Garden Butterflies - Butterfly Gear

Black-haired Bush Brown

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

Black-haired Bush BrownBicyclus safitza safitza

The Black-haired Bush Brown is one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Satyrinae (Browns and Ringlets).

They are smallish dark brown butterflies (no bigger than 50mm across the wings) that love shady places. You won’t see them out in the open sitting on flowers; they prefer plants that grow in the shade and like to feed on fermenting fruit that may have fallen to the forest floor. A good way to attract them is to allow a banana to go ‘off’ and put it on the ground. They are most active on cloudy days, even flying in drizzle and on warm mornings or evenings. Four or five of them dancing in a circle a few centimetres above the ground are an enchanting sight.

Distribution

Black-haired Bush Brown is a butterfly for those gardeners who live in areas with a nearby Forest component. Anywhere along the southern and eastern side of South Africa, on the seaward side of the Great Escarpment there can be suitable lowland or riverine forests, or heavily wooded savanna. The usable zone stretches from George to the Mozambique border and across the lowveld to the Limpopo. Further north it’s found in wooded savanna and forest all over sub-Saharan Africa.

Egg

The female Black-haired Bush Brown lays her tiny, watery-white eggs singly on grass stems and blades. They have a faint net pattern on the surface that isn’t visible to the naked eye. They are slightly flattened spheres 1.1mm diameter by 0.9mm high. The eggs turn black as the caterpillar inside develops. The egg stage lasts about six to eight days. but can take longer in cool conditions.

Caterpillar

Black-haired Bush Brown caterpillars are green when young, becoming brownish-cream when fully grown; they are mottled with brown and have a row of dark spots either side of the back. They have two pale lines outlined in brown along their sides, and a series of diagonal marks between them. The head is rounded with two forward-pointing projections that resemble a cat’s ears.

They moult four times whilst growing from 3mm to 25-35mm long over a period of three to six weeks depending on the season (longer in autumn).

They spin a silk pad on a grass leaf and move away from it to feed, returning to it to digest food and defecate. They are cryptic and nocturnal in their habits..

Pupa/Chrysalis

Black-haired Bush Brown pupae are small (about 20mm long), rounded and formed low down amongst grass stems and twigs. The larva normally hangs head downwards from the silk pad it was living on and sheds its last skin to reveal the pupa.

Like all Nymphalidae pupae they hang head downwards from their tail. They are exquisitely camouflaged and vary in colour from green with mid-brown markings to dark ochre with chocolate-brown markings. They always have a pale stripe along the inner margin of the wing casing and a double row of pale spots along the back.

Host plant

The Black-haired Bush Brown main caterpillar host plants are Basket-grass Oplismenus hirtellus and the forest specialist Dwarf Forest-grass Pseudechinolaena polystachya. These are good ground covers for shady areas in the garden.

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by allowing its host plants to grow uncut in shady places. Basket-grass is a popular shade ground cover and its seeds are readily available. Because the caterpillars live in the grassy understory and pupate on low-growing plants and leaf debris, it’s important to allow these areas to develop naturally and avoid mowing or ‘strimming’ them. This is good for all forest insects, not only Black-haired Bush Browns.

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue (aka Common Hairtail)Anthene definita definita

The Steel-blue Ciliate Blue (which used to be known as the Common Hairtail) is one of the Lycaenidae (Gossamer-winged Butterflies), subfamily Polyommatinae (Blues, Bronzes etc.).

Ciliate Blues (aka Hairtails) get their name from the short, bristle-like tufts on the corner of their hindwings.

The male Steel-blue Ciliate Blue’s wingspan is 21-22 mm, the female’s, 24-29mm.

Males (left) choose a perch on the side of a bush or on a prominent rock and fly off to chase other butterflies. They fly extremely fast but settle often and sometimes open their wings to reveal the upperside. This looks very dark until the sun catches it, then it lights up electric blue. The females (right) look different to the males; they are paler blue with dark spots. They fly more slowly and are more often seen on flowers.

