Out of the 430 butterfly species in Turkey, 230 are flying in the Van Lake Basin.

The Lake Van Basin, which hosts a rich flora, high altitude, and unique nature, is home to more than half of the butterfly species living in Turkey.

The Lake Van Basin, which contains 230 of the more than 400 butterfly species identified in Turkey, is a focal point for nature lovers with its endemic species. Nature photographers and butterfly observers in Van and Bitlis record the endemic butterfly species that emerge at different times during the six-month period from the beginning of April to the end of September each year. Oktay Subaşı, a faculty member at Bitlis Eren University (BEÜ) and a butterfly observer, stated that one of the places where butterflies are densely populated in the Eastern Anatolia Region is the Lake Van Basin. Subaşı mentioned that factors such as untouched nature, high mountains, wetlands, meadows, rich vegetation, and less agricultural spraying compared to other regions are significant contributors to the richness of population and species diversity in the Lake Van Basin.

Subaşı, who has been photographing the butterfly species of the Lake Van Basin for 23 years, expressed that especially endemic and valuable butterfly species such as “Romanov Fritillary,” “Step Fritillary,” “Rhubarb Emerald,” and “Zegris” are found in the Bitlis region, while butterfly species like “Rosen’s Fritillary,” “Prince,” “Iranian Fire,” and “Multicolored Van Brown” are primarily observed in Van and its surroundings. Subaşı noted, “The provinces of Bitlis and Van have a significant richness in terms of butterfly species in the Lake Van Basin. The total number of species in Turkey is around 430. In the Lake Van Basin, nearly 230 of these species can be seen and are flying in the provinces of Bitlis and Van. Additionally, another characteristic of the Lake Van Basin is that a large portion of the flying species in this region hosts many special species. Most of the butterflies flying in the Lake Van Basin are not commonly seen in other regions of Turkey. For instance, the ‘Prince butterfly’ flying in the Çatak district of Van, as well as many different butterfly species like ‘Romanov Fritillary,’ ‘Rhubarb Emerald,’ ‘Multicolored Van Brown,’ ‘Iranian Fritillary,’ and ‘Iranian Fire’ can only be observed in Van and Bitlis.”