AW Book of Insect and Invertebrates - Chat and discussion

[Klipspringer]

Anyone in who needs some ID on butterflies? I am in a good mood tonight

[Richprins]

Where did all these butterflies come from? Sandton residents all aflutter on Twitter
2020-01-28 12:57


Hundreds of white butterflies, photographed here in Upington. (Anena Burger )


Twitter was swarmed with tweets on Tuesday from people in Sandton who posted sightings of thousands of white butterflies in the Johannesburg suburb.

Super excited tweeps took pictures and videos from their cars and offices as the butterflies fluttered about.

Every year, swarms of white butterflies descend on Johannesburg during their annual migration from South Africa's west coast to Madagascar, lepidopterist Earle Whiteley told News24 earlier.

Whiteley, a Conservation of Butterflies in SA director, said the spectacle was an annual event, but that the clouds of Belenois aurota, commonly known as brown-veined white butterflies, did not always follow exactly the same route.

"They start hatching along the entire coast from Cape Town towards Namibia, then migrate inland in a north-easterly direction."

Whiteley said that the initial batch of butterflies were joined by more and more along their migratory route, over the Eastern Cape, which had now reached Gauteng.

The butterflies would then head toward Mozambique before crossing the sea to Madagascar.

"As they are going further north, some die and more join. Eventually, there are massive clouds of butterflies, reaching up to a kilometre into the air."

Along the route, the female butterflies laid eggs, which would begin the life cycle of the next generation.

The timing of the migration was dependant on weather conditions, but usually ran from late November to mid-February. The brown veined white butterflies were often joined by other butterflies of the same Pieridae family, which had shades of yellow or orange in their colouration.

The butterflies travelled from sunrise to dusk and needed to replenish themselves with nectar every 20 minutes or risk dying from dehydration. They favoured long grass and were particularly attracted to grass nectar, Whiteley said.

The butterflies roosted overnight, and it was possible to tell whether a butterfly was awake or asleep by looking at their feelers.

"If the feelers are touching, then they are sleeping."

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News ... r-20200128

[Richprins]

There are some here too, first time in such numbers in 4 years, they used to be an annual fixture!

[Lisbeth]

They are/were here too. I found a dead one on my stoep. They are pretty

[Klipspringer]

anyone?

[Klipspringer]

We have a major update here, as the species has been described recently. ExFmem has now a name for her beautifully captured Kalahari antlion.

viewtopic.php?f=247&t=3223&p=173941#p173941

[Lisbeth]

Wow!

[Richprins]

Great stuff, Ex and Klippies!

[Flutterby]

You have been busy Klipspringer!!

[ExFmem]

Klipspringer Thank you for doing the Owl fly write up -