Boosting butterflies at Te Puna Quarry Park

Butterfly breeding at Te Puna Quarry. Caterpillar man Grant Bayley. Photo/John Borren

The moth and butterfly populations at Te Puna Quarry Park have recently been given a double boost.

The butterfly garden is overseen by Mary Parkinson, who is a member of the Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust.

She now has the expertise of butterfly breeder Norm Twigge and botanist Grant Bayley, two recent arrivals in Tauranga, to call on.

Norm has bred butterflies for around 20 years, with a special interest in red and yellow admirals. He recently moved from Whakatane to Tauranga, bringing his expertise to bear at Te Puna Quarry Park's butterfly garden.

"Red admirals are in decline," he says. "They are endemic to New Zealand, so aren't found elsewhere. "But they feed on stinging nettle, which is now getting difficult to find - it's a human caused lack of habitat that is harming them."

He is working on increasing the space available to the monarch butterflies in one of the two butterfly houses at the quarry, as well as working on a red and yellow admiral breeding programme. "They need to chase one another as part of the breeding process."

Botanist Grant Bayley has also recently moved to the area, and has volunteered to help out at the quarry. "I started helping Mary, and noticed the bonsai area (at the quarry) needed work, so long term we are changing the bonsai garden," he says.

Grant has also been advising on the suitability of plants to help encourage the butterflies. "Some plants that are regarded as weeds, certain types of butterfly thrive on, so I can advise on what plants to keep to help the butterfly population," he says.

His advice is also likely to be invaluable in ensuring there is a 12-month supply of nectar for the butterflies which will ensure they remain in and around the quarry throughout the year.

"In winter it's mainly the natives (that flower)," says Mary, "tea tree and hebes." It means most stay within a couple of kilometres of the quarry in colder months.

Having the expertise of Norm and Grant on board is a tremendous help, Mary says. To help keep monarch butterfly numbers up, caterpillars outside the butterfly houses are collected to prevent them becoming food for wasps.

Mary is also willing to collect caterpillars from other places where they might be running short of food.

She recently collected about 1000 from a Matapihi property, which were taken to people within her network who had an over-abundance of food. "I forgot to keep some to bring back to the quarry so had to go and get some more," she says.

* Anyone with caterpillars that are short of food can call Mary on 576 4752.

BUTTERFLY TRUST
The Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust has a monarch butterfly tagging programme that anyone can be part of.

It is one way "citizen scientists" can participate in a real science project. The aim is to find monarch's winter behaviour, so it requires tagging of the overwintering generation, not those butterflies that emerge through spring and summer. Visit www.monarch.org.nz for details of how to be part of the programme and for information on how to encourage Monarchs - caterpillars and butterflies - as well as other moth and butterfly species in your garden.