Butterfly garden in Turkey's Konya features nearly 195 plant species

Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden, which has the largest butterfly flight area in Europe, is home to nearly 195 plant species, 50 of which can be seen only in Turkey, along with 5,000 to 10,000 butterflies. The valley offers a living space to 15-45 species of butterflies, the natural habitat of which are rain forests, with special vegetation and climate systems. Some 195 types of plant species, some of which are endemic to the region, complete the visual feast offered by these butterflies. Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden Coordinator Yasin Selvi, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they created a small artificial ecological system in the garden. Indicating that plants are essential to satisfy the vital needs of butterflies, Selvi said that visitors from all corners of the world show interest in butterflies, but also that the plants brought from the same regions are also very valuable. Selvi explained that the team, which consists of a tropical plant expert and six horticulturists in the garden, deals with the cultivation of these plants: 'These are our friends who directly deal with the garden. Indirectly, biologists, veterinarians and other teams work for the care and protection of the garden. We receive an average of 350,000 visitors a year. Due to the intensity of the visitors, we need to work very studiously to protect the garden. We cannot use pesticides because we have butterflies in the garden. For this reason, we need to deal with these plants like caring for our children. We cannot use chemicals when they are sick or harmful. We use traditional or natural methods to care for them.'