One of the campaigning organisations – A Rocha Ghana – fighting to protect the Forest from being mined (AKADi issue 4) shared some stunning images of Atewa's butterflies and other insects.
The African Leaf Butterfly (Kallimodes rumia) is a very convincing mimic of dry leaves and can often be seen sipping sap from injured trees.
In fact, these butterflies sometimes get drunk when sipping sap from palm trees tapped for palm wine.
Did you know that the Green Orange Forester (Euphaedra zampa) (female) is one of over 573 butterfly species recorded for Atewa?
In all a total of 711 species are expected to occur, and this accounts for 77% of Ghana’s entire butterfly fauna, making it the most diverse forests for butterflies in West Africa (Larson 2006).
Dragonflies (odonatan infraorder Anisoptera) are predatory insects and typically eat mosquitoes, midges, and other small insects, like flies, bees, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as nymphs, are aquatic.
Damselflies (are from the odonatan suborder Anisoptera). They are smaller, have slimmer bodies, and most species fold the wings along the body when at rest.
The Moss Katydid is one of the rarest African katydids and this is the only one found in Atewa and also in a single location in Sierra Leone.
Find out more about A Rocha Ghana.
And if you would like to support the charity, here are three ways.
1. Send a letter to the President of Ghana - find out how to do so here.
2. A Rocha Ghana is petitioning the President of Ghana to turn Atewa into a national park. You can sign the petition here.
3. Donate - if you can - by going over to A Rocha's donations page.