Since the middle of last week, the arrival of millions of butterflies in the towns of Qarchak, Pishva and Varamin in the vicinity of Tehran has created beautiful scenes in urban and rural areas, especially in the gardens, farms and farmhouses.
Some farmers are concerned about the butterflies, particularly after the recent massive attack of desert locusts on parts of the country. The farmers say they intend to fight the beautiful butterflies with pesticides.
However, the officials say studies have shown these butterflies are not pests and farmers should not be worried about their presence.
Head of the Environment Department of Varamin, Mansour Golmohammadi, said studies show these butterflies do not harm fruit and ornamental trees, and can be used as food for birds and help the process of pollination.
“In the desert areas and at the time of blossoming of salt cedars, millions of butterflies have come to these areas which was unprecedented in recent years,” he added.
Some other officials of Varamin say currently many of these butterflies are present in cabbage farms but do not harm the products.
Recent rainfalls increased the number of these insects that are very beautiful and are not considered to be pests, they stress.
A few weeks ago, heavy downpours caused floods in most parts of Iran that inflicted heavy damages to the cities and villages, especially the farms and gardens.
At the same time, millions of horrible locusts from Saudi Arabia attacked Iranian farms, and according to environmental experts, would threaten Iran’s farms for at least 5 years.
But now Mother Nature is showing its beautiful face with the rush of millions of colourful butterflies. These lovely creatures not only are not recognized as pests, but also have a beneficial impact on the environment by eating small insects.
