Thanks David,
I would have to whole heartedly agree on the Buff-tip skipper - it was one butterfly I really wanted to see after seeing it in the book for many many years. And it certainly didn't disappoint either..it's really a remarkable looking creature.

Regards, Scott

The track wound back and forth through the rugged terrain and five or six times through the stream which on occasion proved difficult to cross on the wet and slippery rocks. A small green snake slid across the damp track, perhaps a Natal Green snake, and everywhere in the damp conditions fungal frui...

Towards the east of Limpopo province butterfly diversity increases substantially compared to here on the farm, and this is particularly evident along the escarpment with its varied vegetation types and altitudes. Afromontane forest, savannah, high altitude grassland and riverine forest all roll into...

I decided to take a ride to a spot on the other side of the farm, and from there take a walk to look for Bowker’s Marbled Sapphires (Stugeta bowkeri). The area has a lot of Blue Sourplum (Ximenia americana), one of the food plants of this butterfly and I’ve seen a number of specimens in this area be...

Hi Allan, Ivor's book was my favourite guide in my early days of butterflying here in SA, but to be honest I do not have much information about Ivor. I haven't seen or heard of him lately so assumed he may no longer be with us because I did once read he had become ill and withdrawn somewhat from pub...

A few more pictures for snake lovers.. IMG-20240325-WA0009.jpg Mozambique spitting cobra IMG-20240325-WA0005.jpg Puff Adder who true to it's name warned us not to get too close IMG-20240325-WA0007.jpg Looking for snakes out on the farm IMG-20240321-WA0000.jpg A python consuming and antelope sent fro...

Hi Benjamin, I can only imagine how long and dreary the winter has been there in the UK and I'm happy you guys are starting to see some good signs of change. I bet just seeing a butterfly, even if it did depart the site asap, must have been a fine moment. Exciting times are just around the corner bu...

Hi Everyone, David, yes it's a yellow pansy and I agree -It's a stunning insect. Thanks for your comment and vote Bugboy - the Dark Webbed ringlet is also a very special looking creature.. It has been a completely different season here in the bushveld compared to last year when we saw record amounts...

Hi David, Looks like an Orange-barred Playboy ( Deudorix diocles ) which is interesting as your sighting is quite far west for previous records. Where exactly did you see this one? Both the Apricot and Brown Playboys (more likely candidates for the area you were in) have fairly prominent underside b...

Hello everyone, I arrived back at the farm a couple of weeks ago, (a few more weeks have passed since I wrote this) after leaving behind a cold and wet UK. Since departing I’ve heard temperatures have dropped even more back in England, so timing seemed to be pretty perfect. Here in South Africa, in ...

Hi David. That's a very interesting range of species you managed to see and particularly exciting for me to see the four species I'm more familiar with from South Africa, that being the Desert orange tip, African Grass Blue, plain tiger and Two-tailed Pasha.. I've not travelled much in Europe so it'...

Thanks David. It's always quiet tough to see the bush after it has burnt but it's amazing how fast things bounce back particularly if good rains come. It's definitely an important mechanism for renewal and I have noticed some areas have suffered over the years without regular burning. So I've more o...

Thanks for your replies, And glad you have enjoyed the diary so far David. I've very much enjoyed sharing with the readers here and look forward to continuing when I return to the farm. Last week we had some very large fires which burnt in total 50000 acres across various farms in the area. After th...

Good morning, Following on with the Satyrines - David, unfortunately there are very few of these butterflies occuring on the farm but I'll include a very special endemic species which occurs very close by on top of the mountains in the national park. Probably the most striking and easily recognisabl...

Hello Everyone, David I fully agree on your comment about the Skippers eclipsing the other butterfly groups. I'm ashamed to say that for years I didn't pay enough attention to them mainly because there were bigger and brighter opportunities available, but having put in more time recently I can say i...

That's great Pauline! It's looking beautiful down there at the moment and I'm happy you saw some grayling. It's worth paying a late evening visit and you may see a hobby hawking dragonflies over the pond, and also hear some nightjars calling when dusk sets in. Did I mention a few days ago I saw a ho...

Thanks David, Glad you are enjoying. The Pale Ranger is a beauty and when I first came across a specimen I was very excited. Having Only seen a few individuals I'm looking forward to getting back and finding more. I have covered most of the species on the farm now, but there are a few more to go - s...

Hello, Glad you like the skippers Pauline! There are some very special species on the farm and it's been interesting to become more familiar with some of the less common species. There are certainly more to discover and I wouldn't be surprised to come across another ten species over the next few yea...

Thanks for the additional information Guy. It's very much appreciated and I look forward to seeing this butterfly in Spain one day. I have a plan to one day drive up Africa, and if that happens it will be nice to know Evagore will be there to keep me company along the way. The next Hesperiid on the ...

Hi David, It's interesting that it's a recent colonisation and I wonder if one day this species will get a firm foothold in Spain? I've seen similar distribution extensions in South Africa and read about others and so look forward to see how these develop over time, and also to try and identify the ...