De rerum: an acknowlegement and explanation.
INDEX: Linnaean

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Byblia anvatara




I found this fresh individual at Bisley NR, warming up in the early morning sun. It is told from our other Byblia (B. ilithyia) in not having a row of black spots on the upper side of the hind wing.
 

Monday, August 4, 2014

Precis ceryne


We found this Marsh Commodore at Injasuti: Giants Castle Nature Reserve, (or Injasuthi: the well fed dog.)
It was perched on its territorial leaf, mostly oblivious to me. It would momentarily twitch its wings open and closed, but not long enough to photograph, Unfortunately we had to leave at this stage, I would have had better luck early the next morning.
   

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Acleros mackenii


Macken's Dart.
A characteristic brown and white Hesperid, but small and fast so possibly often overlooked. We found this one in our garden, feeding on a polygala.
It is the only Acleros sp. in our region. The genus was established by Mabille 1886, the TS from his own Cyclopides leucopyga (literaly white bottom as in this sp.)
I think the colours have an attraction of their own.

I have added some more pictures, the bottom one being a somewhat comical wing twitch in response to the pre-flash. (The flower is our weed the Common Black-jack, Bidens pilosa.)





 

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Kedestes macomo




The Macomo Ranger, probably overlooked, the hesperiidae being the lesser lights of the butterflies.
Foodplant is Imperator cylindrica, the Cottonwool grass.
   

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Myrina silenus




Sorry I had misnamed this butterfly!

The Common Fig-tree Blue - ssp ficedula: the "fig eater"
Despite a fair number of Ficus spp (F. sur, F natalensis) in and around our garden, this butterfly was only infrequently seen, and all my records are of females on an exotic F. pumila on our garden wall. This female has lost her right hind-wing tail and lobe. Eggs are posited singly on the underside of the leaves.

I have also included another female, also ovipositing. The underside is surprisingly well camouflaged.


 

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Junonia natalica






The Brown Pansy.
The eye-spots again are a feature of the Pansies.
It has both a summer and winter brood and form.The WSF has much more prominent eye-spots (third from top) than the DSF which has a silvery underside (last but one.)
It was a common visitor or resident in our garden, and could be quite confiding.
Incidentally the flowers in the last picture are that of Crassula multicava on of the food plants of Leptomyrena gorgias. 

See also Junonia the genus.
   

Friday, July 4, 2014

Junonia oenone




Another of our Pansies, the Blue Pansy.
Seen here quite often, attractively coloured. The female has larger ocelli than the male.
See also Junonia, the genus.