{"id":144497,"date":"2019-08-27T10:54:27","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T08:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/indigenous-gardens-of-renishaw-hills-attract-kaleidoscope-of-birds-and-butterflies\/"},"modified":"2019-08-27T10:54:27","modified_gmt":"2019-08-27T08:54:27","slug":"indigenous-gardens-of-renishaw-hills-attract-kaleidoscope-of-birds-and-butterflies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/indigenous-gardens-of-renishaw-hills-attract-kaleidoscope-of-birds-and-butterflies\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous gardens of Renishaw Hills attract kaleidoscope of birds and butterflies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indigenous gardens of Renishaw Hills attract kaleidoscope of birds and butterflies<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\"\"As the venue for this year\u2019s Botanical Society of South Africa\u2019s Winter Gardens, visitors were able to witness the magnificent bird and butterfly life attracted to the Renishaw Hills mature lifestyle village. Located within the Mpambanyoni Conservation Development on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, this estate boasts some of the area\u2019s most diverse indigenous flora and fauna \u2013 largely due to the work done by Dr Elsa Pooley and her team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Renishaw Hills mature lifestyle village has been designed with a focus on conservation and natural habitat rehabilitation,\u201d explained Phil Barker, managing director of Renishaw Property Developments. \u201cElsa and the Renishaw Hills landscaping team have established some of the region\u2019s finest indigenous gardens, resulting in a rich biodiversity, with residents enjoying an abundance of local bird and butterfly species.\u201d<\/p>\n

One such resident is Mary Lindsay, a butterfly enthusiast who has photographed more than 100 butterfly species at Renishaw Hills since taking up residence in 2017. Her interest in these beautifully-adorned insects was sparked back in 2004 when she was planning her daughter\u2019s wedding and needed to collect butterflies for a release.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started noticing butterflies more and more and was always amazed at how people could identify a butterfly that was furiously flying overhead!\u201d recalled Mary. \u201cThe more I noticed the more interested I was and my husband and I started visiting the butterfly farms.\u201d<\/p>\n

To date, Mary has photographed 343 different species in 30 different locations, many of these in and around the Renishaw Hills area. Commenting on the abundance of these winged creatures, Mary said: \u201cIndigenous plants and grasses – and even a few weeds – attract a large number of butterflies to the gardens. Because I post images to the virtual butterfly museum, I am always looking for new locations, but I do not have to move away from our Renishaw Hills gardens and the communal areas to photograph many different butterflies.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s even managed to identify some unusual residents such as the Forest Queen which isn\u2019t often found so far down the coast: \u201cI have an Acraea butterfly that I photographed which was not on record in the reference books, but on identification was told that it was unusual. Most of our butterflies here are found elsewhere on the coast \u2013 north or south – and even some are found in the Midlands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Small, who has been residing at Renishaw Hills since the start of the year, has quickly become enamoured of the incredible butterfly species and believes that, as the vegetation matures, the bird diversity will continue to grow as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is an amazing diversity of indigenous vegetation that has been introduced, and butterfly distribution is dependent on specific host plants so a diversity of plants contributes to butterfly diversity,\u201d explained Peter. \u201cBirds too are attracted by botanical biodiversity but have additional needs other than food, such as nesting sites and roosting areas. The bird diversity will undoubtedly increase.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another enthusiast of winged creatures is Renishaw Hills\u2019 resident, Tim McClurg, who\u2019s interest in birds and butterflies originated during his upbringing in Zimbabwe: \u201cMy interest in Natural History led me to a career in ecology and an understanding that effective environmental management is critically dependent on species identity. I have recently adopted digital photography as a non-invasive tool to identify species.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that the wide variety of habitats in the Renishaw Hills\u2019 vicinity provides \u2018ample scope for high regional biodiversity\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe positive steps being taken to plant indigenous flora and restore degraded habitats bodes well for the future,\u201d said Tim. \u201cThe relatively secure environment, and presence of access paths within the broader Renishaw Hills estate, allows residents to safely enjoy and participate in the ecological restoration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside the incredible butterfly sightings, Tim said there were many amazing bird viewings from the estate including Crowned Eagles, Long-crested Eagles, Black Sparrowhawks, Jackal Buzzards, Lanner Falcons, Ospreys and Little Sparrowhawks: \u201cThe pair of nesting Crowned Eagles near the Renishaw Chapel is particularly exciting. The presence of so many raptors is encouraging and suggestive of a robust ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Renishaw Hills community organizes a number of social groups and activities with plans in place to establish a formalized birding and butterfly group. For more information about this naturally enticing development, visit www.renishawhills.co.za<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong> MyPR<\/a><\/small>
\n<\/p>\n

Submit your own Press Release<\/a> or get free content for your publication.<\/p>\n

Video – How to post your Press Release on MyPR:<\/strong>
\n