While out walking I came across a small, ratty area, overgrown with a wild rambling pink rose, Crocosmia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora a member of the Iris Family), Fennel, Birdsfoot Trefoil (habitat for blue butterflies), buttercup plants, Queen Anne's Lace and more. There they were - Coastal Coppers, Long-tailed Blues and a few White Butterflies. Not many, mind you, but enough to get me very excited and take a few decent photos. Enjoy.
We are already into our New Zealand Summer of 2019-20 and, until yesterday, I had barely seen any butterflies. Look how quickly that has changed for me because, all of a sudden, here they are. While out walking I came across a small, ratty area, overgrown with a wild rambling pink rose, Crocosmia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora a member of the Iris Family), Fennel, Birdsfoot Trefoil (habitat for blue butterflies), buttercup plants, Queen Anne's Lace and more. There they were - Coastal Coppers, Long-tailed Blues and a few White Butterflies. Not many, mind you, but enough to get me very excited and take a few decent photos. Enjoy. I finally spotted some Long-tailed Blues (Lampides boeticus) and we're already into February. This seems a bit late, compared to other years, but at least they're now showing.
We're having a super hot summer in New Zealand and there don't seem to have been many butterflies around, until now, but today (7 Feb 2019) I found a whole bunch of Long-tailed Blues laying eggs on their host plant Birdsfoot Trefoil (lotus cornucalatus). Our butterflies fall prey to many other creatures, asian paper wasps being the worst. The wasps take the butterfly eggs and kill the caterpillars to feed their own young, early in the season, so often our butterflies don't really begin to show until after the wasps have raised their young and are then only feeding on nectar. I have barely seen any blue butterflies, in our area this summer. That's Long-Tailed Blues (Lampides boeticus) and Common Blues (Zizina otis labradus - aka Zizina labradus labradus). In the past there have been many, but not this year. It is my belief that the lack of blue butterflies is due to over-zealous people trimming along the sides of roads where longer long grass and, more importantly, the tiny Birdsfoot Trefoil plant grows. BIrdsfoot Trefoil is the host plant for Blue butterflies so, with no plants to feed upon nor lay their eggs on, the butterflies are just not there. Today, however, I saw three blue butterflies (yes, a whole three) in areas where, up until one or two years ago, there used to be dozens. At this rate there might soon be none whatsoever. I was very pleased to see a Long-tailed Blue Butterfly today (but only one). There seem to be barely any about in our area this Summer, in the usual places I have found them in previous years. We're having an extra hot Summer in New Zealand's north, so perhaps that is also a contributor. I have also noticed that much of their habitat has been cut back, by well-meaning humans (please leave the grass verges to grow long, people), which in turn forces the butterflies to move location - and of course cutting back their habitat kills their eggs and any caterpillars feeding on the plants. I also note many Asian paper Wasps cruising the blue butterflies' habitat plant Birdsfoot Trefoil, leading me to believe that these wasps are also hunting blue butterfly eggs and caterpillars, just as they do with Monarchs (and also similar for Copper butterflies - plenty of Asian Paper Wasps cruising their habitat too). |
AUTHOR
Julie Vause
Opua, New Zealand. Keen butterfly photographer and raises Monarch Butterflies for release. " I'm crazy about butterflies and enjoy sharing the beauty and wonder of their transformations." VIDEO
Monarch Caterpillar emerging from egg
Click on video to enlarge
SITE VISITORSUNRAVELLING MONARCH MYSTERY
FRIENDS
NEWS ARCHIVES
September 2023
Member of......
|