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Savanna Butterflies

Categories: Biomes
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What Will You Learn?

  • What is special about the Savanna Biome in South Africa
  • How Savanna varies in vegetation and biodiversity across the country
  • How its butterflies adapt to Savanna conditions
  • What are the various vegetation types within the Savanna Biome and how their differences are reflected in their butterfly fauna
  • This is too huge a subject to be covered adequately on a short course like this, but it will help you to gain the understanding needed to to study it further. Then come on one of my on-site courses and ask me questions about butterflies in real life!

Course Content

Savanna vegetation types
There are six savanna bioregions: Mopane (Gs units), Drakensberg Grassland (SVmp units), Central Bushveld (SVcb units), Eastern Kalahari Bushveld (SVk units), Kalahari Duneveld (SVkd units), Lowveld (SVl units), and Sub-escarpment Savanna (SVs units). The butterflies of the small (in SA) Desert Biome (D units) and Albany Thicket (AT units) have much in common with savanna butterflies and are covered here. As with grassland, moisture levels decrease as one moves further west. The bioregions are made up of individual vegetation units. The main difference between grassland and savanna is that the latter has a layer of woody vegetation, which varies in its nature. Each unit has its distinct vegetation. This has an effect on its butterfly population because they use plants as larval food, but land forms and climate can have an equal if not greater effect. As with grassland there are two basic divisions: ‘sweet veld’ and ‘sourveld’. This is affected by geology and soil types, and not only grasses are typical of 'sweet' and 'sour' veld - the woody layers differ as well, and this has an effect on butterflies and their host plants.

  • Savanna Biodiversity
    21:05
  • Savanna Bioregions
    21:05
  • The Savanna Biome in general and how its vegetation affects South African butterflies

Savanna butterflies – seasonality and adaptation
Savanna fits roughly between grassland and forest because it has a grassy ground layer and an upper layer of woody plants which vary from small shrubs to large trees. The amount of cover provided by the woody plants also varies according to their density and foliage type. Savanna also has distinct dry and wet seasons. This reflects in the butterflies’ physical appearance. Dry season butterflies can look very different to wet season ones, even if they are the same species. The butterflies found in the arid west tend to be more typical of the dry season adaptations in the central bushveld and lowveld bioregions.

Savanna butterflies – nectar and other sugary foods
As with most savanna animals a great way to find butterflies and moths is to look at where they feed. Most feed on flower nectar or other sources of sugars. A good way to find butterflies is to know which flowers and other food sources the adults prefer. In Savanna there are certain plants whose flowers attract large numbers of butterflies and are worth watching. Flower nectar is not the only way that butterflies can access plant sugars. The sugary sap flowing through the phloem just under the bark of a woody plant can leak out when the plant is injured and that is another source. Other sources are ‘extrafloral nectaries’, and honeydew exuded as waste by sap sucking homopterans or ‘Bugs’.

Savanna butterflies – Hilltopping and Skulking
Because they are mobile and the vegetation and landforms in savanna are variable, butterflies may be distributed according to behaviour rather than habitat choices. Two important behavioural adaptations are hilltopping and skulking. Hilltopping is a means by which low density species can find each other for mating. Many such savanna butterflies are ‘open-country’ dwellers. But some prefer shade. Where it exists, shade-loving butterflies may be found.

Savanna butterflies – mud puddling, scats etc
Savanna covers a huge area with many different geologies and landforms. As these interact with climatic factors, erosion releases salts that butterflies use to extract nutrients. There are also large numbers of land mammals converting plant biomass to animal tissue and inevitably, waste material. Some of that waste material is usable by butterflies as a source of nutrients. There are other ways in which biomass becomes available to them, such as the actions of fungi.

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