Banahaw still closed to public but remains open to butterflies

FAMILY PAPILIONIDAE:
6) Papilio daedalus daedalus (C. & R. Felder); 7) Papilio demoleus libanius (Fruhstorfer); 8) Papilio hystaspes (C. & R. Felder); 9) Papilio lowi (Druce) COURTESY OF DENR

FAMILY NYMPHALIDAE:
13) Athyma kasa parakasa (Semper); 14) Pantoporia dama dama (Moore); 15) Lasippa illigera illigera (Eschscholtz);
16) Pantoporia cyrilla cyrilla
(C. & R. Felder)

SIince Mt. Banahaw was declared off limits to the public nine years ago for much-needed rehabilitation and protection, the mystic mountain has again become a sanctuary of different varieties of butterflies.

At least 1,796 butterflies belonging to 81 species and subspecies have been recorded in different areas of the mountain, according to Salud Pangan, park area superintendent for Banahaw and neighboring Mt. San Cristobal, citing findings of a recent research conducted by a student from University of the Philippines.

Pangan said the return of the butterflies would indicate the success of rehabilitation work in Banahaw.

FAMILY NYMPHALIDAE:
7) Lexias satrapes satrapes (C. & R. Felder); 8) Cethosia biblis insularis (C. & R. Felder); 9) Junonia hedonia ida (Cramer);
10) Symbrenthia hippoclus galepsus (Fruhstorfer)

“[It] is a very welcome news,” said Manny Calayag, a former environment officer of Dolores town—the gateway to Banahaw—and now community coordinator for the Quezon-Environment and Natural Resources Office (Quezon-Enro).

Calayag recounted that different species of butterflies used to thrive in the mountain before the “invasion” of irresponsible trekkers from the urban areas.

Residents living in communities around Banahaw have already been warned against catching the colorful insects to sell to collectors, including foreigners, Pangan said. In the past, she said, Japanese butterfly collectors used to frequent the villages and hire residents as guides to the butterfly habitats.

“The guides should not be tempted with big money. They should know that sneaking into the closed parts of the mountain is illegal,” Pangan said. She said officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources met with local guides recently and reminded them to accompany their clients only to areas still open to the public.

FAMILY NYMPHALIDAE:
1) Vindula dejone dejone (Erichson); 2) Doleshallia bisatilde philippinensis (Fruhstorfer);
3) Hypolimnas bolina philippinensis (Butler); 4) Junonia atlites atlites (Linnaeus)

Aside from the butterflies, the park chief said fresh buds of the rare “rafflesia” plant had been found in Banahaw. “We spotted the buds along the former trails leading to Kristalino fall last month,” she said.

The rafflesia has long been a part of the mountain’s rich flora. However, it slowly disappeared and became almost extinct after throngs of religious pilgrims and picnickers left widespread destruction from their mountain climbs.

Banahaw, a traditional pilgrimage site for devotees and mountaineers, straddles the municipalities of Lucban, Tayabas, Sariaya, Candelaria and Dolores in Quezon; and parts of the towns of Rizal; Nagcarlan, Liliw, Majayjay and San Pablo City in Laguna.

Most of the 2,177-meter mountain, which spans an area of 11,133 hectares, has remained restricted to the public since 2004 to allow the recovery

FAMILY SATYRIDAE:
7) Mycalesis tagala tagala (C. & R. Felder); 8) Ptychandra leucogyne (C. & R. Felder); 9) Ptycandra lorquinii lorquinii (C. & R. Felder); 10) Ragadia luzonia luzonia
(C. & R. Felder)

of areas damaged by slash-and-burn farming and irresponsible mountaineering.

In Tayabas, 35 forestry students from, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Slovenia and the Philippines participated in a tree-planting activity in a mountain village of the city on Friday.

Pangan said the students planted 50 seedlings of balobo, makaasim and narra as a symbol of close cooperation to save and protect the world’s remaining forests from destruction.

FAMILY PIERIDAE:
1) Delias henningia henningia (Eschscholtz); 2) Delias hyparete luzonensis (C. & R. Felder); 3) Hebomoia glaucippe philippensis (Wallace);
4) Pareronia boebera boebera (Eschscholtz)