17/08/2026
LUDLOWI EXPEDITION 2026: DAY TWO RECAP
Pelri Goenpa to Yangtse | 16 August 2026 | Trashiyangtse
The second day began early, following breakfast, as the group made its way to the slopes near Pelri Goenpa, where Bhutanitis ludlowi feeds on the flowers of Viburnum cylindricum. Participants found the butterfly’s habitat in good health and spent the morning, until 10 AM, watching and photographing the swallowtails at close range.
On the walk back toward Dungzam Bridge, conversation turned to sphragis, a distinctive structure found in some swallowtail species. Researchers have noted that Bhutanitis ludlowi carries a rudimentary form of this feature as well, a detail that added a scientific thread to the morning’s sightings.
Around 11 AM, the group paused in Betsamang, where a local villager welcomed them with tea and snacks. From Dungzam Bridge, the group then drove on to Yangtse for lunch.
The afternoon centered on art. At CORA- Art Studio, Thai artist Lha Kreelamayun Somanasak led close to thirty students through a butterfly art workshop beginning at 2:30 PM. Students learned to sketch a butterfly outline onto cardstock, then cut away the negative space with a craft knife while leaving small bridges intact to hold the wings together. Krelamayun also walked students through butterfly anatomy, teaching them to render the antennae, thorax, and wings with accuracy. And techniques of using mixed media was also taught by him.
Before the day closed, Kreelamayun presented CORA Art Studio with one of his own paintings, titled “The Pride of Trashiyangtse.” He also bought butterfly artworks of five student members of CORA- Art Studio.
PAINTING THE LOST GLORY: Discovering Bhutan’s Rarest Butterfly through Art
