Monarch (Danaus plexippus plexippus) on dahlia. Photograph by Sally Phillips. Support the Trust Welcome to the first calendar profiling some of New Zealand’s fascinating butterflies and . • The Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust is a registered not-for-profit charitable trust with donee status, relying on donations, membership subscriptions, grants and When the Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust was formed it soon became obvious that most New Zealanders bequests to carry out our vital work for the conservation of NZ’s butterflies, know little about our species. Many people could name only two butterflies: the moths and their habitat. (Registered Charity CC11297, IRD No. is 91 118 254). Monarch and the Cabbage White, but knowledge about other species, or in fact the life cycle of the • It is through the support and generosity of members and supporters that we Monarch, was not common knowledge. can continue working in the field of environmental education, conservation As we set about creating awareness and education we considered changing the name of our and protection. charitable trust to cover other species. But the Monarch is a universal favourite. No-one would be • The MBNZT has about 600 financial members supporting our organisation. interested in the Cabbage White, and few people are interested in other species... until they begin By joining us you will get the opportunity to learn more about NZ’s unique to learn more about the Monarch. A love for the Monarch creates an interest in biodiversity. butterflies and moths and take part in our conservation projects. • Our shop has a range of gift items and products, such as seeds, posters, We are at first horrified of the deeds of predators and parasites. But a female Monarch will lay brooches etc we sell to raise funds – check out our website. hundreds of eggs – one laid over a thousand – and if every egg was to make it to maturity the world • Become a regular gift-giver, helping fund our work. You can join for as little as would be over-run by Monarchs. Even though the chemicals the ingest from the milkweed $240 per year ($20 a month minimum donation). In return you will receive (e.g. swan plant) make them nasty to eat, some will become lunch for praying mantises or wasps. complimentary membership of the MBNZT, a certificate, quarterly newsletters, We curse the arrival of the wasp invaders, that have proven to be of no benefit to our wildlife email news updates, invitations to events and our annual report and audited or economy. We learn the difference between the South African and the native praying mantis and accounts. realise it is the South African species that is doing so much damage to our butterfly species. A great • Corporate sponsorship: your company will be linked with a responsible lesson in biosecurity, why protecting our borders is essential. organisation not only involved in environmental education but building relationships with all New Zealanders, whatever their gender, age, ethnicity In our gardens we realise one swan plant is not enough and we strive for balance. We don’t want or socio-economic background. You will be demonstrating your environmental our Monarch caterpillars to starve, but neither do we want gardens over-run with milkweed. commitment – hugely important in our hearts, minds and lives. As well your Everything in balance. company will benefit from the exposure to our fast-growing membership through our high-quality newsletter, website and printed information. So the Monarch becomes our ambassador, an ambassador for the rest of the species, Whether your organisation is looking for national sponsorship or support at for biodiversity, for biosecurity, for nature. a regional or local level, we can design a package to suit. Learning about biodiversity in our backyards is fascinating. Our children may learn about kiwi • Individual gifts: You may wish to leave us a gift in your will (or bequest), and kauri, penguins and marine mammals, but unless they are very lucky there is little they can a lasting legacy ensuring that the protection of our unique butterflies and moths can continue on your behalf and for future generations. Or you do for them right in their gardens. There are many things people can do for our butterfly (and ) can leave a gift in perpetuity to the Endowment Fund, the NZ Lepidoptera species, right in their own backyard. And working with the Monarch is a beginning. Fund – a gift that keeps on giving. When the sum in the fund has built to We hope that you will find our calendar a useful tool and relish in the superb pictures and facts a certain level, it will be invested as capital and left to build each year forever. The MBNZT will be able to use a portion of the generated interest each year presented for you. Thank you for your support. to fund its work. Trustees and members • Whether you are a business or an individual, there are tax advantages in Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust donating to the MBNZT. January 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

New Year’s Day The difference between butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera is the term for butterflies and moths. NZ has a higher rate of endemic 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 Lepidoptera species than anywhere else in the world. Endemic species are ones that occur in a particular area and nowhere else on Earth. Endemism accounts for 92% of NZ’s Lepidoptera which lists at least 23 species 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 of butterfly and more than 1700 moths. The most reliable way of distinguishing a moth from a butterfly in NZ is that moths have feathery, sometimes pointed, antennae (feelers) but butterflies have clubbed antennae which terminate with 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 an expanded knob. Southland Anniversary Butterflies are generally diurnal (day flying) and moths nocturnal (night flying) although we have a number of day flying moths in NZ. The magpie moth and 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 are two that are depicted in this calendar. A third distinction is that generally Wellington Anniversary butterflies settle with wings together over their back like a yacht’s sail (exposing the undersides), whereas moths’ wings tend to lie flat over the body like a tent (with the 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 upper side of the forewing visible).

