Butterflies of South Australia's Journal

The Yellowish Sedge Skipper (Hesperilla flavescens) has been rewilded in the Adelaide region after being regionally extinct since the late 1980s. Twenty years of restoration efforts have lead up to the recent release of hundreds of the Butterflies at Aldinga Washpool and Salisbury wetlands. Read the full article HERE

The species relies on Chaffy Saw-sedge(Gahnia filum), available from native plant nurseries. If you live near either of these areas, or anywhere along the coast, plant a few and you might be lucky enough to see these in the future. The first batch of caterpillars should start appearing this June.

The first observation of this species at the Aldinga Washpool has already been uploaded by @mendacott: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41007131

We've reached the milestone of 1000 observations of Butterflies recorded in SA, representing 42 species! More than half have been uploaded in the last 12 months.

With over 75 species present in SA, there are still many more species to be found. Check of the Butterfly Conservation SA Inc. website for all you'll need to know about local species. The Online Identification Tool can be particualrly helpful when trying to ID the less common species.

The top 10 species recorded in SA are shown below.

A fascinating and detailed article covering the rediscovery of the Chequered Copper (Lucia limbaria) in the Adelaide Parklands and efforts to ensure its continued presence by supporting its obligate Ant species (Iridomyrmex rufoniger) and the caterpillar host plants (Oxalis perennans).

Herding Caterpillars "The story of the Chequered Copper butterfly, its caterpillars and their guardians the tiny black ants "

There are currently no iNat records of this species in SA: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/450911-Lucia-limbaria