Burman Bush Nature Reserve
Overview
Burman Bush Nature Reserve is a 55 hectare coastal forest situated on the southern bank of the Umgeni River in Durban. With Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve it represents the remaining fragments of the ‘Stella Bush’ forest that used to cover the Berea Ridge until the urbanization of Durban replaced much of it with buildings.
It forms part of the ‘D’MOSS’ (Durban Municipality Open Space System) which connects many pieces of undeveloped land along watercourses and small parks.
What you can find
Although relatively small compared to other nature reserves like Kenneth Stainbank and Krantzkloof it has much biodiversity and is an amazing place to see butterflies. The old Burman Drive winds its way uphill through the forest and acts like an elongated forest clearing.
Shrubs like Dune Soapberry Deinbollia oblongifolia, Leadwort Plumbago auriculata, and Cat’s Whiskers Volkameria glabra line the roadside. When they bloom, they are ‘butterfly magnets.’ The forest canopy reaches low down in places allowing close encounters with high-flying species like Charaxes.
There are lookout points along the road as well as on branch paths where canopy species can be observed.
Over the years just over 100 butterfly species have been seen in the reserve. It’s one of the best places to see the endemic (to KZN and the Eastern Cape) Coast Purple Tip, Colotis erone. Its host plant Maerua rosmarinoides is concentrated near one of the lookouts. Pearl Charaxes Charaxes varanes and Green-veined Charaxes candiope are often seen perching on the canopy. Swallowtails and Swordtails can be approached closely as they nectar on the flowers.
At certain times of year, the bright yellow males of Spiller’s Sulphur Yellow Dixeia spilleri infest the forest like flying confetti. Vine-leaf Vagrant Eronia cleodora is another attractive butterfly that may be seen on flowers, as is the Autumn-leaf Vagrant Afrodryas leda.
be on the lookout for:
| English name | Scientific name |
| Buff-Tipped Skipper | Abantis canopus |
| Macken’s Dart | Acleros mackenii mackenii |
| Blood-red Acraea | Acraea petraea |
| Autumn-leaf Vagrant | Afrodryas leda |
| Dodgers | Afrogegenes |
| Southern Layman | Amauris albimaculata albimaculata |
| Southern Chief | Amauris echeria echeria |
| Novice | Amauris ochlea ochlea |
| Black-striped Ciliate Blue | Anthene amarah amarah |
| Spotted Ciliate Blue | Anthene larydas |
| Large Ciliate Blue | Anthene lemnos |
| Diverse Albatross White | Appias epaphia contracta |
| Topaz Babul Blue | Azanus jesous |
| Black-bordered Babul Blue | Azanus moriqua moriqua |
| Natal Babul Blue | Azanus natalensis |
| Velvet-spotted Babul Blue | Azanus ubaldus |
| Pioneer Caper White | Belenois aurota aurota |
| African Caper White | Belenois creona severina |
| False Dotted Border | Belenois thysa thysa |
| Dark Wanderer | Bematistes aganice aganice |
| Black-haired Bush Brown | Bicyclus safitza safitza |
| False Swift | Borbo fallax |
| Long-horned Swift | Borbo fatuellus fatuellus |
| Lesser-horned Swift | Borbo lugens |
| African Joker | Byblia anvatara acheloia |
| Spotted Joker | Byblia ilithyia |
| Bush Bronze | Cacyreus lingeus |
| Common Geranium-bronze | Cacyreus marshalli |
| African Migrant | Catopsilia florella |
| Green-veined Charaxes | Charaxes candiope |
| Blue-spotted Charaxes | Charaxes cithaeron cithaeron |
| Pearl Charaxes | Charaxes varanes varanes |
| Natal Silverline | Cigaritis natalensis |
