Small Indian skylark sings merrily, stationed sixty metres in the sky. His song is a full throated three minute blast, and as he finishes he drops almost vertically to the hillside and another skylark takes up the chorus.

This is mid-September, the perfect time for a stroll up the hill. Wild flowers are in bloom, their myriad colours rivaled only by the winged wonders that flitter about.

Butterflies are everywhere. Yet, it is so easy to ignore them! My garden in rural Nerul has played host to 55 lepidopterians, from colourful swallowtails like Crimson Rose, Red Helen and Tailed Jay to the poisonous Milkweed butterflies: Striped Tiger, Blue Tiger and Common Crow. There is the drab Evening Brown, Dark Brand Bushbrown and the strikingly spotted Peacock Pansy, Southern Rustic and Common Leopard.

Once in a while the tall, dark and handsome Blue Mormon flashes across the countryside about his tall, dark affairs. A pair of Grass Demons play a frenzied game of "Ringa-ringa-roses", spinning around in circles, and sometimes a third Grass Demon will join in the fun. Psyche is susegaad, - this small white Pierid with a distinctive black spot on either forewing lopes lazily in the grass. Rarities exist too, if you look carefully. I found a Banded Royal on a guava tree five years ago, on a rainy morning - my only sighting! Indian Flash could have passed of as a common emigrant, but it opened its upper wings and its bright red colours alerted me. Red Eye lurked in the undergrowth, a truly captivating skipper.

But the crowning glory must go to Southern Birdwing, India's largest butterfly found mainly in Goa and further south in the western ghats. As large as 190 mm, this huge Papillio whose rear wings are a bright yellow and forewings a deep jet black, deems it worthwhile to visit my garden only in the monsoons. By February it will have disappeared, but can still be found in Bondla and other moist-deciduous and evergreen forests. These densely forested regions sport an amazing variety of lepidopteria, from Nymphalids to Skippers and Blues. Watch out for Malabar Tree Nymph - possibly our slowest butterfly, or the stunning Blue Peacock, or the graceful Cruiser. Blue Mormons are common - on a recent trek organised by us to Dudhsagar we spotted at least 40 Blue Mormons!

And the city? There are surprises here, too. Outside Mealmakers in Panjim I was tickled to see Spot Swordtail - the only other time I've seen one was at Dudhsagar! I saw my first Lemon Pansy at a garage in Margao. I noticed it in villages much later. Gardens, parks, even crowded streets and garbage dumps are never bereft of these winged wonders. And winged wonders they verily are!

Tawny Rajah whizzes by at 60 kilometres an hour. Grass Jewel, the smallest Indian butterfly flits about on the hill ... spot it if you can.

Butterflies are the largest and strangest migrators. They do not return home. Their next generation does!

A Small Green Bee-eater will relish eating a Pale Wanderer, but this bird will shy away from a Striped Tiger or a Common Crow. Reason: these butterflies feed on poisonous milkweeds; birds find them distasteful and leave them alone. (Some tribals even crush the bodies of these butterflies to obtain a very potent poison). Other butterflies capitalise on this by mimicking poisonous butterflies such as the female Danaid Eggfly who mimics the milkweed Plain Tiger.

There are methods to attract butterflies: Plant curry leaf, lime or mulberry. However, the best choices are wild flowers like lantana, common balsam, corkspur, and even Jamaican blue spike. Leave rotting fruit, or diluted honey in a saucer in your garden. Or take a toffee, melt it down and pour it onto a branch. Maintain a moist patch for them to mudpuddle. Looking for photo-opportunities? Stalk them when the sun has just risen. Being cold blooded, butterflies need to bask in the sun till the dew on their wings dries up.

As a friend once wrote: "there's magic under the wing of every little thing"!