Ted and I began our journey with a trip to the Monks Cowl in the central Drakensberg Mountains. This is a high mountain with a peak of 3229m (10600). It is one of the most scenic places in the South Africa with rugged, high peaks that are primarly covered with grassland. There are small areas that are forested in some of the gullies. Monks Cowl is about a 4 hour drive from the airport in Johannesburg. Ted and I hiked the trails for a day and a half and had a great time seeing/photographing the many birds, reptiles, flowering plants and stunning scenery. We stayed in the nearby town of Winterton. I put out the moth cloth/black light each night but it was fairly quiet with only a few moths stopping by for a visit. We found the prettiest moth during the day while we were on a walk up the mountain. This nicely coloured moth was visiting new growth on a recently burned Protea. I assume that it was laying eggs. I thought that the moth looked distinctive so would not be hard to identify. Instead, I found that there are a number of similar species in Africa. It most closely resembles photos of Heraclia longipennis or possilby Heraclia perdix. Heraclia sp. (Erebidae, Agaristinae). Monks Cowl, Central Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa. Nov 2014
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 07:34:23 +0000
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