Both sexes are fond of flower nectar. Males also like to sit on damp earth and mud, sucking up dissolved minerals.

Distribution

The Steel-blue Ciliate Blue is a widespread butterfly found in the Savanna, Forests, Grasslands and Fynbos areas of South Africa. It is not usually found in the arid areas of the Northern Cape or the open grasslands of the Highveld, but its wide host plant spectrum makes it a common garden butterfly in areas wherer it might not naturally occur.

Further north it’s found across sub-Saharan Africa.

Egg

The female Steel-blue Ciliate Blue lays her tiny, pale blue-green eggs singly on buds and leaves of the host plant. They are about 0.25mm diameter by 0.5mm high. They are flattened discs, with many tiny moles connected by cross-ribs, creating indentations. The eggs turn white as they mature. The egg stage lasts about six to eight days.

Caterpillar

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue caterpillars are small and slug-shaped, as are most caterpillars of the Lycaenidae.This species has a row of sharp projections on its back, creating a ‘hogsback’ effect. They feed on flower buds and young shoots of the host plants, growing from 1mm to 15mm long in three to four moults over a period of 4-6 weeks. They vary greatly in colour depending on the colour of the leaves or flowers they are eating. They may be green, yellow, brown or red, with paler markings. At the tail end there is a gland that secretes a sweet liquid (‘honeydew’) that attracts ants. The presence of the ants serves to drive away parasitic wasps or flies that may lay eggs inside it, that would hatch into grubs or maggots that eat it from the inside, killing it. Image © Hanna Roland.

Pupa/Chrysalis

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue pupae are typical of the shape of Ciliate Blues, roughly diamond-shaped with a pointed head and a rounded abdomen at the rear. They are attached to a silken pad spun by the larva on a leaf or twig by tiny hooks on the tail in a manner similar to ‘Velcro’, with a silken girdle around their ‘waist’. They have a diamond-shaped white spot at the rear of the thorax where it meets the abdomen. They are about 10mm long. The adult normally in about ten days but in winter they may hibernate for up to five months.

Host plant

Steel-blue Ciliate Blues have a very wide range of host plants, including some exotics. Examples are Wild Plum Harpephyllum caffrum, Crassula and Kalanchoe species, African False-currant Allophylus africanus, Jacket-plum Pappea capensis and various Thorn-trees Vachellia and Senegalia species. They’ve been found eating the leaves of exotics like roses, Australian Wattles, and Mango trees.

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by planting any of its host plants, which is quite easy to do as there are so many of them!

It’s important to also have nectar plants in your garden, as well as prominent shrubs, trees, or rocks for the males to form their territories..

Garden Acraea

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

Garden AcraeaAcraea horta

The Garden Acraea is one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Heliconiinae (Acraeas and Longwings).

The males are little red butterflies with black spots and transparent forewing tips. Females are yellow-brown or red, and if red it’s a duller shade than the males. The wingspan is 45-55 mm.

They are slow flying, gregarious little butterflies that glide through the air with wings open, only occasionally flapping them. They seldom move far away from their host plant.

Distribution

The Garden Acraea is a widespread butterfly that is found in the wild in the cooler forested areas on the southern and eastern Escarpments. It has a wider range than that because its main host plant, Wild Peach Kiggelaria africana, is a popular garden subject all over the country even on the Highveld and in warmer areas like KwaZulu-Natal and the Lowveld.

It isn’t found outside South Africa apart from as an occasional migrant in Zimbabwe.

Eggs

The female Garden Acraea lays her pale yellow eggs in neat clusters on leaves of the host plant. They are about 0.75mm diameter by 0.75mm high. They are dome-shaped, tapering at the top, and have about 24 longitudinal ribs connected by about 25 cross-ribs, creating indentations. The eggs turn reddish as they mature before turning black just prior to hatching. The egg stage lasts about ten days.

