At this time, Yunnan has entered the rainy season, and the abundant precipitation brought by the tropical monsoon has soaked the rugged mountain roads into mud. The off-road vehicle slowly twisted the yangko and crawled forward with difficulty, and the people in the car were thrown around. Liu, who was concentrating on driving, heard his companions banging on the roof and their sighs from time to time. Four hours have passed, and the car has only entered more than 30 kilometers. Over the top of the mountain, the vegetation on both sides of the highway is becoming more and more dense. With the continuous decrease of altitude, everything is green everywhere. A stream flows out of the dense forest and crosses the road. The clear stream stopped Liu and his companions and decided to wash their journey well.
Liu went up the river and suddenly saw a curtain of waterfalls pouring down from the dense forest, flying beads splashing jade, and the forest was filled with fog. Liu took a camera to shoot at the waterfall, and suddenly a small yellow spot appeared in the camera. Liu is extremely sensitive to butterflies and knows that it is a butterfly.
There are only four species in China, which is a kind of big butterfly. Their brown wings are inlaid with gorgeous arrow-shaped patterns, and butterfly taxonomists named them arrow-shaped butterflies according to this feature. The arrow butterfly caught by Liu is scientifically called the thorn butterfly. This butterfly is distributed in many areas of Yunnan and is a common vegetable in the forest. Liu didn't care. After releasing the butterfly, he walked on, only to find that there were more and more arrow rings around him. They walked in the forest, flying up and down, and their posture was elegant.
Sunlight shone on the grass beside the road through the gap in the bamboo forest, and a large group of golden white-sleeve arrow butterflies gathered there, with hundreds of them. They stood next to each other on the ground, motionless. New members keep flying in from afar to join their parties, and the gathering community is growing. Liu was watched with relish. Suddenly, a big bird swooped down with the wind, spread its wings over the butterflies, grabbed a small green snake by the stream not far from the disc group and suddenly disappeared into the forest. The appearance of big birds not only alarmed the white-armed arrow butterflies gathered on the grass, but also disturbed the white-armed arrow butterflies hiding in various parts of the forest. The disc on the ground flew away with a bang, and countless butterflies were flying in the forest. The overwhelming white-sleeved arrow butterflies are dancing in the forest, which makes people see things in a blur.
This sudden spectacular scene made Liu stunned and forgot to lift the camera to take pictures. The scene of butterflies flying all over the sky is very similar to the Butterfly Valley reported in the United States and Taiwan Province Province. Unexpectedly, there are also a large number of butterflies living on the Yunnan border!
Research influence
The phenomenon that so many individuals of the same species gather together is usually called "butterfly gathering", which is a common sight after a butterfly population explosion. Animal population outbreaks refers to a sudden and sharp increase in the population of a species in a specific period, which is explosive. As for the reasons for the explosive growth, researchers are most interested in research. This encounter made Liu very interested in the white-armed arrow butterfly at the bottom of the saddle. He and his colleague Zhou decided to set up a research and filming team to observe and record the ecological habits of the white-armed butterfly at the bottom of the saddle and find the answer to the outbreak of the white-armed butterfly. In order to explore the cause of the population explosion of the white-armed butterfly at the saddle bottom, we should start with its parasitic plants. In nature, butterfly larvae only eat one plant. In order to find the parasitic plants of butterflies, it is necessary to find out what kind of plants their larvae eat. However, in various academic works about butterflies, there is no record about the host plants of this butterfly. Even the records of China cuisine, known as China's butterfly masterpiece, only contain a few lines about the morphological description and distribution position of four butterflies. It seems that it will take some time to find out what the innocent armband butterfly larvae eat.
The following spring, Hezhou arrived at the bottom of the saddle with a lot of photographic equipment and CD capture tools. When I got to the bottom of the saddle, I went to the township government to explain my purpose. I was warmly welcomed by Heiliying, the head of Puzhen town and secretary of the township party committee, and helped them to contact the tour guide to introduce the local natural situation in detail, and contacted Yang Shaoke, a nurse at the Saddle Management Station of Jinping Valley National Reserve, to help them. They learned that since the first outbreak of 1992, the white-sleeved arrow butterfly at the saddle bottom has occurred almost every year on time. During the outbreak, butterflies with white sleeves were everywhere, which was annoying and even embarrassing. At first, everyone didn't know how to deal with it. According to common sense, they thought that these butterflies were pests and had been poisoned by pesticides once on a large scale. Later, it was found that these yellow butterflies were harmless to crops and people and animals except flying all over the sky, so they left it alone.
