The Karoo is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is also not precisely defined. The Karoo is partly defined by its topography, geology and climate, and above all, its low rainfall, arid air, cloudless skies, and extremes of heat and cold. The Karoo also hosted a well-preserved ecosystem hundreds of million years ago which is now represented by many fossils.
The !Khukaǁgamma or Sundays River is a river in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is said to be the fastest flowing river in the country. The Inqua Khoi people, who historically were the wealthiest group in Southern Africa, originally named this river !Khukaǁgamma, 'the waters with the spirit of abundance' because the river's banks are always green and grassy despite the arid terrain that it runs through.
Chrysoritis pan, the Pan opal, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is endemic to South Africa, where it is found in the Western Cape, the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape.
Zizeeria knysna, the dark grass blue or African grass blue, is a species of blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in Africa, on Cyprus and the Iberian Peninsula.
Aeropetes is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae. Its only species, Aeropetes tulbaghia, is commonly known as the Table Mountain beauty or mountain pride. It is native to southern Africa, where it occurs in South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini and Zimbabwe.
Cassionympha is a genus of butterflies from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae.
Cassionympha cassius, the rainforest brown, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa, it is common in cool and moist forests, coastal and riverine bush and kloofs (gorges in the Western Cape along the western coast through the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, the eastern slopes of the escarpment through Eswatini and Mpumalanga to the Soutpansberg in Limpopo.
Neita durbani, or D'Urban's brown, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa in scattered populations in grasslands in the Eastern Cape and grassy mountain slopes at medium altitude from the Camdeboo Mountains along the escarpment to Bedford and Stutterheim, south to Grahamstown, and north to the Dordrecht Kloof and Jamestown.
Sarangesa motozi, also known as the forest elfin or elfin skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is native to southern and eastern Africa.
Thestor camdeboo, the Camdeboo skolly, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, where it is only known from grassveld inclusions in Nama Karoo on the upper slopes of the Camdeboo Mountains north of Aberdeen in the East Cape.
Myrina silenus, the common fig-tree blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, southern Arabia and northern Oman.
Chrysoritis beaufortius, the Beaufort opal, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found only in South Africa.
Pseudonacaduba sichela, the African line blue, dusky line blue or dusky blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa, south of the Sahara.
Euchrysops barkeri, the Barker's smoky blue or Barker's Cupid, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and from Sierra Leone to Tanzania. In South Africa it is found from the East Cape along the KwaZulu-Natal coast and in Limpopo province.
Eicochrysops messapus, the cupreous blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa. In South Africa it is rare and only known from the northern part of the Limpopo province and northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Cupidopsis cissus, the common meadow blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in most of Africa, south of the Sahara.
Cupidopsis iobates, the tailed meadow blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in most of Africa, south of the Sahara.
Oraidium barberae, the dwarf blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa and Zimbabwe. In South Africa it is found from the Western Cape, north to Namaqualand, the Northern Cape and east to the Eastern Cape and the Free State as well as northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Evelyn Mary "Eve" Palmer was a South African writer and botanist. She was married to the South African journalist and adventure novelist Geoffrey Jenkins. Her best known work is her bestselling 1966 non-fiction book The Plains of Camdeboo.
Opisthopatus camdebooi is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is light pink and has 16 pairs of legs in both sexes. Males specimens range from 15 mm to 18 mm in length; female specimens range from 12 mm to 14 mm in length. Also known as the Camdeboo velvet worm, this species is endemic to the Camdeboo Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
