SA butterfly census starts this weekend

The latest butterfly census will start around the country this weekend with beginners and experts encouraged to help with the counting, the Lepidopterists Society of Africa said on Wednesday.

"It's really fun," said conservation scientist Sylvia Mecenero, who is helping the society co-ordinate the fourth census of its kind in the region.

"We would really love a huge amount of school children to participate because we need the youngsters to get involved because this is their future," said Mecenero.

The point of the census is to count the numbers and species of butterfly to assess the impact of land use and climate change on the plant pollinators.

Mecenero explained that, in addition to an indication of the impact of land use and climate change, the information would also provide information on the ecosystems in particular areas.

For example, the Table Mountain Beauty is the only pollinator for the Red Disa Orchard.

"So, if the butterfly disappears, so does the plant," she explained.

"This butterfly pollinates red flowers, and this plant is only for this butterfly."

Dave McDermott, who is on the society's council, said lepidoptery -- the study of butterflies and moths -- was an ancient science practiced for hundreds of years.

Butterflies had become good indicators of environmental health because they fed on plants, shrubs, trees and bushes.

"One of the ways to get people to sit up and take notice is to get people involved in the census," said McDermott.

He runs a public relations business when he is not tramping around the swamp off the West Rand's Hendrik Potgieter Drive townhouse belt, seeking out threatened species.

He was part of one of the first counts, where some volunteers had to do an entire province by themselves.

"This is a vast task. It is very difficult to cover all that ground."

For the census, the society has divided butterfly counters into two categories -- beginners and experts.

The first step is to register with the society on its website http://www.lepsoc.org.za, which is free, and to note common butterflies seen within a registered area.

Lists and pamphlets of the 50 common butterflies in each province are available on the society's website.

If in doubt, a picture can be taken and sent to an online "virtual museum" for an expert to identify (http://vmus.adu.org.za).

Participants can note butterflies anywhere in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.

The "locality" can be a garden, a park, farm or a nature reserve.

The aim of the census is to collect data from the same locality during each census over time, so that long-term trends of butterflies in that locality can be monitored.

The butterfly census is between October 22 and 30.