This is a shame. Taiwan has 400-plus butterfly species—more than any Western European country, more than Japan (which has 10 times Taiwan’s land area), and more even than Sri Lanka, which promotes itself as an eco-tourism destination.

Like birds, butterflies can be found in Taiwan’s city parks and on farms, as well as in unspoiled rural and mountain areas. The warmer and sunnier the weather, the more active these flitting insects become.

Unlike bird watching, which often is most successful in the very early morning or just before dusk, butterfly watching is best done between around 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Moreover, butterflies are more approachable than birds because they are less sensitive to sound. For these reasons, butterfly appreciation is perhaps a more accessible hobby than birding.

Unfortunately, in many parts of Taiwan, lepidopterans (the taxonomic order which includes both butterflies and moths) are in decline because of habitat loss. However, there are a few places where landowners are making an effort to attract and protect butterflies.

One is Dingtugou Butterfly Village (頂塗溝蝴蝶村), southwest of downtown Chiayi (嘉義). Since 1998, around 60 households—out of a total population of around 1,100—have been cooperating to bolster the butterfly population by cultivating those fruits and plants that the local species like. Visitors are welcome. Call (05) 371-3190 for information, or simply turn up and wander around.

Dingtugou is very much a village of farmers, with local crops including rice, guavas, pitayas, peanuts, and betel nut. Most of the buildings are single-story, and many are traditional sanheyuan (three-sided courtyard houses). It’s a very peaceful place, and it would be even quieter were it not for the freeway just 100 meters to the east.

A good place to start looking for butterflies is the abandoned narrow-gauge railway line near the Tugou Branch of Da Lun Elementary School. This stretch of track, which once transported sugar cane, is now the centerpiece of the village’s beautification efforts. A great many flowers—among them common species such as various lantana—have been planted hereabouts, and they do attract butterflies in considerable numbers.

In the two hours I spent in Dingtugou, I spotted at least eight butterfly species. Unfortunately, in the village itself not much information is available (in English or Chinese) about the kinds of lepidopterans that visitors can see.

I did some research on the Internet, and found the names of two resident species: The Plain Tiger (樺斑蝶, Danaus chrysippus), and Pachliopta aristolochiae (紅紋鳳蝶). The latter does not have an English name. Both can be seen throughout the year. The former is a rich yellow color, its wings tipped with black. The latter has a striking profile and a wingspan of up to eight centimeters.

Don’t ignore tiny butterflies, however uninteresting they look. Several of Taiwan’s 56 endemic species—butterflies that exist nowhere else on the planet—are minute, with wingspans of less than three centimeters.

The village also has lots of dragonflies and various kinds of grasshopper.

Dingtugou is so small you can see everything on foot. Parking isn’t a problem, but getting food or drink might be—I didn’t see a single shop in the village.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Dingtugou is in Chiayi County’s Shueishang Township (水上鄉). If you get off the Sun Yat-sen Freeway at the Shueishang Interchange, you’ll find yourself on Road 168. Head west—toward the sea—and at kilometer marker 21 turn sharp right so you’re heading northward. The village is 2.5 kilometers down this road.

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