Spotting

Description:

I'm guessing this is a Bronze as it's not coloured blue. This is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about 20 mm. The upper surface of the wings are a plain light brown with a paler margin. There are one or possibly two black spots (one large, one much smaller) on a small area of diffuse orange background at the trailing tip of the hind wing close to a pair of short tails on each hind wing. The under surface of the fore wings have an area of white short parallel stripes on the outer portion while they are plain brown nearer the body with a dark stripe towards the body. The underside of the hind wings have small white spots becoming more prominent black spots with white circular edges along the upper margin and towards the body. There is an orange and black spot towards the base of the wing tails.

Habitat:

These butterflies were feeding on Verbena brasiliensis in a damp drainage seep along the roadside. There were African Monarchs and Common Dotted Border buterflies there as well.

Notes:

These butterflies are common but our local reference book doesn't include this species; perhaps it is more common in Botswana than in South Africa.