Secretary Zeng and Hei Xiangchang suggested going to the bamboo forest near Makuzhai village to observe first. Makuzhai is a village inhabited by Hani people, and the surrounding forest vegetation is well protected. Villages inhabited by Hani people usually like to be built halfway up the mountain. The dense forest on the top of the mountain can provide enough water to flow into the terraced fields below the village after passing through the village. Hani people have a simple understanding of the relationship between forests, water sources, terraces and people. They often say that "food is the sky for the people, rice is the sky for water, trees are bright on the mountain, and there is no rice under the mountain". The houses in Makuzhai village are located on both sides of a stream. In order to make full use of water energy, the villagers built many water houses on the stream, forming a very unique landscape. After the stream flowed out of the stockade, it was poured into terraces.
In the evening, the villagers in Makuzhai cooked a table of food for each household and held a long street banquet on a hill in the village to entertain Liu and their Kunming guests. Everyone sat on the floor, drinking Hani rice wine, eating wild vegetables collected in the mountains and local farm dishes, and the cottage was full of laughter. While he was in high spirits, a white-sleeve arrow butterfly in Liu Faxian stood on his glass, and he was burying his head in drinking water with its clockwork siphon. Liu joked to the people around him: "Look, butterflies can also eat wine!" " Unexpectedly, the village chief around him disdainfully left his pie mouth: "Mr. Liu, you are rare and strange." We have too many butterflies here! They often fly to us, to our home, and even when we go out on the street, there are butterflies standing on the edge of the basket. In the bamboo forest around the stockade, butterflies are everywhere. "
This surprised Liu. The next morning, Liu Hezhou, led by Yang Shaoke, arrived at the back of Makuzhai. There is a large bamboo forest in the back mountain, which is lush. Bamboo species are mainly Phyllostachys pubescens. This is a kind of scattered bamboo, because it is scattered, it is easier for people to walk and observe in the bamboo forest. China's knotted bamboos are distributed in Malipo County, Pingbian Miao Autonomous County, Hekou Yao Autonomous County and Jinping Miao Yao Dai Autonomous County in southern Yunnan. It grows in a low mountain area at an altitude of 900m-1400m. It is a local wild bamboo species with strong vitality, and the height of bamboo can reach about 20 meters. Because bamboo shoots taste bitter, the locals call them bitter bamboo.
Countless white-armed arrow butterflies are dancing in the bamboo forest. Liu Hezhou stared at several female white-sleeve arrow butterflies on bamboo leaves and stood at a distance to observe. A few hours later, they stopped on the bamboo leaves, almost motionless. When other butterflies lay eggs, they always dance. A few eggs were laid on this leaf, and then flew to another leaf to regenerate some eggs. Is the oviposition behavior of the white-armed arrow butterfly different from other butterflies? They crept close to the white-sleeved arrow butterfly that stayed on the back of bamboo leaves. When they looked carefully, they were laying eggs. Many milky white eggs have been neatly left on the back of the emerald bamboo leaves. They counted dozens of leaves that lay eggs, and the amount of eggs laid by each butterfly was around 120. Liu and Zhou were very excited and finally found the host plant of the white-armed arrow butterfly.
In order to find more convincing evidence, they began to look for and observe the larvae that feed on bamboo leaves-almost all of them are white-sleeved butterfly larvae of all ages. Some bamboo leaves are hung with green pupae of the arrow-ring butterfly. It turns out that the host plant of the white-armed arrow butterfly is Phyllostachys pubescens. One of the reasons why there are so many white-sleeve arrow butterflies on the saddle bottom has finally been found. Bamboo in the mountains and plains of China provides abundant food resources for the butterfly, and ensures the food demand of many larvae.
There are many butterflies here. You can hit a dozen with bamboo sticks.
In June 2005, Liu, Zhou and Garry Shook, a foreign teacher of Southwest Forestry University, went to the saddle bottom again to observe and shoot the ecological photos and documentaries of the white-sleeved arrow butterfly. Garry Shook, a retired professor at the University of California, USA, has long studied insects. After hearing about the spectacular outbreak of butterflies at the saddle bottom, he decided to join the research team to investigate. This time, they plan to observe the reproductive behavior of the white-armed arrow butterfly at high altitude.
As soon as I arrived near Ladeng Village, I was stunned by the flying white-sleeved arrow butterfly. On the highway, in the village, there are white-armed butterflies everywhere. The chickens raised by the villagers are leisurely eating white-armed arrow butterflies on the roadside. Even the clumsy domestic ducks are preying on the white-armed arrow butterfly. The white-armed arrow butterflies gathered on the road were crushed by passing cars. Some naughty children waved bamboo sticks at the plates, and a dozen butterflies fell to the ground askew. Ladeng Village is 900 meters above sea level, which is the lower limit of natural distribution of bamboo in China, and the temperature is much higher than the saddle bottom. The white-armed arrow butterfly appeared here more than ten days earlier than other places. Almost all the eggs of the white-armed arrow butterfly are laid on the back of bamboo leaves, which is very hidden. After leaving Ladeng Village, the research team turned to Zhanmaguaitang Village, where there is a large bamboo forest with an area exceeding 1000 mu. Liu, Zhou, Shu Ke came to the bamboo forest and observed and photographed the pupation and mating process of this butterfly for several days. According to the observation and statistics of the research group, only 10% males can get mating opportunities, and only lucky competitors can successfully pass on their genes to the next generation. But it is this lucky 10% male butterfly that makes the saddle bottom become the world of white-sleeved arrow butterflies.
