African Wildlife & Environment Issue 85

GARDENING FOR BIODIVERSITY

or earliest known, scientific name ever given to an animal or plant is generally deemed to have priority. Even if a subsequent name is more appropriate or has, in the meantime, become more widely used and better known, once evidence of an original name is found it takes precedence. To the consternation of some gardeners, a few of the young stems of their T. capensis plants may wilt because of twig wilter bugs (family Coreidae) that suck the fluid from the new shoots. As the plant grows so fast, this ‘trimming’ will do it no harm. Once these insects have had their meal and moved off to

warm climates, such as Argentina and Brazil, have also not been spared this monster’s onslaught. Although this small invasive tree’s yellow flowers are attractive, its papery-winged seeds spread at a great rate and it is illegal to have it on any land, so gardeners are compelled by law to remove it. When doing so, our own T. capensis makes an ideal replacement as its popularity all over the world confirms. The Common Zebra Blue Leptotes pirithous uses Tecomaria capensis as a larval host-plant. However, there are several similar-looking butterflies in this genus and they are very difficult to tell apart. Only the male has a purplish-blue sheen on the upper wings (Photograph: S Woodhall)

The moth Striphnopteryx edulis is also known as the Edible Monkey! (Photograph: S Woodhall)

another part of the shrub, you can just cut the dead shoot off if it bothers you. It is best not to touch these medium to large brownish bugs, as they emit a pungent-smelling substance that does not wash off easily. There are several species and the wingless nymphs also look somewhat different until they grow into adults. The foliage of T. capensis can sometimes be mistaken for that of the widely cultivated Zimbabwe Creeper Podranea brycei and the Port St Johns Creeper Podranea ricasoliana which, themselves, are very difficult to tell apart from one another. Both these plants have pink flowers that, although of a somewhat similar shape, are much larger than those of T. capensis . Don’t let the previous genus name Tecoma allow you to confuse the Cape Honeysuckle with the horrible alien invader Yellow Bells Tecoma stans , which was introduced here as a garden ornamental. Assumed to originate from Mexico and the southern USA, it has become a pest from the Eastern Cape to Limpopo Province and is still spreading unchecked over the rest of the country. Other countries with

One of several species of twig wilter bugs (Photograph: C Botha)

52 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 85 (2024)