of weeds growing on the roadside that looks messy and has not been cleared is actually aristolochia, the main food source of the velvet musk butterfly. Experts put forward suggestions for protecting biodiversity based on the situation of Xishan Island. Compared with green renovation using a single plant, protecting the original appearance of the ecology is more important.
Li Jiying, Chief of the Ecological Monitoring Section of the Suzhou Environmental Monitoring Center: We mainly adhere to three principles. For important ecological spaces, we must keep the area from being reduced, the functions from being degraded, and the nature from being changed to protecting all the organisms that inhabit it.
