Tarucus sybaris

The Dotted Blue is similar, and fairly closely related to both the Tuxentius (Melaena and calice), and Zintha hinza, all which share the food plant Zyziphus mucronata. It is however, more uniformly polka-dotted.

I had forgotten that I have already posted this butterfly.
 

Precis octavia

The Gaudy Commodore, living up to its common name, one of our brightly coloured butterflies. The seasonal dimorphism is extreme, and one could be forgiven for questioning whether these are the same species. The behaviour is is also different for the two form.
The DSF is common here. One would often settle outside our house for the night, and sometimes indoors, almost a household pet, like P. archesia. They were always confiding, not minding being approached and photographed.
The WSF is uncommon here, and elusive, being quite shy. I have only two records. One is from our garden (the the third an fourth pictures.) Here she is ovipositing on Plectranthus spp.
The other record is from the Kamburg (second picture, in the path, basking in the sun.)
 

Alaena amazoula

Another one of our butterflies that the larval diet is lichen: the Yellow Zulu.
I have only found this butterfly at Cumberland NR, usually on the lichen covered rocks.
The male (at bottom) has much more dark on the upper side.
(See also Pentila tropicalis.)
 

Pentila tropicalis

Some years we would have a number of these Spotted Buff butterflies in our garden, at other times none. Often a few would settle together for the night.
This introduces the the subfamily Poritiinae. The diet of the larva consists of lichen. The other butterfly we have of the same subfamily is Alaena amazoula, whose larva also live on cyanobacter.
 

Precis tugela

The Dry-leaf Commodore was quite common in our garden, probably attracted by the abundant Plectranthus which seeded itself. Above is one nectaring on a Euriops pectinatus.

At times shy, but at evening quite confiding when settling for the night; then it is probably confident in its mimicking its name sake, a dried leaf. Even with its white front it still blends in to complete the deception. Right with head up, below with head down. 

(Click on images to to see detail.)

Below is another old and battle-scarred warrior I found at Worlds View. I have always had a soft spot for these survivors.

The next two were from our garden. The tips at the apex of the fore-wing and tails can vary in size, as can the degree of dark brown ground colour (both sexual and seasonal dimorphism.)
The last shows the wing twitch in response to the pre-flash. This is also seen to a less extent in the dry leaf above on the right.
The species has been re-assigned from the Junonia to the Precis. It does have similar markings to P. archesia WSF, a close relative. It is however also somewhat similar to Junonia terea, a more distant relative.
      

Danaus chrysippus

I found a rather elderly African Monarch ovipositing on my Stapelia collection (at top S. hirsuta.) Unfortunately the ovum got short shrift before being photographed.
Next are two pictures of Asclepius fruticosa (now Gomphocarpus fruticosa), one of its many food plants of the stapelia family. In the third picture, has the ant on the left got itself caught in the aperture between the guide rails of the staminal column?
Next a larva of on this food plant at Bisley.
We had a self-seeded plant of A. fruticosa in our garden, so next are the pupa, the two pictures of the unhatched and the empty shell were taken two months apart.
Below a fresh individual from Bisley.
See also earlier post on this butterfly.
 

Chrysoritis lycegenes

At least I think so: the Mooi River Opal.
Mandy and I found this butterfly at Kamberg. It is an elderly individual, hanging on for dear life to an Aster (bakerianus.)
Kamberg is a delightful nature reserve in the foothills of the Drakensburg, and is only 60 kilometers as the crow flies from the town that is the butterflies namesake: Mooi River.
Steve Woodhall lists 42 Chrysoritis spp. in South Africa, most of them looking very similar, and many confined to small endemic areas, as this one is. It is my only record.

Foodplants are abundant here: Diospros spp. Rhus spp. and Myrsine etc.

Above two photographs of Protea Savanah in typical setting of Kamberg.