Hi All

One of the places we went to after being rained off Sani Pass was Woodridge Hill behind Michaelhouse. Those of you who've seen Spud - The Movie will no doubt have seen 'Hell View' with Spud and Gecko looking down on the school whilst sitting on a big lichen covered rock. Well - judging from the fact that someone's built a dirt road to the top now - that rock was one of the ones we photograph Rocksitters on!

We went up there and the Kaspers clan were with us - complete with their two sons Liam and Courtney. We sat them on the rock that most closely resembled the one in the movie and took pix:



Here they are facing the camera...



We also got some good butterfly pix up there. Here is a Mooi River Opal Chrysoritis lycegenes:



And here is a sequence of a pair of Natal Amakosa Rocksitters Durbania amakosa natalensis mating. The male spotted the female flying past and took off after her like a little guided missile. They hit the rock below them and the female started walking backwards down to the overhanging part that was covered with grass. The male followed her down facing downwards, touching antennae all the time - it was like they were dancing the tango!

Unfortunately by the time I'd got the grass out of the way he'd turned around and was sidling up to her, for all the world like someone trying to chat up a girl in a pub:



He got closer and closer - they were both raising and lowering their forewings to display the red patch on the underside - sexual display perhaps?



Eventually he got right up to her and they stopped 'flagging' and sat still. I didn't see the moment of coupling, as I was expecting them to move to the tail-to-tail position and they didn't.



I moved my point of view to above them and could see that they were already in copula - you can see his abdomen curled round to touch hers:



We had been getting ready to go, so we could not wait much longer - they didn't move for quite a while, perhaps 10 mins or so, before we had to go.

Cheers

Steve

Aaah, Rock-sitters. Hope Chris Willis does not see these, he will do his nut!

Nice series Steve. I spoke to Alistair and he told me the "rock" is in the School grounds, he promised to show us when next there.

Attached are two of my C lycegenes taken that day.



For those who are interested I shall post some photographs of the crew (Alan, Ada, the Kaspers, Steve etc) who were there later tonight.