Auckland Anniversary Nelson Anniversary

30 31 1 2 3 4 5 Common Copper (Lycaena salustius) on heliotrope. Photograph by Rob Herd. February 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Common copper Lycaena salustius (Maori) Pepe Para Riki 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 The most abundant of our four copper butterflies, the habitat of this active Waitangi Day little endemic butterfly ranges from sand dunes to subalpine tussock country. It can be seen from November to April. The eggs are laid on three species 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 of Muehlenbeckia and the resulting is rather unusual in that it looks more like a velvety green slug, the legs being obscured by the fleshy flanges that overhang the body. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 The pupae can be found among the dead leaf litter beneath the food plant, and the adult butterfly emerges after eighteen days or so, living a short life of about two weeks. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 A number of varying forms have been recognised throughout different regions.

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6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Cinnabar moth (Tyrea jacobaeae). Photograph by Brian Clegg. March 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Cinnabar moth jacobaeae Introduced into this country in 1929 in an attempt to control ragwort this striking 27 28 1 2 3 4 5 moth, sometimes taken to be a butterfly, was bred in huge quantities in England and released over much of New Zealand. However, it failed to spread. Efforts to re-establish it in the 1980s were 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 more successful and it is now found over

Taranaki Anniversary much of the North Island and the north of the South Island. The colourful black and orange striped caterpillars feed ravenously on the leaves 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 and flowers of the ragwort plant, making the caterpillar and moth poisonous to Otago Anniversary most birds. The mature caterpillar reaches a size of about 30mm before pupating some distance from the plant and close to 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 the ground in a sheltered crevice or under bark.

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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Boulder Copper (Boldenaria boldenarum). Photograph by Mike Lusk. April 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Boulder Copper Boldenaria boldenarum

This little butterfly, the smallest of our 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 coppers, frequents riverbeds, stream edges and shingle beds along tracks. It is often overlooked because of its small size and its habit of flying close to the ground. Sunning itself on stones or shingle, from which it absorbs heat, 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 the male shimmers with an iridescent End of School Term 1 purple hue, while the female has a more coppery colour. When folded, the butterflies’ wings match the stony habitat perfectly, making it almost 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 invisible. The butterfly lays its eggs on Good Friday Muehlenbeckia species and the caterpillars feed on the leaves as well as being partial to the flowers. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 The insect is widespread in the South Island, but restricted to the volcanic Easter Monday plateau and a few scattered localities Anzac Day in the North Island.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NZ Red Admiral (Bassaris gonerilla gonerilla) on coreopsis. Photograph by Rob Herd. May 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

School Term 2 begins Red Admiral Bassaris gonerilla gonerilla

(Maori) Kahukura 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Other countries have similar butterflies, but this one is endemic, found only in New Zealand. Nettles are the sole food plant for the caterpillars, especially Ongaonga, the 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 vicious tree nettle that grows near forest edges. The eggs are often laid on the spines or stinging hairs on the leaf. When hatched the caterpillars feed on the leaves of the plant. The caterpillars pull the outer edges of the leaf together with 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 silk, forming a ‘tent’ in which to shelter and conceal themselves from predators during the day, and feeding from within the shelter. The butterfly is not as abundant as it once 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 was, due probably to the introduction of two parasitic wasps which attack the . The Chatham Islands has its own subspecies Bassaris gonerilla ida.

