Friend or Foe

By James Mann

In March of the year 2000 I saw the first of

the Lang's Short-tailed Blues flitting about

the garden. I saw them from time to time over the next few weeks and the on 18th April I saw what I thought was a beautiful specimen to photograph sitting on our

roses.

I took a photo but was not happy with my identification for although it had tails it looked too large, the underwing markings looked wrong and the upperwings were a uniform brown lacking any sign of blue. Directly I got the photos developed I studied the plates in my Butterflies of Britain and Europe. Tolman and Lewington and my considered opinion was that it was Cacyreus marshalli the Geranium Bronze, a native of South Africa. I did a crosscheck with my Butterflies of Southern Africa by Mark Williams and confirmed the identification. He says they are common throughout South Africa, all the year in frost-free areas. They lay their eggs on the buds and flowers of pelargoniums and geraniums, the larvae bores holes into the soft stems causing parts of the plants to die. Back to Tolman and Lewington. Apparently the immature stages of the butterfly were introduced into the Balearic Islands in Pelargonium cultivars, first reported in Mallorca in 1990. It quickly spread and became a pest in all the Islands. It reached the Spanish mainland being reported in Logrono, northern Spain, in 1992 and Granada, southern Spain, in 1995. A further report came from the viciniry of Rome in 1996. They add that due to the popularity of pelargoniums it would seem conductive to further dispersion. The butterflies must have heard about the Geranium producers of Le Boulou for the Geranium Bronze is now a common Butterfly here, in fact the most numerous of any species in our garden this year. I have taken several photos of Anne's geraniums that include single butterflies, mating butterflies, butterflies egglaying on the flower buds, the larvae walking about the plants and the holes they have bored in the stems causing the plants to die. Anne says "Get rid of those pests, they even come after my indoor geraniums". I say, "Leave them they are beautiful butterflies". It is now the end of August and Anne has just had to chop down most of her geraniums as the stems are riddled with holes and the plants are dying. How do you feel, Friend or Foe?

The species has now bun recorrud in England (see BC News 67: P.12) but not in Suffolk Ed.

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Published by the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation (The British Butterfly Conservation Society Ltd.)

Reg. No. 2206468 Reg. Charity No. 254937 Head Office: BuncrflyC.Onscrva1ion, Manor Yard, East Lulwonh, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP Telephone 01929 400209 Editod by P••I Cihon 6- Rich•rd Stn1•rt Logo (Silver-studdod Blue) Do•z H•mmmk] Dc1igood and producod by St,phnt Ion, Ort 6-M,.,, J,,ip C 2000 all rights reserved

Treasurer

Graham Bull, Willow Cottage, I The Street, Raydon, Suffolk IP? 5LP (01473 310371)

Committee Members

Beryl Johmon, 28 Medway Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 OQH (01473 715701) Stella Wolfe

President

Howard Mendel, do The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW? 5BD (0171 938 8782)