http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ Monarch Trust NZ Forum » Recent Posts en Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:15:54 +0000 http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/inside-or-outside#post-16290 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:12:46 +0000 Kay 16290@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Last year was my first year of raising monarch butterflies because I had shifted house and there were swan plants in my garden which surprisingly to me attracted monarch butterflies (well one anyway). I left the caterpillars to it and only towards the end brought them and some chrysalises inside to hatch since the weather was getting colder, it being about May. I notice from reading the forum that lots of you seem to have your caterpillars inside in castles or whatever so presumably your swan plants are in pots rather than in your gardens. Is this necessary or preferable? I live in the south of the south island and would have thought you people in the winterless north would leave your creatures outside. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/help-help-to-many-catterpillars#post-16289 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:30:54 +0000 Marigold 16289@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>I have got to many caterpillars, can anybody take some off my hands to save these caterpillars. I live In Amberley North Canterbury. Cheers, Marigold </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/nectarsfruits#post-16288 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:18:35 +0000 YvonneWallis 16288@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>In the butterly house in Dunedin they had the artificial nectar on sponges..I am guessing these sponges have to be special and not just a dishcloth sponge,so they aren't full of stuff the butterflies don't like..where do I go to get the sponges and what sort? Also they have fruits for the butterflies..do tinned fruits and juices and jams have bad stuff or are they all okay? </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/what-plant-food-in-what-order#post-16287 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:12:27 +0000 YvonneWallis 16287@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Great post..thanks Anna..aparrently ferox to the others doesn't work..something about the toxin levels..great about rooting them in water..this will be great !! thanks for that </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16286 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:48:57 +0000 clinton9 16286@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>#@##@@! weather in Thames today turned to been cloudy ! I thought today was supposed to be sunny with blue cloudless sky, thanks to <a href="http://www.metservice.co.nz" rel="nofollow">http://www.metservice.co.nz</a>. @@###**! (frustusted)<br /> <a href="http://www.metservice.co.nz" rel="nofollow">http://www.metservice.co.nz</a> seems to had a poor weather forecasting skills...rather frustusting for us Zac and Clinton the NZ butterfly hunters, end up have to wait for sky to turn blue. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/need-a-home-for-a-unknown-cat#post-16285 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:41:24 +0000 clinton9 16285@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Hey Anna,<br /> Can't help you as I don't have camera for close up of insects as hawkmoth caterpillars.<br /> In Auckland museum I found caterpillars of Convolvulus hawk moth, to been bigger than Monarch butterfly caterpillars.</p> <p>Convolvulus hawk moth numbers are decreasing because farmers sprayed their kumera feilds to get rid of caterpillars, plus Asian Paper wasps had killed the caterpillars.</p> <p>There is no sign of feeding (bite marks) in bindweeds &amp; convolvulus in wasteland near Thames Refuse Transfer Station.<br /> Rather frustusting looking for caterpillars of hawk moths in convolvulus &amp; bindweeds. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/terrys-admiral-project-in-britain-update/page/9#post-16284 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:15:44 +0000 Bernie 16284@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>yes it certainly is a strange winter here in England Terry.About three weeks ago there were a pair of our red admirals(v.atalanta) doing a pairing flight in the garden.I also have a female red admiral that has laid loads of fertile eggs in the last month and regularly feeds off rotting apples in the greenhouse! </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16283 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:04:17 +0000 Charlotte 16283@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Well done Norm and I wish you every success. She certainly was a smart butterfly to fly past your house;-)) </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/terrys-admiral-project-in-britain-update/page/9#post-16282 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:21:20 +0000 Terry 16282@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>This afternoon I went over to the Butterfly House to light the heater and put the covers on and to my surprise I found a pairing of Small Tortoiseshell, this is incredibly early in the year and given the freezing weather outside I did not expect this at all. The pair of Small Tortoiseshell are from the late summer brood that failed to hibernate properly and have been feeding with the Yellow Admirals on the warmer winter days. In the last couple of weeks most had died off and I can only count about 15 rather tatty individuals. There are another dozen that did hibernate and are still in hibernation along with the handful of remaining Peacock. I don't know if this pairing will produce any eggs due to the fact that our cold spell is due to continue for the next 10 days at least. I have no idea how long a Small Tortoiseshell female remains fertile after pairing so it's a bit hit and miss to say the least. If I decide to do them next winter I will have to place them in the refrigerator to make sure they sleep through the whole of the winter. