A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Cacyreus marshalli
The commonly named "geranium bronze" is a small butterfly originating from South Africa. His caterpillars feed on pelargoniums, the decorative plants usually known in Europe as "geraniums". In reality, Pelargoniums are the southafrican cousins of european geraniums. Pelargoniums have been introduced in Europe as decorative plants and, since 1988, the geranium bronze butterflies appeared in Europe, first in Spain, then colonized all the southern Europe, feeding on pelargoniums. They first appeared in Greece at 2010, see the link on the right for more info, and my blog http://polythematique.blogspot.fr/2014/0... for a more detailed description (in Greek).
Urban, near countryside
Πολύ καλό το κείμενό σου Γιάννη!! Μπράβο!! Την έχω φωτογραφίσει αρκετές φορές τη συγκεκριμένη πεταλούδα... θα την ανεβάσω κάποια στιγμή κι εδώ!
Thanks Christo. I updated the description and added a reference to the paper first describing this butterfly in Greece.
Thank you Daniele! It seems I spotted an invasive pest, first seen in Greece at 2008 and 2009. I will update description with more data.
Hi Ioannis! This species, originally from South Africa, was introduced to Mediterranean Europe, and has established itself in several locations in Europe.