On the 4th day at Kasanka, as we were making our way along one of the main tracks, we came across some very popular dung piles. The diversity of species visiting the dung was staggering. Frequently, there would be upwards of 10 butterfly species on a single pile – not to mention the dung beetles! This became a relatively common sight.
- Dung puddle
- Zizeeria knysa
- Pseudonacaduba sichela
On this day, I happened to come across a few particularly beautiful species.
The first was this Lycaenid, Axiocerses amanga, the Bush Scarlet. Quick and erratic in flight and precise in its landing, reminiscent of the way Black Hairstreaks behave. I only ever came across one of these beauties. A stunning looking species, particularly cool to see the dark red underwings with two or three shining spots of silver, and the striking greyish white eyes.
- Axiocerses amanga
- Axiocerses amanga
A little further down the track, I kept seeing something bouncing from side to side, never settling for more than a second or two, and almost exclusively on the underside of large leaves. After a minute or two of watching, I managed to catch it at rest on the underside of a leaf, but only caught a glimpse of it for 3 seconds before it shot off again. I waited for another 3 minutes and was fortunate to spot it land on the upper side of a leaf just off the main track. This skipper, Celaenorrhinus galenus, the Common Orange Sprite, is unlike anything I had seen before with such stunning patterns and broad-set wings. Another species I would not see again for the remainder of the trip.
- Celaenorrhinus galenus
When we reached our destination, the students were tasked with setting up a grid of Longworth traps to sample small mammals in a patch of the Mushitu forest. At 30-40m away from the track, I was setting up a few of the traps and noticed something flitting around in the distance. It had a dull white appearance and was flapping quite intensely, but not covering much ground. It was flitting between some of the tussocks of sedges and grasses on the forest floor, occasionally landing on the leaves. When it did come to rest, I was still pretty sure that it was a moth, albeit with particularly striking wing patterns. The light in the woodland was poor, but I spent a good few minutes trying to get some clear shots so that I could ID it when I worked through the books back at the camp. This is Physcaeneura pione, the Light Webbed Ringlet.
- Physcaeneura pione
- Physcaeneura pione
On our way back through to camp we took a different path, and it began to rain for a good 30 minutes. When the rain eventually subsided, the sun broke through the clouds and I spotted something very peculiar floating down from the treetops. This is Abisara neavei, Neave's banded Judy, one of only two species of Riodinidae in Zambia. Like Europe’s lonely Duke of Burgundy, this species is one of very few Metalmarks found in the Afrotropics, with the majority of species found in the Neotropics, as would become abundantly clear on my trip to Ecuador two months later. Fortuntately, I had done my research and knew that this was one of the two Abisara species when I saw it. Predictably, none of the students were as impressed as I was.
- Abisara neavei
The final sighting of the day came, surprisingly, at dusk, when we were sat chatting before dinner. Towards the back of the camp, I thought I could see what looked like a bat, flying very erratically over some of the smaller shrubs and trees. When I stepped out to see what it was, I realised what it was. It came quickly towards me, swooping overhead, before heading back off to rest on a nearby tree. This species is Melanitis leda, the Common Evening Brown, a boisterous species which is one of few that are, intriguingly, only active at dusk.
- Melanitis leda
All of these species were only seen once during the trip, despite returning to the same area multiple times. Regardless, It’s these kinds of sightings and experiences that give me such an intense rush of excitement and joy that will stick with me for a lifetime.