Young Caterpillars

When Garden Acraea caterpillars first hatch from the eggs they are gregarious. They move across the surface of the leaves, first ‘skeletonizing’ them then eating them down to the veins. They are yellow-buff with rows of short, branched, black spines. Although spiny they don’t sting or make you itch. They grow from 2mm to 30-40mm over one to two months depending on weather conditions. There are normally four moults but when growth is slow there can be five.

Fully-grown Larva

Fully-grown Dark Blue Pansy caterpillars are solitary and spread out on the host tree. Their colour is brown and black, with streaks of yellow and pink on the side and pale green underneath. There are six rows of branched black spines with a bluish base, one per segment in each row.

When fully fed the caterpillars leave the host tree foliage and wander off to nearby walls, rocks, and tree trunks where they prepare to pupate.

Pupa/Chrysalis

Final instar Garden Acraea caterpillars often enter diapause in winter and only pupate when the conditions favour it. This shows a group of them on a garden wall, three of which have already pupated. Like all Nymphalidae pupae it is attached to its substrate by its tail. They are 18-20 mm long, dull yellow with black and orange markings. The adult usually emerges after 2-3 weeks.

Host plant

The normal host plant of the Garden Acraea is the Wild Peach, Kiggelaria africana (Achariaceae) although there are reports of them using Passifloraceae. This is a popular garden subject all over the country even on the Highveld and in warmer areas like KwaZulu-Natal and the Lowveld.

The females lay their mats of eggs on the leaves and the little caterpillars will soon be everywhere. They may even defoliate your tree! If this happens don’t worry. The tree benefits from the pruning. Remember that plants are meant to be eaten by something. This plant’s real purpose is to be eaten by caterpillars that become hundreds of little red butterflies to populate your garden!

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by planting Wild Peach trees. Usually all you must do is plant a sapling and eventually the butterflies will arrive.

It’s important to also have nectar plants in your garden, so the adults have something to subsist on whilst mating and laying eggs.

Dark Blue Pansy

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

Dark Blue PansyJunonia oenone oenone

The Dark Blue Pansy is one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Nymphalinae (Admirals, Pansies etc.).

Pansies are small to medium-sized butterflies with a wingspan of between 40 and 60mm. They get their common name from the way some of them resemble pansy flowers. Dark Blue Pansy is one of these; its blue and white markings on a jet-black ground have a ‘face-like’ pattern if you use your imagination a bit!

They are sun loving, prolific, confiding butterflies. They fly low and often settle on flowers or the ground. The males are aggressively territorial and will choose a high point and chase away all other butterflies from it – even big ones like Charaxes. This is a female; males are similar but don’t have as many red eyespots. The underside is coloured in shades of brown and grey, camouflaging it when resting on the ground or amongst dead leaves.

Distribution

The Dark Blue Pansy is found across the eastern side of South Africa, avoiding the arid Karoo areas, Deserts, and the Fynbos. However, it’s followed its host plants, which are popular with gardeners, as far as Knysna in the Western Cape. It’s commoner in the savanna of the Lowveld and coastal areas to the east but is also found in Highveld grassland. It can occur anywhere its host plants grow. It’s widespread in Africa but does not reach Asia; it’s found on the southern end of the Arabian peninsula. Another subspecies is found on Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands.

Egg

The female Dark Blue Pansy hides her tiny, dull watery green, barrel-shaped eggs inside young shoots of the host plant. Laid singly or in small groups, they are about 0.7mm diameter by 0.7mm high. They taper slightly at the top, and have about 15 longitudinal ribs with fine cross-ribs. The egg stage lasts four to ten days, taking longer in cold conditions.

Caterpillar

Fully-grown Dark Blue Pansy caterpillars are grey-black in colour with a whitish double stripe along the back, short cream lines along the side and a yellow line above the underside, which is red-brown. They have rows of short, branched, black spines. Although spiny they don’t sting or make you itch. They grow from 1.5mm to 40-45mm over one to two months depending on weather conditions. There are normally four moults but when growth is slow there can be up to six.

