Monteseel Nature Reserve
Overview
Monteseel is a suburb approximately 36km northwest inland of Durban. It’s about 150 hectares in extent with large areas of KZN Sandstone Sourveld grassland. It’s bounded on its northeast side by massive sandstone cliffs towering over the Valley of a Thousand Hills. It has spectacular views, and its grassland butterfly fauna is enriched by savanna species hilltopping from the hot thornveld in the valley.
What you can find
55 species of butterfly have been recorded in the area and some of them are ones that aren’t as readily found lower down in Kloof and Durban, like Sabie Smoky Blue Euchrysops dolorosa. It’s one of the best places to see grassland specials like Pirate Catacroptera cloanthe and Gaudy Commodore Precis octavia.
The area around St Andries Road has one of the most extensive known colonies of the Basuto Skolly, Thestor basuta. It’s also home to a large population of Polka Dot Pardopsis punctatissima. The rare Yellowish Amakosa Rocksitter Durbania amakosa flavida has populations on the Monteseel hills as well as the nearby Honey Trails near Inchanga.
The grasslands are known for their rich flora and many species of orchid and gladiolus are found there. When the Natal Blue Haze Tetraselago natalensis is in full flower in late February to April many butterflies can be seen enjoying its nectar.
be on the lookout for:
| English name | Scientific name |
| Garden Acraea | Acraea horta |
| Wandering Donkey Acraea | Acraea neobule |
| Rayed Blue | Actizera lucida |
| Southern Yellow Zulu | Alaena amazoula amazoula |
| Aranda Copper | Aloeides aranda |
| Pennington’s Copper | Aloeides penningtoni |
| Steel-blue Ciliate Blue | Anthene definita definita |
| Black-Bordered Babul Blue | Azanus moriqua |
| Pioneer Caper White | Belenois aurota aurota |
| African Caper White | Belenois creona severina |
| Black-haired Bush Brown | Bicyclus safitza safitza |
| Olive-haired Swift | Borbo borbonica borbonica |
| Bush Bronze | Cacyreus lingeus |
| Pirate | Catacroptera cloanthe cloanthe |
| African Migrant | Catopsilia florella |
| Mozambique Silverline | Cigaritis mozambica |
| Southern Red Tip | Colotis antevippe gavisa |
| Sulphur Orange Tip | Colotis auxo auxo |
| English name | Scientific name |
| Southern Round-winged Orange Tip | Colotis euippe omphale |
| Common Meadow Blue | Cupidopsis cissus cissus |
| Tailed Meadow Blue | Cupidopsis jobates jobates |
| Silver-spotted Grey | Crudaria leroma |
| African Plain Tiger | Danaus chrysippus orientis |
| Brown Playboy | Deudorix antalus |
| Small Ant-heap White | Dixeia pigea |
| Yellowish Amakosa Rocksitter | Durbania amakosa flavida |
| barker’s smoky blue | Euchrysops barkeri |
| Sabi smoky blue | Euchrysops dolorosa |
| Broad-bordered Grass Yellow | Eurema brigitta brigitta |
| African Angled Grass Yellow | Eurema desjardinsii regularis |
| Small Marbled Elf | Eretis umbra umbra |
| Purple-brown Hairstreak | Hypolycaena philippus philippus |
| African Yellow Pansy | Junonia hierta cebrene |
| Mainland Dark Blue Pansy | Junonia oenone oenone |
| Pea Blue | Lampides boeticus |
| Lilac-based Black-eye | Leptomyrina gorgias gorgias |
| English name | Scientific name |
| Common Blue Complex | Leptotes pirithous |
| Mocker Swallowtail | Papilio dardanus cenea |
| Citrus Swallowtail | Papilio demodocus demodocus |
| Narrow Green-banded Swallowtail | Papilio nireus lyaeus |
| Southern Emperor Swallowtail | Papilio ophidicephalus phalusco |
| Polka Dot | Pardopsis punctatissima |
| Garden Commodore | Precis archesia archesia |
| Southern Gaudy Commodore | Precis octavia sesamus |
| Blood-red Acraea | Rubraea petraea |
| Speckled Red Acraea | Rubraea violarum |
| Mountain Sandman | Spialis spio |
| Clouded Flat | Tagiades flesus |
| White-barred Telchinia | Telchinia encedon encedon |
| Dusky Telchinia | Telchinia esebria |
| Dancing Telchinia | Telchinia serena |
| Basuto skolly | Thestor basuta basuta |
| Black Pie | Tuxentius melaena melaena |
| Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui |
| African Grass Blue | Zizeeria knysna knysna |