Tag Archives: South African Butterflies

Common Blue Butterflies

Leptotes species

We have four-species of Leptotes butterflies that are so similar to each other that they’re impossible to distinguish in the field. Three of these, the Common Zebra Blue (L. pirithous), the Babault’s Blue (L. babaulti) and Short-toothed Blue (L. brevidentatus) are widely distributed over the country, while Jeannel’s Blue (L. jeanneli) occurs only in the Lowveld.

The Common Blues inhabit a wide range of natural vegetation, cultivated fields and gardens all over the country throughout the year. They’re also familiar over most of the rest of Africa, Madagascar, the Near East and southern Europe. Adults often congregate at wet mud and have a wingspan of 2-3cm.

The larvae feeds on Plumbago and plants from the legume family. Adults are on the wing year-round, though much more numerous in the warmer months. Their complete life-cycle spans about 2 months.

Common Blue (Leptotes sp)

Common Blue (Leptotes sp) (photo by Joubert)

Common Blue Butterfly

Common Blue (Leptotes sp)

Mating Common Blue butterflies

Common Blue Butterfly

Common Blue butterfly

Mating Common Blue butterflies

Chasing butterflies at Golden Gate

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This afternoon, Joubert and I went searching for butterflies in the grasslands around Glen Reenen Rest Camp in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, and we were not disappointed!

African Monarch

Geranium Bronze

Common Meadow White

Table Mountain Beauty

Long-winged Orange Acraea

Yellow Pansy

Garden Commodore

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Precis (Junonia) archesia

The Garden Commodore, or Garden Inspector, is a familiar butterfly occurring year round in South Africa, having quite distinctly marked dry season (April to August) and wet season (September to March) variations that could easily be taken to be altogether different species. Females are bigger than the males and at 6cm their wingspan is at least 1cm wider than that of the males. With their wings closed Garden Commodores, especially the dry season form, resemble dead leaves.

As their name suggests, the Garden Inspector is commonly seen in well planted gardens, but their natural habitat is rocky, grass- and savanna-covered hills. They are fast flyers and often land in the open, on bare ground, rocks or pathways. In South Africa they are found from the Eastern Cape, through Kwazulu-Natal into the Lowveld and Bushveld regions of the country.