Pupa/Chrysalis

The Dark Blue Pansy pupa is variable in colour, from sandy to black through various shades of brown. It closely resembles that of the African Yellow Pansy, having the rounded shape typical of Pansy pupae. It’s usually formed concealed on the host plant or in leaf debris where it is well camouflaged. Like all Nymphalidae pupae it is attached to its substrate by its tail. The pupa is 15-20mm long and the adult usually emerges after 2-3 weeks.

Host plants

Dark Blue Pansy caterpillars feed on many different plants but one of the best is African Coromandel Asystasia intrusa. It also uses Bush Violet Barleria obtusa, other Barleria species, Ribbon Bush Hypoestes aristata, Justicia species, Butterfly Heaven Dyschoriste depressa and other Dyschoriste species. Most of the host plants are in the family Acanthaceae.

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by cultivating its preferred host plants and creating a sunny, sheltered environment with an abundance of nectar-rich flowers.

Provided you have plenty of nectar plants in your garden, you’re very likely to see them. They love to sit drinking nectar from garden flowers and basking in the sun slowly opening and closing their wings.

African Yellow Pansy

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

African Yellow PansyJunonia hierta cebrene

The African Yellow Pansy is one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Nymphalinae (Admirals, Pansies etc.).

Pansies are small to medium-sized butterflies with a wingspan of between 40 and 60mm. They get their common name from the way some of them resemble pansy flowers. African Yellow Pansy is one of these; its bright yellow markings have a ‘face-like’ pattern if you use your imagination a bit!

The combination of bright yellow, metallic blue, and jet black makes it one of our most attractive garden butterflies. This is a male; females are similar but have more extensive black markings. The underside is coloured in shades of brown and grey, camouflaging it when resting on the ground or amongst dead leaves.

Distribution

The African Yellow Pansy is found all over South Africa except the most arid Karoo areas. They’ve followed their host plants, which are popular with gardeners, as far as Cape Town. It’s commoner inland in grassland and savanna areas than it is at the coast although it can occur anywhere its host plants grow. It’s widespread in Africa and its other subspecies are found across Asia as far as eastern India.

Egg

The female African Yellow Pansy hides her tiny, pale yellow-green, barrel-shaped eggs on young shoots of the host plant. Laid singly, they are about 0.6mm diameter by 0.6mm high. They taper slightly at the top, and have about 12-16 longitudinal ribs with fine cross-ribs. The egg stage lasts three to six days but can take longer in cold conditions.

Caterpillar

Fully-grown African Yellow Pansy caterpillars are brownish grey in colour with a creamy yellow double stripe along the back and short yellow lines along the side. They have rows of short, branched, black spines. Although spiny they don’t sting or make you itch. They grow from 1.5mm to 40-45mm over one to two months depending on weather conditions. There are normally four moults but when growth is slow there can be up to six. This one is on its Barleria host plant.

Pupa/Chrysalis

The African Yellow Pansy pupa is variable in colour, from sandy to black through various shades of brown. It has the rounded shape typical of Pansy pupae and is usually formed low down on the host plant or in leaf debris where it is well camouflaged. Like all Nymphalidae pupae it is attached to its substrate by its tail. The pupa is 15-20mm long and the adult usually emerges after 2-3 weeks.

Host plants

African Yellow Pansy caterpillars feed on many different plants including Bush Violet Barleria obtusa, other Barleria species, Veld Violet Ruellia cordata, Ribbon Bush Hypoestes aristata, Justicia species, Butterfly Heaven Dyschoriste depressa and other Dyschoriste species. Most of the host plants are in the family Acanthaceae.

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by cultivating its preferred host plants and creating a sunny, sheltered environment with an abundance of nectar-rich flowers.

