Of Wildfires and Rare Butterflies

The Brenton Blue Butterfly, as pictured in the Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa by Steve Woodhall.

We are increasingly experiencing the impacts of climate change, and scientists predict that it will result in the increase of extreme weather events. Somewhat bizarrely, this is a statement considered by many to be a “political” statement. Even more consider this statement to be part of a larger agenda (who knows what that is!). Personally, I believe this complete ignoring of the facts to be a recipe for disaster… One cannot simply set factual data aside, label it ‘popular misconception’ and continue on as though there are going to be no consequences. It’s almost as if many believe that, by not addressing the elephant in the room, it will go away.

Those with any degree of logic will understand this not to be the case. An acknowledgement of the inherent dangers of climate change could possibly lead to the world accepting the situation and joining forces to mitigate the looming disaster.

A wall at Brenton Beach – clearly commemorating the butterfly.

There is empirical evidence that global warming has extended the fire season and increased the number of high and extreme fire danger days. In 2015, 196 countries signed the Paris Agreement, uniting in the shared objective of halting global warming to 1.5°C (when compared to how hot the world was before the Industrial Revolution). This doesn’t seem to be a significant change in temperature, but when this change occurs across the entire world, the result will be catastrophic. The very future of our planet is threatened. We are the last generation that will be able to do something to avert this crisis.

Part of the problem is that, like with any conservation cause, the media choose a “poster child” (usually something large and ‘glamorous’) which, to many, is a million miles away. The Polar Bear seems to be the icon for global warning and thus, to the vast majority, it is an issue taking place ‘somewhere else’. Let’s bring the issue closer to home, shall we?

A Garden at Brenton Beach – with a reminder of the Brenton Blue Butterfly.

The 2017 Knysna fire disaster has demonstrated our country’s vulnerability to fires associated with periods of drought, heatwaves, low humidity and strong winds, which are often difficult to control. The price tag? Well, it is said to have cost the South African insurance industry R2 billion. And that is only the insurance industry… Imagine the overall damage and suffering that took place. “Everything can be rebuilt” I have heard people say. Well, can it? 

This disaster has led to a suspected extinction – of the Brenton Blue Butterfly (Orachrysops niobe)! This beautiful little creature was known to have occurred at only two spots in the entire universe. It is now extinct at one (Nature’s Valley) and is possibly extinct after the 2017 fires at the other (the Brenton Blue Butterfly Reserve near Knysna). It was hoped that the larvae may still persist underground.

Hope still exists of finding the Brenton Blue…

The Brenton Blue was first discovered by Roland Trimen of the South African Museum (Cape Town) in the Knysna district in 1858. Only two male specimens were caught. Then, in 1974, Jonathan Ball rediscovered them in Nature’s Valley. Because of property developments, it had disappeared from Nature’s Valley by the early 80s. At this stage, it was considered extinct. In November 1991 a breeding colony was discovered at Brenton-on-Sea. This was the last known population of this butterfly.

Their lifecycle is fascinating. The adult butterflies are ‘on the wing’ from the end of October until early December, when the females lay their eggs on Indigofera erecta / arrecta plant. After 10 days they hatch, and the tiny little worms feed for two weeks on the leaves of the host plant. Thereafter they move down the stem to be discovered by ants of the species Camponotus baynei (Bayne’s sugar ant) which dig a hole alongside the roots of the plant. The larvae remain underground feeding on the root stock, whilst being tended to and protected by the ants – who obtain a secretion from a honey gland on the larva’s back. On reaching full size (18-20mm), it pupates in the hole. After about 10 days the adult hatches and crawls to the surface – where the wings expand, and they fly off once again to repeat the cycle. A second brood emerges in late January / early February, and there is sometimes even a third brood which emerges in April. These larvae over-winter underground, protected by the ants. If all goes according to plan, they will emerge in the summer to start the cycle all over again.

The Brenton Blue Butterfly Reserve – which will hopefully, one day, be home once again to its butterflies.

The development of Brenton Extension 1 was approved before the butterfly was rediscovered there. The Lepidopterists’ Society and various conservation organisations in Knysna launched a campaign to preserve these rare creatures. TV Programmes like 50/50 featured the plight of these butterflies, and in 1996 the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Green Trust lent their support to the campaign. In February 1997  an interdict was granted by the Supreme Court in Cape Town, which prevented a private landowner from disturbing the vegetation on the plot where the butterflies were breeding. This plot was subsequently purchased by Nedbank to become part if the reserve.

The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Dr Pallo Jordan at the time) invoked section 31A of the Environment Conservation Act in April 1997 and suspended all development on the butterfly’s breeding areas. Today all the critical areas form part of the Brenton Blue Butterfly Special Nature Reserve – which was proclaimed in July 2003.

There was even a stamp made featuring this stunning butterfly…

However, in June 2017, this all ended in disaster with the wildfires raging through the area unchecked. The species briefly emerged in November (three were seen) of that year but did not appear during the following February, as per its usual secondary emergence cycle. 

Their current status? Unknown. People are still actively searching for the beautiful little creatures…

Jacqui Ikin & The Cross Country Team

INFO BOX

The Brenton Blue Butterfly:

A video detailing their status as at 2022.