BRENTON BLUE BUTTERFLY
- Two decades ago, a passionate campaign was underway to save a delicate soft-winged creature whose last known remaining stronghold was a small splinter of land in Brenton-on-Sea.
- The Brenton Blue was first discovered in Knysna in 1858 by Rolan Trimen, the curator of the South African Museum in Cape Town.
- It was more than a century later that the species was seen again and this time it was further east in Nature’s Valley.
- Not long thereafter however, with the encroachment of human development, the butterfly disappeared, along with the fragile habitat which sustained it.
- So when a thriving colony was discovered during 1991 at Brenton-on Sea, the only known place where this butterfly still occurred (despite intensive searches throughout the Southern Cape coast by butterfly experts) many fought tooth and nail to ensure that it would survive here.
- Today the colony continues to thrive here along with many other species of fauna and flora. These butterflies are part of a complex web of life and many other species depend on them for survival.
- In order to maintain the integrity and health of this eco-system, the public has limited access to this reserve.
- However two exclusive guided tours are offered during November and February when the butterflies emerge.
- The public may visit the Brenton Community Hall where a video showing the butterfly’s life cycle showed.
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