Provided you have plenty of nectar plants in your garden, you’re very likely to see them. They love to sit drinking nectar from garden flowers and bask in the sun slowly opening and closing their wings.

Painted Lady

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

The Painted LadyVanessa cardui

The Painted Lady is one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Nymphalinae (Admirals, Pansies etc.).

Its common name is one of the oldest, after the make-up commonly worn by women in the 17th century. Its wing colours resembled the vivid flesh tones used at that time.

Male and female Painted Ladies look alike. They are fast-flying, long-lived butterflies that occur in open country where they frequent hilltops and bright sunny places. You can see them almost everywhere in South Africa, even in arid places like the Desert and Karoo.

Distribution

The Painted Lady is one of the world’s most widespread butterflies. It’s found nearly all over Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. Small, transient populations exist in South America and Australia. It’s one of the best-known migratory butterflies, travelling further than the well-known American Monarch over as many as ten generations and . Unlike the Pioneer Caper Whites of Africa and India they tend to move in a particular direction. Vast numbers can be seen flying from south to north in the southern African summer. In North Africa the same thing happens in late spring and their offspring move in the opposite direction in autumn. Where ours end up is a bit of a mystery…

Egg

The female Painted Lady lays her tiny, pale green, barrel-shaped eggs on leaves of the host plant. Laid singly, they are about 0.9mm diameter by 1.4mm high. They are slightly pointed at the top, flattened at the bottom, and have about 20 longitudinal ribs with fine cross-ribs. The egg stage lasts roughly a week but can take longer in cold conditions.

Young Caterpillar

Young Painted Lady caterpillars are spin a silken web, sewing leaves together to form a shelter to hide inside. They grow from 1.5mm to 10mm over about two weeks and undergoing two moults.

Fully-grown larva

Fully-grown Painted Lady caterpillars (larvae) are extremely variable in colour. This one is black and yellow with pink spines but they can be anything from jet black to sandy brown or yellow with black spines. Although spiny they don’t sting or make you itch. It takes from three to five weeks to become fully grown (28-34mm) over four moults.

Pupa/Chrysalis

The pupa is also variable in colour, from sandy to black, but always has points and edges picked out in gold. The ancient Greeks who coined the word ‘chrysalis’ must have noticed this because the Greek word for gold is ‘Chrysos’. Like all Nymphalidae pupae it is attached to its substrate by its tail. The pupa is 20-25mm long and the adult usually emerges after 2-3 weeks.

Host plants

Their caterpillars feed on many different plants in the Daisy family (Asteraceae) and Mallows (Malvaceae) as well as others. The cosmopolitan weed Spear thistle Cirsium vulgare is probably their favourite. It’s an invasive species here but you don’t need to plant that to give them a home. A local thistle, Berkheya bipinnatifida, is a major host plant. They are very fond of Gazania daisies as well as Namaqua Gousblomme (Arctotis) and other karoo daisies. Another popular host plant is Cheeseweed Malva parviflora, a popular species of Wild Spinach.

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by cultivating its preferred host plants and creating a sunny, sheltered environment with an abundance of nectar-rich flowers.

Provided you have plenty of nectar plants in your garden, you’re very likely to see them. They love to sit drinking nectar from garden flowers and bask in the sun slowly opening and closing their wings.

African Plain Tiger

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

The African Plain TigerDanaus chrysippus orientis

The African Plain Tiger is one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Danainae (Clerics and Tigers). It was originally confused with the famous American butterfly, the Monarch Danaus plexippus, so it was given the name ‘African Monarch’ but in fact it’s a totally different butterfly, even though their caterpillars look similar.

