Category: Mpumalanga

The Citrus Swallowtail is one of the Papilionidae (Swallowtails and Swordtails). Although it’s called a ‘Swallowtail’ its hindwings lack the long tails that its relatives have.

Citrus Swallowtail is a large and conspicuous butterfly with a powerful flight and the restless nature typical of Swallowtails. Males (wingspan 100-120mm) patrol large territories looking for females and food sources. They are often found congregating on wet sand and mud around water sources.

Females (wingspan 110-130mm) are found on flowers and close to their host plants. The sexes are similar; females have an orange tint to the cream ring around a large eyespot at the upper corner of the hindwing (not visible here). 

Citrus Swallowtail is active from spring to autumn but it often peaks in midsummer. This is the reason for its other name, Christmas Butterfly. 

The Meadow White is one of the Pieridae (Whites, Tips and Yellows) subfamily Pierinae (Whites and Tips).

Meadow White is a small to medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 35-45mm. Its markings resemble the common migratory Pioneer Caper White Belenois aurota, but it flies more slowly and lower down. It settles often and is fond of flower nectar. It’s a pretty little insect with its underside marked in shades of green and yellow. The sexes are similar, with the female having black marks at the inner margin of the forewing and along the outer margin of the hindwings where the males are plain white.

Meadow White is often one of the first butterflies to emerge in spring. 

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

The male Common Diadem is an amazing sight. His upper side is jet black with a large white blotch in the middle of each wing. Each blotch is ringed with a shifting iridescent blue lustre which is only visible from certain angles. His underside is attractive as well. 

This butterfly is an example of what we call sexual dimorphism, in which females and males look totally different. The female Common Diadem looks like an African Plain Tiger, because she mimics that butterfly to gain protection against predators who have learned to avoid that bad-tasting butterfly. 

The Common Diadem’s wingspan is like that of an African Plain Tiger – 60-80 mm.

A Common Diadem has a more nervous and active flight than an African Plain Tiger, and when it lands it will constantly move its wings up and down. We call this ‘pumping’.

African Grass Blues are tiny (wingspan 18-24 mm), low-flying butterflies in the Lycaenidae (Gossamer-winged Butterflies), subfamily Polyommatinae (Blues, Bronzes, Hairstreaks etc.). Blues are tiny to small butterflies, many of which have brilliant blue uppersides (although some are dull grey or brown). 

The sexes differ slightly on their upper sides. Male African Grass Blues are shiny violet-blue above with a well-defined grey wing margin. They differ from their females which are charcoal grey with the bases of the wings being sky blue with ill-defined margins. The underside of both sexes has patterns of grey-brown spots and arrow-marks on a whitish grey ground.  

African Grass Blues fly very low and spend most of their time in the grass – hence their common name. They feed on low-growing flowers and like to sit on damp earth and mud, sucking up dissolved minerals. The sexes fly together and engage in courtship when they encounter one another.