Mopane trees only grows north of the Olifantsriver in the Lowveld Northeast of South Africa. The Mopane tree consists of large trees ans shrub type trees. It is the same tree, the only difference being the depth of the soil on which they grow. The annual seasonal cycle of the Mopane is as follows. In August and September it drops all its rustic colored leaves. Soon after the first rain Venda people named the tree Mopane which means "butterfly" after the leave shape that looks like a butterfly.
Mopane wood is the heaviest wood in the world at 1200kg per square meter. You need many packets of Blitz fire starters to get going because of its hardness. Add other softwoods to get the braai going.
Other uses of the Mopane is limited. The leaves contain large amounts of tannin which stops digestion. Only Kudu and giraffe can adapt to large amounts of tannin.
During September when the dry leaves fall other animals feed on the dry tannin leaves. In November masses of pupates in the ground turn into moths with a very short life cycle. The moths mate and the female moths lays their eggs on the mopane leaves. In December the eggs hatch and a multitude of mopane worms emerge feeding on the tree's leaves. The mopane worm is a delicacy of the local Venda nation.
The mopane moth with the big eyes imitating an owl is the female.
And the moth with the four "eyes" is the male.
The female moth survives predation from bats with an reverse counter echo-system making the echo location of the bat worthless. After mating the male moth, which do not have the counter-echo sound, is dispensable and the bats feed on them big time.
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