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/breeding-yellow-admirals#post-16281 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:49:59 +0000 Terry 16281@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Hi Jane<br /> If you want to see variation in your Yellow Admiral butterflies you can try this little trick, but you have to be careful not to kill them by accident! Take about a dozen pupae and place them in the refrigerator for a week or possibly two, depending on how cold your refrigerator is set, don't go below 3 deg c for too long if you can help it, then remove the pupae and let them develop normally. Doing this gives you aberrations the most common being the blue spot on the fore-wing underside being totally diffused turning in to a blue spot rather than circle and the other aberration being that the Yellow becomes much deeper and the the brown veins that run through the patches become much thicker. There are other variations but as I stated you have to be careful about how long you expose the pupae to these low temperatures, Trial and error is the only way to find out for sure.</p> <p><a href="http://passion-insectes.kikooforum.com/t356-aberrations" rel="nofollow">http://passion-insectes.kikooforum.com/t356-aberrations</a></p> <p>Check out the 2 peacocks, inachis io in this link above </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/terrys-admiral-project-in-britain-update/page/9#post-16280 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:30:12 +0000 Terry 16280@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Hi Pepetuna</p> <p>Lot's of questions are good because that is how we all gather information and learn from each others experiences at breeding butterflies so fire away and ask as many questions as you like.</p> <p>There is no thermostat on the paraffin heater, the whole idea is for it to just give out sufficient heat to keep the temperature at or slightly above freezing point at night during the winter months. It is not used to raise the temperature during the day because that is controlled by automatic vents that open if the temperature gets to hot inside (during summer period) so I only have the heater lit at night except on occasions when we have below freezing conditions throughout the daytime with no sunshine, for instance when we have snow. During the winter months I disconnect the automatic vents and normally reconnect them at the end of February/beginning of March when the sun has sufficient warmth to overheat the Butterfly House if they had remained disconnected. It's all about timing and just knowing through years of practice when that time has arrived.<br /> There is a thermometer hanging from the apex of the Butterfly House and a smaller one under the bench so I can monitor temperatures at different levels. the lower one is very handy in the summer as it gives me warning if the temperature gets too hot low down and I can then take action such as damping down the ground so the butterflies can sit on the floor until conditions cool down. The one hanging from the apex is more useful in the winter as it tells me if I have sufficient heat in the upper part of the Butterfly House where the butterflies roost during the winter nights.<br /> The paraffin heater has a cover on it to prevent butterflies from flying down the stacks and getting fried, although B. Gonerilla has a nasty habit of doing just that, so if I have them in the Butterfly House I make sure the heater is lit after they have roosted for the night. The B. Itea don't seem to be interested in roosting low down so getting fried rarely happens to them. </p> <p>What is in the Butterfly House varies from winter to winter. At this time I have about 30 B.itea butterflies, 0 pupae, 0 larvae, and some ova that have been laid during the brief sunny periods over the winter. I have a few larvae indoors in plastic boxes, and a few pupae, but all I am doing at this time is just keeping my livestock ticking over until the better weather returns and then get the stock breeding properly again.</p> <p>I cannot help you much with advice on how you should over-winter your stock because the New Zealand climate is much more variable than ours but also a lot warmer overall. I know it can get mighty cold in the far south and east of NZ but from what I have been told, even in the North Island you get huge regional variations. It's all to do with where New Zealand is located and of course having vast expanses of ocean nearby unlike the UK where we are influenced by mainland Europe or the North Atlantic ocean and the weather patterns thrown up by these two factors.<br /> I suppose studying the weather patterns of North America or Russia can be a great starting point to see just how much the oceans affect climate. In Moscow for instance the temperature in the winter can be as low as minus 50c but in the summer can reach the upper 30s all because it is away from the influences of great oceans and the weather patterns they create. We in the UK have a more temperate climate but not as temperate or as variable as New Zealand weather. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/need-a-home-for-a-unknown-cat#post-16279 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:32:40 +0000 Anna 16279@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>crikey...I'd love to see a photo of Spikey! </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/what-plant-food-in-what-order#post-16278 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:31:02 +0000 Anna 16278@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>So far with the Admirals, both Reds and Yellows, I have found that mine have happily switched between each type, and at all stages, but that may be the way I have been raising them in the container system?</p> <p> It may be different if you have them on plants perhaps,<br /> although even in the butterfly enclosure, they have walked from Urtica dioica, and Urtica urens onto the Chatham Island if the plants are touching.</p> <p>ps/ It may be interesting to note that I have managed to get roots growing on nettles within a few weeks, by putting the cuttings in jars of water. So far I have tried, Urtica dioica, urens, ferox and austrails (Chatham one) </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/need-a-home-for-a-unknown-cat#post-16277 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:13:05 +0000 clinton9 16277@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Zoe,<br /> Thankyou , I will wait for your mail.<br /> I forgetten to tell you, I lives in New Zealand.</p> <p>Do it use its spike to defend itseft ???