I don't have many swan plants because, for this season, I was planning to provide lots of nectar flowers for the butterflies rather than going all out raising caterpillars/butterflies.
They are probably 'famous last words' because, the minute I see small caterpillars on our plants, I never can resist bringing them inside under cover.
Asian Paper Wasps are about, but still not in the huge numbers we get when the weather is hotter. They are brutal in their killing of Monarch caterpillars and none survive when they are prowling the plants.
So, mark it down. 1 October 2017 and 'my' Monarch Butterfly season in Opua has begun.