It does look a bit like a Monarch, but it’s smaller (around half the wing area), wingspan 50-75 mm as opposed to 90-100 mm, and its wings lack the black veins. The reason it’s called a ‘Plain Tiger’ is that it’s ‘plain’ orange. In Asia there are other butterflies known as Tigers that have heavy black stripes like the well-known ‘Tigger’ cat does. Our one lacks these so the word ‘plain’ serves to distinguish it from other types of ‘tiger’. It’s a conspicuous insect with a slow, wing-flapping flight at just over head height. Adults often feed on flower nectar. Males have a habit of visiting plants like Ragworts Senecio species or Heliotrope that have been injured and are emitting bitter-tasting herbivore-deterrent chemicals. They ingest the chemicals and use them to create their own predator defences. The bright orange, black, and white markings are a warning to predators that they taste nasty and are to be avoided!

Distribution

The Plain Tiger is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world, being found from New Zealand and Australia across Asia and southern Europe, and nearly all of Africa. The African Plain Tiger occurs nearly everywhere in South Africa except the super-arid desert areas in the west. The two other subspecies found in Africa – the Tawny Plain Tiger and White-winged Plain Tiger – occur as rare vagrants in South Africa. Being such a common and widespread butterfly, it’s often found in gardens.

Sucking wounded plants

Male African Plain Tiger, with its relative the Novice, imbibing bitter-tasting alkaloid chemicals from Heliotrope plants that have been mown in a garden. They do this to develop a bad taste to deter would-be predators and to create a scent that attracts females. Doing this deliberately is a great way to attract them!

Other subspecies

White-winged Plain Tiger is the normal subspecies found in West and Central Africa. Occasionally one turns up in a South African garden, like this one did.

Other subspecies

The caterpillars feed on plants that may also contain poisons, like the Apocynaceae. Examples include Cottonbushes Gomphocarpus species, Milkweeds Asclepias, Carrion Flowers Stapelia, Huernia, or Orbea species, and Dogworts Cynanchum.

Egg

The female African Plain Tiger lays her tiny, creamy white, oval eggs on young shoots or leaves of the host plant. They are laid singly or in loose groups and are about 0.9mm diameter by 1.4mm high. They are slightly pointed at the top, flattened at the bottom, and have about 20 longitudinal ribs with fine cross-ribs. The young caterpillar hatches in less than a week.

Caterpillar

Plain Tiger caterpillars are smooth-skinned and brightly coloured to advertise their distasteful nature to would-be predators. They have long fleshy growths on their front, middle, and tail segments. They are harmless to humans and pets. They grow from 3mm to 30-40mm in about a month, moulting four times.

Pupa/Chrysalis

The pupa resembles a small elongated pearl with a ring of gold and black around it. The colour varies from flesh-coloured to pink, pale green, or powder-blue. Like all Nymphalidae pupae it is attached to its substrate by its tail. The pupal stage lasts 2-3 weeks, and just before the butterfly emerges its skin becomes transparent revealing the adult inside.

Host plants

The caterpillars feed on a family of plants that may contain poisons, the Apocynaceae. Examples include Cottonbushes Gomphocarpus species, Milkweeds Asclepias species, Carrion Flowers Stapelia, Huernia, or Orbea species, and Dogworts Cynanchum (being visited by a female Plain Tiger below). Recent research hints that these ‘cardenolide’ toxins have the effect of killing their insect predators like flies and wasps.

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by cultivating its preferred host plants and creating a sunny, sheltered environment with an abundance of nectar-rich flowers.

All these plants may appear in gardens by themselves or are easy to cultivate. The butterflies’ frequency of appearance is unpredictable. You may have a big stand of Cottonbushes only for none to appear. Then one year there will be an army of them!

African Leopard

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

The African LeopardPhalanta phalantha aethiopica

The African Leopard, Phalanta phalantha aethiopica, is named for its striking appearance. It’s one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Heliconiinae (Longwings).

Its wings are bright ochre-yellow with black spots hence the ‘Leopard’ name. The rounded forewings have a series of black lines and spots, while the hindwings are scalloped with a series of submarginal black spots. The wings are 40-50mm across.