| Striped Policeman | Coeliades forestan forestan |
| English name | Scientific name |
| Coast Purple Tip | Colotis erone |
| Southern Round-winged Orange Tip | Colotis euippe omphale |
| African Orange Tip | Colotis evenina evenina |
| African Plain Tiger | Danaus chrysippus orientis |
| Brown Playboy | Deudorix antalus antalus |
| Orange-barred Playboy | Deudorix diocles |
| African Ant-heap White | Dixeia charina charina |
| Small Ant-heap white | Dixeia pigea |
| Spiller’s Sulphur Yellow | Dixeia spilleri |
| Northern Rufous-winged Flat | Eagris nottoana nottoana |
| Cupreous Ash Blue | Eicochrysops messapus mahallakoaena |
| Vine-leaf Vagrant | Eronia cleodora |
| Broad-bordered Grass Yellow | Eurema brigitta brigitta |
| African Angled Grass Yellow | Eurema desjardinsii regularis |
| Lowveld Grass Yellow | Eurema hecabe solifera |
| Golden Piper | Eurytela dryope angulata |
| Southern Pied Piper | Eurytela hiarbas angustata |
| Forest Queen | Euxanthe wakefieldi |
| Veined Swordtail | Graphium leonidas leonidas |
| Lesser Striped Swordtail | Graphium policenes policenes |
| Variable Diadem | Hypolimnas anthedon wahlbergi |
| Common Diadem | Hypolimnas misippus |
| Purple-brown Hairstreak | Hypolycaena philippus philippus |
| Short-barred Sapphire | Iolaus aemulus |
| Southern Sapphire | Iolaus silas silas |
| Soldier Pansy | Junonia elgiva |
| African Yellow Pansy | Junonia hierta cebrene |
| Brown Pansy | Junonia natalica natalica |
| Mainland Dark Blue Pansy | Junonia oenone oenone |
| Macomo Ranger | Kedestes macomo macomo |
| Pea Blue | Lampides boeticus |
| African Wood White | Leptosia alcesta inalcesta |
| Common Blue Complex | Leptotes pirithous |
| Evening Brown | Melanitis leda africana |
| Eastern Goldspotted Sylph | Metisella metis paris |
| English name | Scientific name |
| Eastern Dotted Border | Mylothris agathina agathina |
| Twin Dotted Border | Mylothris rueppellii haemus |
| Variegated Large Vagrant | Nepheronia argia variegata |
| African Spotted Sailer | Neptis saclava marpessa |
| Mocker Swallowtail | Papilio dardanus cenea |
| Citrus Swallowtail | Papilio demodocus demodocus |
| Narrow Green-banded Swallowtail | Papilio nireus lyaeus |
| Spotted Buff | Pentila tropicalis tropicalis |
| Forest Leopard | Phalanta eurytis eurytis |
| African Leopard | Phalanta phalantha aethiopica |
| Club-tailed Charaxes | Polyura zoolina |
| Garden Inspector | Precis archesia archesia |
| Southern Gaudy Commodore | Precis octavia sesamus |
| Clouded Mother-of-Pearl | Protogoniomorpha nebulosa |
| Common Mother-of-Pearl | Protogoniomorpha parhassus |
| False Wanderer | Pseudacraea eurytus imitator |
| Southern False Chief | Pseudacraea lucretia tarquinea |
| Pointed Caper White | Pseudanaphaeis gidica abyssinica |
| Blood-red Acraea | Rubraea petraea |
| Forest Elfin | Sarangesa motozi |
| Boisduval’s Tree Nymph | Sevenia boisduvali boisduvali |
| Mountain Sandman | Spialia spio |
| Black-based Acraea | Stephenia natalica |
| Window Acraea | Stephenia oncaea |
| Clouded Flat | Tagiades flesus |
| Yellow-banded Telchinia | Telchinia cabira |
| White-barred Telchinia | Telchinia encedon encedon |
| Dusky Telchinia | Telchinia esebria |
| Dancing Telchinia | Telchinia serena |
| Black Pie | Tuxentius melaena melaena |
| Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui |
| Hintza Pierrot | Zintha hintza hintza |
| African Grass Blue | Zizeeria knysna knysna |
| Tiny Grass Blue | Zizula hylax hylax |