Garden Commodore

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

Garden CommodorePrecis archesia archesia

The Garden Commodore (aka Garden Inspector) is one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Nymphalinae (Admirals, Pansies etc.).

As its name suggests, this is a butterfly found often in gardens. Commodores are related to Pansies and have similar behaviour and habits, but there are some significant differences like their choice of caterpillar host plant.

Another difference is that whilst Pansies vary slightly in appearance with the seasons a winter form Commodore looks very different to a summer form one. Summer form Garden Inspectors are brown with conspicuous cream to buff-orange bands. Winter (dry season) forms are also brown, but have bands of maroon-red rather than buff to orange, and blue spots and bands on their forewing tips and outer edges. Their wingspan is 45-55mm.

They are sun loving butterflies, but the two forms behave differently. Summer forms are found in open country where they frequent hilltops and bright sunny places. Winter forms tend to hide up in shady places and only come out on sunny days. The males are aggressively territorial and will choose a high point and chase away all other butterflies from it.

Distribution

Garden Commodores occur on the eastern side of South Africa, in grassland and savanna from Plettenberg Bay to Swaziland. Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo as well as the eastern side of North-West Province.

The species is found across Africa south of the equator in suitable habitats.

Egg

Commodores are closely related to Pansies and Diadems and have similar eggs. The Garden Commodore’s egg closely resembles that of the Southern Gaudy Commodore: green, barrel-shaped, tapered towards the top with 12-14 white vertical ribs that don’t reach the apex, with faint cross-ribbing. They are laid on young shoots of the host plant, singly or in small groups. They are about 0.7mm diameter by 0.6mm high. The egg stage lasts three to five days, taking longer in cool conditions.

Caterpillar

Fully-grown Garden Commodore caterpillars are entirely dark brown to black. The head has two short spiny horns. The body has seven rows of branched, black spines, one per segment. These are shorter than the spines on a Gaudy Commodore caterpillar. Although spiny they don’t sting or make you itch. They grow from 1.5mm to 42-46mm long over a month. There are normally four moults but when growth is slow there can be five.

Pupa/Chrysalis

Garden Commodore pupae are similar in shape to those of Diadems and Pansies, with short spines on the back. The colour varies from dark brown to black, with a band of silver across the wing cases and abdomen.

The pupa is about 25mm long. The pupal stage lasts from two to four weeks depending on climate conditions.

Host plants

Garden Commodore host plants are in the family Lamiaceae: Sages, Mints and cultivated Coleus, in the genera Plectranthus and Coleus.

Favoured plants are Blue Boys Coleus livingstonei, Spike Spurflower Coleus subspicatus, Lobster bush Coleus neochilus, and Tall Spurflower Plectranthus ecklonii.

How to attract them

Gardeners can promote the presence of this butterfly by cultivating its preferred host plants. Some of these are popular garden plants, so it’s not a surprise that Garden Commodores turn up to ‘inspect’ gardens!

Like its close relatives the Pansies and Diadems it’s a sun-loving insect that’s often found on flowers. Males like to patrol hilltops and other prominent landforms.

Commodores and their relatives seek out sheltered places in winter to hibernate as adults. They often enter houses and hide behind the curtains, or sneak into tool sheds.