KENNETH MISSION PENNINGTON
Kenneth
Misson Pennington: - ‘KMP’ – died unexpectedly in January 1974. The manuscript of his
life-long work on the butterflies of Southern Africa was unfinished. Yet, during
his life he had come to be held in such respect and regard, both as a
schoolmaster and as a butterfly-collector, that within a few months of his
death, plans were underway to pay tribute to him by publishing (this) book under
his name.
Born in September 1897 in Greytown,
Natal, he went first to St. David’s School there and then on to Michaelhouse
where he had a highly successful career both in the classroom and on the sports
fields. World War 1 interrupted his
career. He joined the Royal Flying Corps. was awarded the A.F.C. and mentioned
in despatches during his service in Mesopotamia. After the War he went up to
Oxford as the Natal Rhodes Scholar, gained his MA and B.C.I., and returned to
Natal in 1923. He married Ruth Frampton in that year. They had grown up together
in Greytown as children and their marriage was to last over fifty deeply happy
and rewarding years. In 1925 he
dramatically abandoned his promising career as a barrister at the Natal Bar to
become a schoolmaster at his old school. The decision was not only to be of
inestimable benefit to Michaelhouse, which he served for the next 34 years, but
also gave him full scope during the school holidays to range far and wide over
Southern Africa in pursuit of its butterflies.
In his years of retirement at ‘Yellowwoods’, originally a Great Trek
homestead near Curry’s Post, he began to compile the manuscript of his book;
but so great was his interest as a collector in breaking new ground, and so
vigorous his health, that much of his time was still spent away from home ‘on
safari’ and the manuscript tended to be neglected.
However, he had so inspired others by his boundless enthusiasm and
willingness to share his unequalled experience in the field, that an
extraordinary drive was soon underway to complete his life’s work on
butterflies, a drive, which has culminated in the publishing of this definitive
work on our Lepidoptera.
************
Extract from the Foreword of “Pennington’s
Butterflies of Southern Africa” the first definitive work devoted solely to
Southern African butterflies: Illustrated with 198 plates in full colour this
comprehensive record of no less than 780 species is unique in the world of
Lepidoptera. (Foreword by his son
Rex Pennington, April 1977)
P.S. from the specimens illustrated in this volume, it is clear that a
great deal of his collecting was undertaken in the Muden area. (Which could
almost be termed Pennington Country) which remains host to over 100 species and
the variety of host plants that supports them.
Below is a list of Butterfly species collected at Mhlopeni Nature
Reserve, Muden and positively identified by Clive Quickelberge, Scientific
Officer for Durban Natural Science
Museum.
Family
DANAIDAE:
Physcaeneura panda
Cassionympha cassius
Stygionympha wichgrafi wichgrafi
Ypthima asterope
Acraea neobule neobule
Acraea obeira burni
Acraea eponina manjaca
Acraea esebria esebria
Acraea natalica natalica
Acraea aglaonice
Acraea zetes acara
Charaxes candipe candiope
Charaxes jasius saturnus
Charaxes zoolina zoolina
Charaxes jahlusa jahlusa
Byblia ilithyia
Hypolimnas misippus
Catacroptera cloanthe cloanthe
Precis archesia
Precis octavia sesamus
Junonia natalica
Junonia hierta cebrene
Junonia oenone
Cynthia cardui
Phalanta phalantha aethiopica
Lachnocnema bibulus
Hypolycaena philippus philippus
Stugeta bowkeri bowkeri
Iolaus silas silas
Iolaus mimosae mimosae
Axiocerses tjoane
Leptomyrina hirundo
Gonatomyrina gorgias
Anthene amarah amarah
Anthene butleri livida
Cacyreus lingeus lingeus
Cacyreus marshalli
Zintha hintza hintza
Tuxentius calice calice
Tarucus sybaris sybaris
Lampides boeticus
Cyclyrius pirithous
Cyclyrius brevidentatis
Lepidochrysops patricia
Eicochrysops messapus messapus
Eicochrysops messapus mahallokoaena
Cupidopsis iobates iobates
Freyeria trochylus
Azanus jesous jesous
Oraidium barberae
Zizula hylax hylax
Actizera lucida lucida
Colias electo electo
Catopsilia florella
Eurema brigitta brigitta
Eronia cleodora cleodora
Eronia leda
Colotis vesta
Colotis ione
Colotis danae annae
Colotis auxo auxo
Colotis antevippe gavisa
Colotis evippe omphale
Colotis evagore antigone
Colotis eris eris
Belenois aurota aurota
Belenois creona severina
Belenois gidica
Dixeia charina charina
Dixeia pigea
Mylothris agathina
Papilio constantinus
Papilio demodocus demodocus
Papilio nireus lyaeus
Graphium leonidas
Graphium antheus
Sarangesa phidyla
Sarangesa motozi
Spialia abscondita
Spialia spio
Kedestes callicles
Borbo fatuellus fatuellus
Gegenes niso niso
