Welcome to Septembers newsletter!

July’s newsletter concluded eight years of African Butterfly News; forty-eight editions, comprising 3 742 pages; 3 185 articles written by 276 authors and containing about 1 200 000 words. Will the newsletter continue? This is a decision for the new LepSoc Africa council, due to be elected at the Annual General Meeting on Saturday 21 September. I’m happy to continue compiling a newsletter, but there may have to be some changes: refer to “The Last Eight Years” elsewhere in this edition.

Welcome to November’s newsletter!

November’s newsletter represents the 50th edition of African Butterfly News; almost 4 000 pages to date and counting.LepSoc Africa (LSA) successfully hosted its 40th Annual Conference (41st Annual General Meeting) in Hermannsburg, and a new LSA Council was elected – refer to additional news elsewhere in this newsletter.

Welcome to January's newsletter!

Another year is upon us, and I wish you all a fantastic 2025, filled with butterfly-related experiences.Up until mid-December, summer on the Highveld had been exceptionally hot and dry; the “traditional” late afternoon thunderstorms a rarity. I estimate that butterfly abundance and diversity in this region to be about half of what it would be “normally”, which is again considerably less than the situation 20-years ago.

Welcome to March’s newsletter!

Following good mid-summer rainfall over much of South Africa, butterfly numbers have increased dramatically. A large dispersal of Pioneer Caper White (Belenois aurota) – frequently flying with other “migrating” species - has added to the spectacle.There is lots of news this month, including the registration of a servitude to protect the type-locality of the critically endangered Wolkberg Zulu (Alaena margaritacea). There have also been an unprecedented number of trip reports – thanks to everyone concerned.