Butterfly explorers take in wilds of Portales

Sometimes it takes a pair of fresh eyes to see things hiding in our own backyards.

Or maybe two pairs of fresh eyes.

Allow me to introduce you to Sajan KC and Anisha Sapkota.

It's possible you've already seen this young husband and wife in our area, cameras in hand, on the hunt for some of our smallest and most beautiful neighbors: butterflies.

If you don't think of eastern New Mexico as a particularly good place for spotting butterflies, KC and Sapkota can tell you otherwise.

Natives of the Himalayan nation of Nepal, they made the 8,000-mile plus trek to Eastern New Mexico University to work on master's degrees in biology with a focus on entomology, or all things insect.

For these two, it's all about butterflies, an obsession that has taken them all over the Land of Enchantment and many other parts of the world, including most recently on a 25-day excursion to Panama.

The couple arrived in eastern New Mexico on New Year's Eve of 2021, smack dab in the middle of the pandemic, and in an environment far different from Nepal where "one-horned rhinos, tigers, and elephants are found freely roaming in the wild," according to Saptoka.

Not only was there a dearth of large exotic animals here, that first winter offered an arid introduction to our area.

"It was a huge change to be in Portales, mostly due to the habitat and climate," KC said. "My hometown is tropical and very humid. That being said, I am able to see a lot of desert species which rely on succulents as caterpillars. These groups of butterflies, such as Giant Skippers, are not found in my part of the world."

Another plus: "Portales is an easy place to live with lots of friendly people and safe neighborhoods," KC said.

Spelling bee veterans may know that a "lepidopterist" is one who studies butterflies and moths.

Sapkota and KC have chosen a simpler term for themselves -- butterfly explorers -- which is also the name of the website where they document their adventures and discoveries with stunning photos.

Both maintain lengthy life lists of the butterflies they've seen and photographed. KC has more than 1,000 on his, and Sapkota is not far behind with around 800.

That includes, according to Sapkota, 70 species of butterflies identified among the "2,000 plus butterflies counted in the gardens of ENMU alone."

While KC and Sapkota were the ones who sought out and selected Eastern because of the quality of its entomology program, they brought with them "a strong passion for butterflies, especially the cataloging of species and the conservation of this charismatic group," according to Kenwyn Cradock, ENMU professor of entomology.

Cradock said the work the two are doing will "advance our understanding of butterfly diversity in eastern New Mexico, something that is poorly understood at this point."

Our state is host to more than 300 species of butterflies. In a broad slice of eastern New Mexico that stretches from the Colorado border on the north to the Texas border on the south, Sapkota said they expect to document around 175 of those.

"Carlsbad lying in the south gives us tropical butterflies," she said. "The northern parts like Clayton and Raton give us temperate butterflies, and the Caprock escarpment in the middle acts as a transition zone and offers unique diversity."

Common species in our immediate area include American lady, cabbage white, sleepy orange, checkered white, and leda ministreaks, Sapkota said.

Giant skippers, including the yucca giant skipper and Strecker's giant skipper, may also be seen by the keen observer, KC added.

"Our area also gets some iconic species such as the monarch and queen," said KC, "and gorgeous swallowtails such as two-tailed swallowtail and western giant swallowtail."

So, why all this fuss about butterflies?

"Butterflies are a keystone species," KC said. "If we lose them, we will lose a bunch of other species such as birds and reptiles."

The good news is there are some ways we can help.

When it comes to our yards, "keep it wild," Sapkota advises.

"Plant native flowers in your garden," she said. "Do not overuse pesticides. Do not kill caterpillars if you see them feeding on your plants. This simply means your plant is healthy. You do not need to spray it with pesticides and get rid of bugs unless they are harming you."

It's as simple as this equation, according to KC: "Less pesticides equals more host plants equals more caterpillars equals more butterflies equals more birds equals healthy ecosystem."

Not to mention all of those tiny packages of stunning beauty.

If you happen across KC and Sapkota in your travels, stop and say hello. They'd love to meet you. If you're lucky they may even be able to introduce you to one of their winged friends.

Learn more about Sapkota and KC (or contact them directly) at their website: http://www.butterflyexplorers.com/.

Betty Williamson brakes for butterflies. Reach her at:

[email protected]