He said the butterflies did not eat but would drink nectar from flowers, and that they would migrate back to the Karoo to lay their eggs.
While many on social media suggested the sightings were rare, Hill said this was actually an annual event.
“It happens every year, usually over early spring and summer, but with the drought followed by recent rains, it has no doubt concentrated the population in a shorter period of time.”
He said there was no evidence to suggest that the sightings were related to climate change.
Asked if there was a reason for people to panic, Hill said: “Absolutely not. In fact quite the opposite, the migration is to be enjoyed.”
Mlumbi said Fort Beaufort residents saw the butterflies for the first time on Wednesday.
“They came from the west, from the direction of Adelaide, and fluttered east to Alice. I have been in this town for 20 years but have never seen anything like this before.
“Many people of the town were convinced that this has something to do with climate change because the butterflies came shortly after the tornado hit Alice, which is near us. The last time we has such a severe storm was in 1970. People are easily worried — you never know when and how the end of the world will come.”
One person was killed and two were injured when a twister tore through Alice and surrounds on Sunday.
EC marvels at sight of migrating butterflies
Image: WIKIPEDIA
People should not be alarmed by swarms of butterflies fluttering in parts of the Eastern Cape, said Rhodes University head of entomology Professor Martin Hill.
Social media has been in a flap about the butterflies, first seen in Johannesburg six days ago.
Dispatch reader Nick Mlumbi has seen swarms of the pretty insects in Fort Beaufort, and they are also out in numbers in Makhanda, according to Hill.
“The females lay their eggs on common Karoo trees such as the Shepherd’s tree (Boscia) where the larvae develop. These trees are fleshed out by the rain, leading to an increase in the butterfly population that we now see,” Hill said.
On the Fort Beaufort and Johannesburg sightings, Hill said: “If they are the same butterflies that are in Makhanda at the moment, which I suspect they are, or closely related, they are likely to be what is commonly referred to as the whites, or butterflies in the family Pieridae. Most common would be the brown-veined white of Belenois aurota.”
He said the butterflies did not eat but would drink nectar from flowers, and that they would migrate back to the Karoo to lay their eggs.
While many on social media suggested the sightings were rare, Hill said this was actually an annual event.
“It happens every year, usually over early spring and summer, but with the drought followed by recent rains, it has no doubt concentrated the population in a shorter period of time.”
He said there was no evidence to suggest that the sightings were related to climate change.
Asked if there was a reason for people to panic, Hill said: “Absolutely not. In fact quite the opposite, the migration is to be enjoyed.”
Mlumbi said Fort Beaufort residents saw the butterflies for the first time on Wednesday.
“They came from the west, from the direction of Adelaide, and fluttered east to Alice. I have been in this town for 20 years but have never seen anything like this before.
“Many people of the town were convinced that this has something to do with climate change because the butterflies came shortly after the tornado hit Alice, which is near us. The last time we has such a severe storm was in 1970. People are easily worried — you never know when and how the end of the world will come.”
One person was killed and two were injured when a twister tore through Alice and surrounds on Sunday.
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