This issue has some great contributions from the LepSoc Africa founders, as well as from new and enthusiastic members. We start with an article about one of South Africa's most diverse butterfly hotspots hidden in the Wolkberg mountain range. Some photos from the Pearl of Africa follow, together with an article from an avid birdwathcer, describing how she experienced butterflies and how they fit into the very popular birding hobby. A speculative article about colour in butterflies and a great summary of the moth identification sources on the internet follows.

Babbel Blues was an experiment that we conducted to see what the feedback and response from members of the public would be. It was started by a few of us with absolutely zero experience in publishing, and it was great to see how it evolved. Our skills improved and while it may not be at the level of the African Geographics and other glossy print magazines (yet), we hope that it inspired some of you to look at butterflies through a different pair of eyes. We received over a thousand downloads each for the last few issues, so it’s probably a safe assumption to say that the experiment was a success.

Unfortunately it’s not all good news. The time it takes to compile and edit this magazine was completely misjudged, and is becoming too much for the editors. Unless someone else joins the editorial team to take over the management and the design aspects, this will probably be the last issue of this magazine to be published in this format. One thing is for sure, we need a vehicle for public articles. Metamorphosis has evolved into a very technical journal, and in its wake it left a large gap that needs filling! Wherever this path leads, we need a platform where trip reports, gardening articles and speculative babbling can be published without huge input from editors. So here’s to hoping we can find a way where the burden of publishing a magazine becomes manageable, and the quality keeps on getting better!

We hope that you enjoy this issue, and please remember to send any comments or personal stories to the editorial panel.

Happy butterflying!