</p> <p>Is it harmless ??? </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/brand-new-monarchs#post-16276 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:20:09 +0000 Jacqui 16276@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>&lt;&lt; How long does it take for them to fly off for the first time? &gt;&gt;</p> <p>It depends - if they aren't warm enough from the sun, then they'll sit there until the weather comes right.</p> <p>&lt;&lt; Also will it be ok to leave them on the hedge if it rains? &gt;&gt;</p> <p>Absolutely. Their wings repel water and they should be fine. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/what-plant-food-in-what-order#post-16275 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:11:37 +0000 YvonneWallis 16275@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Thanks Norm, trouble is the admirals cover the outdoor nettles and I transfer to the tree nettle which keeps them going a lot longer. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/brand-new-monarchs#post-16274 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:28:34 +0000 lmc 16274@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Hi</p> <p>We had three butterflies hatch this morning, one flew off after an hour and two are still "sitting" on the hedge. How long does it take for them to fly off for the first time? Also will it be ok to leave them on the hedge if it rains?</p> <p>Thanks </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16273 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:42:24 +0000 milkweed 16273@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>I used to breed Lesser Wanderer butterflies when i lived in Taiwan simply by growing various milkweed on my balcony area but I've never seen them in New Zealand so this is a very exciting development.<br /> Presumably the migrants and then offspring that have got to here in the past from Australia, simply died out when the weather became too cold for them, so the chance to breed them in captivity could assist them to have a permanant colony here. Good work Norm! </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16272 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:55:25 +0000 Anna 16272@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>What great news this is Norm. I agree with Jane, that was one smart little female butterfly!<br /> Good luck, and heres hoping for lots of offspring! </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/terrys-admiral-project-in-britain-update/page/9#post-16271 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:16:48 +0000 Pepetuna 16271@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Hi Terry<br /> Your posts are always read with much interest. I've learned a lot about rearing Yellow Admirals from your factsheet on this website, as well as from this thread.</p> <p>Can you tell us a bit more about the heating please Terry? I've read the posts in this thread: you use a paraffin heater (I think that's a kerosene heater here) and you only run it when you think there is going to be a frost. Does it have a thermostat on it? At what temperature do you set it? How far away from the actual livestock is it? Are they all larvae? Or are there some pupae &amp; adults in there too? So many questions! Sorry about that, but I may need to do something about heating this coming winter. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16270 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:10:54 +0000 clinton9 16270@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Weather forecasting say Tomorrow to Tuesday: Sunny &amp; fine day, light winds = ideal weather for butterflies to fly.</p> <p>Reminding ourselves, Zac &amp; me, about butterfly-hunting tomorrow ! There might be 1-2 aussie butterflies atill alive.</p> <p>But check with weather forecasting 1st. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/breeding-yellow-admirals#post-16269 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:57:12 +0000 Jane 16269@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Yesterday I took close up photos of more Yellow Admiral caterpillars. This time I chose to get images of the darker variants, and to my amazement they also are all different. There are larvae with dark backs with dark bristles, dark backs with pale bristles, dark backs with translucent bristles with dark gray tips, some have black bellies, some brown bellies and some bright green. On their sides some have many tiny cream or white dots, some larger cream patches, and a few with solid colour. On their sides above the legs and below the spiracles, they all have a loop-stitch pattern. In some it is cream, some white, some orange, brown and even blue! Some variants have alternating stiching in two colours eg tan,cream,tan,cream. They truely appear to be very individualistic. One of the caterpillars is black with blue stitching, blue spiracles and blue bristle tips!</p> <p>Remarkably at time of release, they were all identical looking butterflies.</p> <p>Photos here:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/blutterfy10/6805770609/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/blutterfy10/6805770609/</a> </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/terrys-admiral-project-in-britain-update/page/9#post-16268 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:42:07 +0000 Jane 16268@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>I heard about your freezing cold snap on the radio here. It's gotta be pretty bad for our radio to be reporting your weather. I think you're right though Terry, that you are at least on the home stretch now with days lengthening and hopefully a bit of sun on the horizon. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16267 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:38:39 +0000 Jane 16267@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>That is great news Norm. Somehow that butterfly knew to go past YOUR place.That is one VERY smart butterfly!</p> <p>The Lesser wanderer couldn't be in better hands, and I wish you every success with this exciting new project. If you are successful, then it will prove that perhaps others may be able do it too. BEST OF LUCK! </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16266 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:51:19 +0000 NormTwigge 16266@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>milkweed - I am in Whakatane </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16265 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:22:43 +0000 clinton9 16265@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Zac,<br /> Lesser Wanderer butterfly caterpillars are tender and during May 2004 the caterpillars died following cold nights, at same time the Monarch Butterfly caterpillars remain alive.