The African Leopard is a highly active butterfly. It is frequently seen basking in the sun with its wings spread flat or slowly moving up and down (this is known as ‘pumping’). Its flight is rapid and direct, often darting from flower to flower in search of nectar. They are also fond of sand and mud wet with dissolved minerals, or nutrients from animal urine.

Distribution

The African Leopard is widespread and common across the eastern side of South Africa. It can be found in grasslands, woodlands, forest edges, and urban gardens: anywhere it can find ample sources of food and shelter. It isn’t found in Karoo or Fynbos habitats, or high cold grasslands. The African subspecies occurs over the drier parts of Africa. Other subspecies have a very wide range, occurring all across Asia and as far as Australia.

Egg

The female African Leopard lays her tiny, yellow, bluntly conical eggs on young shoots or leaf edges of the host plant. They are laid singly and are about 0.7mm diameter by 0.8mm high. The egg stage lasts from 4 to 12 days.

Caterpillar

African Leopard caterpillars are spiny and look intimidating but they don’t sting or make you itch. They grow from less than 2mm to about 25mm over approximately a month.

Pupa/Chrysalis

The pupa is a thing of beauty, looking more like a piece of jewellery than a living insect. Its ground colour can be green, brown, or even black, but it always has shiny, red-edged metallic marks on its back and wing edges. It is about 15mm long and this stage lasts about three weeks.

Host plants

They feed on a variety of host plants, most from the Salicaceae family. These include Cape Willow Salix mucronata, the exotic Weeping Willow, Salix babylonica, the White Poplar Populus alba and Kei-apple Dovyalis afra and its relatives. Because these plants often grow near human habitation this butterfly is often seen in gardens.

Plant images Ⓒ Wikipedia commons: Cape Willow Abu Shawka; White Poplar MPF; Weeping Willow FAB5669; Kei Apple Krzysztof Ziarnek Kenraiz

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by cultivating its preferred host plants and creating a sunny, sheltered environment with an abundance of nectar-rich flowers. Males like to have tall shrubs or a forest edge on which to perch and watch out for females.

Category: Garden Butterflies

Black-haired Bush BrownBicyclus safitza safitza

Distribution

Egg

Black-haired Bush Brown

Caterpillar

Black-haired Bush Brown

Pupa/Chrysalis

Black-haired Bush Brown

Host plant

Basket-grass

Basket-grass close up

Dwarf Forest-grass close up

Dwarf Forest-grass

How to attract them

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue (aka Common Hairtail)Anthene definita definita

Distribution

Egg

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue

Caterpillar

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue

Pupa/Chrysalis

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue pupae

Host plant

Wild Plum foliage

Kerky-bush

Paper-bark Thorn

Forest False-currant

How to attract them

Garden AcraeaAcraea horta

Distribution

Eggs

Garden Acraea eggs

Young Caterpillars

Garden Acraea larvae

Fully-grown Larva

Garden Acraea larva

Pupa/Chrysalis

Garden Acraea pupae

Host plant

Wild Peach tree

Wild Peach foliage

Wild Peach flowers

Female Garden Acraea

How to attract them

Dark Blue PansyJunonia oenone oenone

Distribution

Egg

Dark Blue Pansy eggs

Caterpillar

Dark Blue Pansy larva

Pupa/Chrysalis

Dark Blue Pansy pupa

Host plants

African Coromandel

Meyer's Bushviolet

Ribbon Flower

Butterfly Heaven

How to attract them

African Yellow PansyJunonia hierta cebrene

Distribution

Egg

African Yellow Pansy egg

Caterpillar

African Yellow Pansy larva

Pupa/Chrysalis

African Yellow Pansy pupa

Host plants

Bush Violet

Veld Violet

Veld Justicia

Butterfly Heaven

How to attract them

The Painted LadyVanessa cardui

Distribution

Egg

Painted Lady egg

Young Caterpillar

Painted Lady

Fully-grown larva