Will so many white-armed butterflies and their larvae do harm to bamboo in China? How many larvae are there on bamboo? The research team conducted sampling statistics on the density of adults and larvae of bamboo butterflies in China. Except 2-3 butterflies lay eggs, there are 200-300 larvae in each bamboo, but the bamboo doesn't eat all the leaves, and its growth is basically normal.
The mortality rate of butterfly larvae is very high. Liu Jia Zhu Mark identified a group of 25 larvae, which have just hatched for two days. After three days, I went to count and only the smallest one was left. The larvae survived by hiding in the cracks in the petiole. The research team roughly counted the natural enemies they observed during the butterfly larva stage. From the egg, ants prey and parasitic bees parasitize. Larger larvae have become the prey of wasps, mantis lizards, frogs, toads and birds. Without the restriction of these natural enemies, the number of white-sleeved arrow butterflies at the bottom of the saddle will definitely be even more amazing.
Analysis on the outbreak of the white-armed arrow butterfly
According to the memories of local cadres and villagers, the first outbreak of the white-sleeved arrow butterfly at the saddle bottom was in1May, 992, which occurred almost every spring and summer for several months and has lasted for more than ten years. According to the principle of ecology, the sudden and explosive growth of an animal population must be a major change in the factors restricting it in the environment, or a large increase in habitats. After this outbreak, it will generally return to its original normal state within a certain period of time. Why is the population of the white-sleeve arrow butterfly at the saddle bottom so huge every year and last for many years? After more than ten years of field observation and investigation, by June 2008, the members of the research group had comprehensively analyzed the local topography, climate, host plants and the living habits of the butterfly, and sorted out the basic context. Ma 'andi Township, located in the south extension of Ailao Mountain, belongs to the tropical low mountainous area, with long summer and no winter, which provides superior climatic conditions for all kinds of butterflies to successfully complete the generation alternation and safely overwinter. The host plant of Papilio Papilio is a wild bamboo species with strong natural diffusion ability, strong vitality and wide distribution area. After the family production quotas was determined, the local grain output increased, and the villagers gradually gave up the cultivated land on the distant hillside. A large number of miscellaneous trees grow on the abandoned barren hills and slopes, and the local people have the opportunity to recuperate. After years of observation, it was not found that bamboo was harmed to death because of the large number of white-sleeved butterflies, which indirectly confirmed this analysis.
After more than ten years of observation, Liu, Zhou and others found that there are other species flying with the white-armed arrow butterfly, such as white-banded saw butterfly, ripple butterfly, blind butterfly and so on, but the number is far less than that of the white-armed arrow butterfly. The species of butterflies at the saddle bottom are also extremely rich, and the members of the research group have successively discovered the species of Papilio formosana, Papilio mustache, Papilio formosana, Papilio formosana, Papilio formosana, Papilio formosana and so on. Liu once photographed heterosexual butterflies, dominant butterflies, hidden butterflies, butterflies with eyes, butterflies covered with pearls and so on in one day in Qingshui River basin with waterfalls. According to rough statistics, there are more than 400 kinds of butterflies in Saddle Township, which covers an area of about 300 square kilometers.
Brigadier General Evans, a British butterfly scholar, said in his book Identification of Butterflies in India: "The Indian Empire is the most ideal place to study butterflies in the world, with extreme heat and cold, humidity and drought, deserts and forests, low-lying plains and mountains, changeable plant communities and distinct seasons." Most of the words in this passage also apply to the saddle bottom, which can be used to analyze the reasons why there are so many kinds of butterflies in the saddle bottom. The Longbo River in Ma 'andi Township is only more than 200 meters above sea level, but Wutai Mountain, the highest peak, is more than 3,000 meters. The obvious vertical variation of height difference, complex and diverse small regional habitats, low latitude tropical climate and obvious seasonal variation of dry and wet conditions have created favorable conditions for the survival and reproduction of butterflies.
In the past 20 years, many places in the south have been catching butterflies, making butterfly paintings and butterfly specimens, and Hainan Island and Xishuangbanna have caught a large number of butterflies. The saddle bottom is located in the border, and the traffic is inconvenient, so the butterfly has not suffered this disaster. Although butterfly dealers used to buy butterfly specimens here, the white-armed arrow butterfly sold for 50 cents at the most expensive time. The villagers felt that it was not cost-effective, and gradually no one caught and sold it. This also inadvertently protected the local butterflies.
