Anderson’s Grass Yellow

Identification - Eurema Andersonii Andersonii, Anderson’s grass yellow.

Overcast and looking like no chance of any sun, so I went straight for a safari today.

Bugs were thin on the ground, so I started shooting spiders and flies just in case nothing more interesting came my way.

And then I spotted it, I knew what it was straight away, my first Andersonii. I am starting to feel like a real entomologist, spotting a rare grass yellow amongst all the other grass yellows that to the untrained eye all look the same, boring yellow butterflies. It is all about a couple of brown smudges and a tiny spot – all a bit silly really.

I must have looked very silly chasing this tiny butterfly up and down the path too. Getting down onto my belly, then up and running again. This went on for quite some time, until I finally got a shot.

It appears that this specimen has had a close encounter with either a bird or a lizard, with a sizable chunk removed from its rear wings. More likely a lizard, as the chunk is the same on both wings, indicating that it was on the ground at the time. The powers of deduction – speculation would be a better word.

Dave