<br /> On June 2004 the butterfly I released, were seen flying low after a cold night. Lesser Wanderer butterfly can surivie down to OoC, but caterpillars cannot.<br /> Pays to rear the caterpillars indoor during winter. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16264 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:55:56 +0000 nzwings 16264@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>hi norm that is wonderful news:)<br /> i think it would be a fantastic idea to release them all in the hope they take hold. and yes for sure norm, if the the next generation are furtile share some of them out. 20 would be enough, and to send them as pupae would be the safest option as i have a very large indoor as well as outdoor butterfly aviary. i have been breeding native butterflies for 14 years now, and i have worked with otago museum in the past with the tropical butterfly house down there. i know plenty about butterfly raising and i would be the perfect candidate to help make this species more abundant. masterton would good place as it get hot and dry here, i well know this species does well in warmer weather so breeding them indoors and slowly getting the butterflies use to the weather through breeding could help them cope more with the nz environment. i hope more of them are furtile, and look forward to your reply norm..thats fantastic news..what are the odds of catching a female with eggs!! </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/terrys-admiral-project-in-britain-update/page/9#post-16263 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:07:44 +0000 Terry 16263@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>The freezing weather is still with us in the UK and tonight is looking to be pretty bad as far as low temperatures go. Driving home from my parents house tonight at 17.45, the temperature outside was minus 1.5C and by tomorrow morning I dread to think how low it could go. The Butterfly House is covered by three dust sheets and the heater is on full so I hope it will keep the temperature inside just above freezing or I could lose some, or all of the Yellow Admirals. I thought it was too good to be true when we had the mildest early winter for a good few years but as I have stated before, at least this freeze has occurred after the shortest day so it can only get better from here on, can't it? </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16262 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:05:18 +0000 clinton9 16262@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Hi Norm,<br /> I would like 20 eggs of Lesser Wanderer butterfly, please, as I have both 3 caterpillar castles and a hothouse, so I can easily rear the caterpillars indoor in my hothouse.</p> <p>Would be good idea to send 20 eggs to Zac. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16261 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:43:22 +0000 Pepetuna 16261@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Norm, that doesn't sound greedy at all! I think it is really exciting that you've got them going, and hope you can rear them through. Mind, we will need updates, as Terry does with the Yellow Admirals in the UK ;-) </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16260 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:59:10 +0000 milkweed 16260@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Norm, are you in Auckland? </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/a-female-lesser-wanderer-butterfly-was-caught#post-16259 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:43:04 +0000 NormTwigge 16259@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>The Lesser Wanderer was caught on Monday 23rd January and settled down to ovipositing. We had a holiday organised starting 26 Jan. so I placed plenty of milkweeds and nectar plants in the butterfly house before leaving. During the holiday my thoughts were that the eggs had a good chance of being infertile so I did not get my hopes up. Returning home on the 1st Feb the first thing I did was race out to the butterfly house and look at the eggs - tiny caterpillars were evident and I was ecstatic. The butterfly has deposited approximately 70 eggs to date, and is still going strong.<br /> Now I know this sounds greedy, but my intent is to rear them all through to adults and obtain pairings, and another generation. If the eggs are fertile I will then be in a position to share them around to anyone who has a secure predator-proof facility. In Australia the Lesser Wanderer breeds throughout the year, indicating that photo-period (daylight hours) is not important, so with a temperature controlled butterfly house it may be possible to breed them through as I do the Yellow Admirals. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/shining-cuckoo-eating-monarch-caterpillars#post-16258 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:01:12 +0000 NormTwigge 16258@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>hereisme - fluffy bums are the nymph stage of the Passion Vine Hopper, a small moth type insect with lace-like wings and shaped like a jet plane. Both the nymphs and adults suck sap from the plants and are thought to transfer diseases between plants. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/what-plant-food-in-what-order#post-16257 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:32:53 +0000 NormTwigge 16257@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Whatever the breed of caterpillar I think it is wise to keep it on the hostplant it started feeding on. While some caterpillars will change to a different hostplant when the first one becomes stripped, others will refuse to eat another variety if changed to it, so it is best to keep to the original. </p> http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/topic/breeding-yellow-admirals#post-16256 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:11:44 +0000 Jane 16256@http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/forum/ <p>Hi Anna,</p> <p>Well the pale variants have turned out no different from any other Yellow Admirals once eclosed. It is amazing to me that the butterflies are identical and the larvae so very different. </p>