The saddle bottom has beautiful scenery and simple folk customs. On the premise of paying attention to protection, watching butterflies and nature tourism may become a unique eco-tourism project in Ma 'an Township in the future. (Excerpted from chinese national geography, Wen/Han Lianxian)
Research influence
Butterfly is graceful, people admire it and are fascinated by it. Poetry, painting, decoration and butterflies are all important themes throughout the ages. Xie Yi, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote 300 butterfly poems, and people were full of praise for butterflies. There is a famous saying in the Seven Laws of Butterflies by Xu Yin, a poet in the Tang Dynasty: "The ethereal caterpillar sheds its shell slightly/the rain is unbearable/the beautiful branches stay and teach it/borrow it in several places/prevent every trouble from happening/pity the clothes bypassed by incense/be heartless/tell the truth from Zhuang Zhou." It can be seen that butterflies have long been known as "the beauty of insect country", "flying flowers" and "a brilliant picture with life"
196 1 year, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of China will issue a set of stamps on 20 kinds of butterflies in China. According to butterfly experts, there must be a butterfly. However, this butterfly specimen can't be found in China at present, so the pattern designer has to turn to foreign materials for help. At that time, in the insect specimen collection room of the British Museum of Natural History, the commentator proudly said, "This beautiful and precious butterfly is called Papilio, which originated in Wuyishan, China. Only our museum in the world has this butterfly specimen. " After years of investigation and research by entomologists, pictures and specimens of Papilio formosana were collected at the saddle bottom of Jinping. According to experts' research, Butterfly Valley at the bottom of saddle is the origin of Taiwan Papilio.
Since 2009, major media, TV stations, newspapers and magazines have successively shot and reported "China Red River Butterfly Valley". In August 2009, CCTV children's channel "open sesame" broadcast the program "Exploring the Butterfly Valley"; From May to June, 2065438+00, the CCTV program group is in full swing to shoot "China Red River Butterfly Valley", which will be broadcast on CCTV 1 set, 4 sets and1set after the production is completed; In March 2009, an article entitled "Butterfly Valley in China, Saddle Bottom in Yunnan" was published in chinese national geography magazine. In September 2009, in the special feature of the book Influence, the Butterfly Garden of Eden Discovered in Yunnan was published. On June 5438+February, 2009, China Butterfly magazine published the development and utilization of butterfly resources and living landscape in Jinping, Yunnan Province in issue 12. 20 10, 1 In June, Red River magazine published the Eco-tourism Conception of Butterfly Valley in Jinping Saddle. With various media, TV stations, newspapers and magazines broadcasting and reporting one after another, people began to understand the mysterious and beautiful "China Red River Butterfly Valley".
Ma 'andi is located in the east of Jinping County, bordering Youdi Township, Baisha County, Laojie Province, and Yaoshan Township, Fengtu County, Laizhou Province on the east, south and west. The border line is156km long, with a land area of 284.7km2, which is 23km away from Mengzi123km of Honghe Prefecture and 0/48km away from Jinping County. The highest elevation of Wutai Mountain in Ma 'andi is 30 13m, which is the second highest peak in southern Yunnan, and the lowest elevation is only 130m. The forest coverage rate of the township is as high as 70%, and the nature reserve110.6 million mu, with an average annual rainfall of 2500 mm. Because of the altitude difference, the three-dimensional climate is more obvious. Northwest of the territory is a watershed national nature reserve, where the first-class and second-class national protected plants are growing, such as red bean shirt, spiny alsophila, Fokienia hodginsii, feather pine, Liriodendron chinense and Manglietia rubra. There are national first-class and second-class wild protected animals, such as monitor lizard, python, cobra, bee monkey, pangolin, concave turtle, rock sheep, muntjac, silver pheasant and various butterflies. Wild plants, such as rare orchids, medicinal materials, tsaoko, mushrooms, black fungus, water bamboo, green fern and so on. Growing in the dense virgin forest, the forest resources are rich, the biodiversity is extremely intact, and there are many kinds of rare birds and animals, which is known as the "nature gene bank". The territory is rich in water resources, waterfalls and springs, and the tourist attractions that can be developed are transnational wonders with cracks as national boundaries-Tianshengqiao, Wutai Mountain Waterfall Group, ancient tea tree community, Pinghe grassland, Wutai Mountain adventure, unique Hani mushroom house, terraced fields and colorful ethnic customs. This is an original ecological tourism secret that integrates natural landscape, scientific research and exploration and human landscape. (Jinping County Tourism Bureau)