Welcome to May’s newsletter!

We’ve had some great butterfly sightings in the Johannesburg region, and general abundance is well above the recent average in many areas. For the first time in years, I’ve had to clean insect splatter from my car’s windscreen!

Welcome to July’s newsletter!

July’s edition of African Butterfly News represents the completion of nine years of this newsletter – you’ve received 54 editions of ABN, which commenced in September 2016: nearly 4 500 pages, containing about 3 700 articles by more than 300 authors.

Welcome to September’s newsletter!

Spring has sprung in South Africa, and a few interesting butterflies are already on the wing.Six and a half years ago the English common names project commenced (ABN 2019-2). I’m verypleased to say that the project is now almost complete: a comprehensive list of English commonnames has been developed for all African butterflies (species and subspecies), and the Englishnames panel have reviewed and approved the list. It’s now up to you!You should have received a link to the provisional list, but it is also included under the PROJECTSsection of this edition. Anyone with an interest in this subject – including non-LepSoc Africamembers – are invited to comment and to provide alternative names. The only proviso is thatalternatives must be accompanied with a brief motivation as to why they should be used ahead ofthe listed provisional name.

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.