The papilionid butterfly, Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory was rediscovered after the lapse of 76 years since it was first collected in Tashiyangtse valley in eastern Bhutan. The immature stages of this butterfly are recorded and illustrated for the first time. Bhutan is the first country to record a complete life cycle of Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory, the national butterfly. A senior forestry officer from Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) in Trashi Yangtse carried out the study.
Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary is a great place for butterflies and the only place in Bhutan where Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis Ludlow), the national butterfly, is found.
It flies mainly in August. Bhutanitis Ludlow was rediscovered in 2009, 75 years after only two known specimens were collected in the same area. Other prime butterfly-watching locations include the forest and farm roads from the Old Dzong to Phodrang and Gangkhar, the main road to Trashi Yangtse between Kencholing and Buyang (Km 24-32), especially along the creeks.