I posted one two years ago and here's another one this morning.
Looks very much like a Citrus Swallowtail, but the wing patterns are totally different and this is a rare Charaxes butterfly. A bonus is that I also got the rare White-backed Mousebird again this morning.
So come and look.
He posed for a couple of shots in our lemon tree and I nervously grabbed the opportunity.
Difficult to determine if it is the Protea Emperor, (Charaxes pelias), or the White-barred Charaxes, (Charaxes brutus natalensis), but I know that this is a young one, as the white blocks on the wings have just started yellowing.
This is a look at his other side and thankfully he posed majestically.
Now here was a surprise, as a small Acraea red butterfly tried to bomb the Charaxes in his territory.
And then the Charaxes was gone.
Finally here was the White backed Mousebird in an apple tree.
The Charaxes.
The Charaxes used to be confined to the subtropical east coast and northern enscarpment and savannah. In the last 10 years, however, it has spread rapidly, colonizing cities as far afield as Cape Town.
Source: Book, Gardening for Butterflies, ISBN 078-1-77584-124-1
The White-backed Mousebird.
The white-backed mousebird (Colius colius) is a large species of mousebird. It is distributed in western and central regions of southern Africa from Namibia and southern Botswana eastwards to Central Transvaal and the eastern Cape. This mousebird prefers scrubby dry habitats, such as thornveld, fynbos scrub and semi-desert.
Source
Surprisingly the Charaxes and the White-backed Mousebird are now also in the Southern Cape and many say that it is to do with global warming effects.
Birds and butterflies are relocating to new areas with fruit.
Important notice!
We don't use any poisons in our garden. A poison free garden will attract many life forms.
I am so glad that I could get them on camera this morning.
And That's All Friends!
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX60HS Bridge camera.
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