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5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Yellow Admiral (Bassaris itea) on lantana. Photograph by Norm Twigge. June 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Yellow Admiral Bassaris itea

(Maori) Kahukowhai 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 New Zealand shares this species with Queen’s Birthday Australia and other Oceanic islands. Often seen visiting flowers in suburban gardens, this relative to the Red Admiral will lay its eggs on any nettle that is available. But nettle is becoming 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 increasingly harder for the butterfly to find as the plant is often considered a weed and removed. The caterpillars are almost identical to the Red Admiral, and have the same 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 habits and development. When ready to pupate the caterpillars usually leave the nettle and move some distance to a fence or even a house wall or eaves, and hang until ready for their final moult to transform to the pupa. 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 It is at this stage they are particularly vulnerable to either of the two introduced parasitic wasps.

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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Magpie moth ( annulata) on ragwort. Photograph by Stu MacPherson. July 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Magpie moth

(Maori) Mokarakara 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 This attractive day-flying endemic moth, which is often mistaken for a butterfly, is seen from September to June throughout the country. The moth lays clusters of shiny yellow eggs on the underside of the leaves of groundsel, ragwort and 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 cinerarias. End of School The hairy caterpillars, commonly known Term 2 as ‘Woolly Bears’, are black with reddish- orange lines along the sides of the body. Both the caterpillar and moth are 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 distasteful to predators such as birds and lizards, due to the bitter tasting compounds ingested from the sap of their food plants. The distinctive pattern and colours of both adult and caterpillar are 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 a warning to potential predators. The moth has a weak fluttering flight of short distances only.

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31 1 2 3 4 5 6 Black Mountain Ringlet (Percnodaimon merula) on alpine forget-me-not. Photograph by Brian Patrick. August 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

School Term 3 begins Black Mountain Ringlet Percnodaimon merula

Soaring on the rising air currents over 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 shingle slopes above 1200m, this endemic butterfly is restricted to the South Island. Its black wings are efficient solar heating panels, and basking on rocks in the hot sun enables this butterfly to maintain 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 body temperature and flight. However, when the sun disappears and overcast conditions prevail, the butterfly will quickly lose body heat to the point where it is unable to fly, so it jerkily flips 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 itself to the protection of a rock crevice. The eggs are laid on the rocks rather than the foodplant, the heat absorbed by the sun assisting with the hatching. Like most caterpillars, their first meal 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 is their own eggshell, after which they journey off to find their foodplant, species of tussock grasses.

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4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Forest Ringlet (Dodonidia helmsii). Photograph by Owen Spearpoint. September 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Forest Ringlet Dodonidia helmsii

This butterfly, one of our exclusive 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 endemics, exists only in a handful of areas throughout the country. Once found in lowland areas, it has now moved to forested areas at higher altitudes, possibly in an attempt to escape predators such as wasps. The Department 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 of Conservation has listed this butterfly under the ‘Serious Decline’ category. Inhabiting the upper canopy of forest trees is one of the reasons the butterfly is not often sighted, the female butterfly briefly coming down to ground level to 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 lay its eggs before returning to the treetops again. Species of mountain cutty grass and sedges are the host plant for the green caterpillar, which is very hard to detect 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 on the narrow leaves.

South Canterbury Anniversary

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2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tussock Ringlet (Argyrophenga antipodum). Photograph by Chris Rickards. October 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Tussock Ringlet Argyrophenga species

At least three and possibly more 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 species of this endemic butterfly occur throughout the South Island but not End of School Term 3 in the North Island, natural grassland being the preferred habitat. The underside of the wing is marked with silver streaks, the variation of 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 the streaks being one of the means of separating the different species. Various tussocks are the food plant of the caterpillar, whose colouration blends perfectly with the leaves. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 When heading for a resting site, the butterfly has the unusual procedure Hawkes Bay Anniversary of ‘crash landing’ into the tussock rather than alighting gently as most other butterflies tend to do. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Labour Day School Term 4 begins

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Marlborough Anniversary

30 31 1 2 3 4 5 Monarch (Danaus plexippus plexippus) on tropical milkweed. Photograph by Sally Phillips. November 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Monarchs, milkweed and more (Maori) Pepepe or Kahuku Ariki • Monarch butterflies were first recorded in New Zealand in the 1860s (Hawkes Bay). 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 It is believed that they flew/blew here. Canterbury • The Monarch is classed as a native Anniversary because it arrived here naturally. • The ‘swan plant’ (Gomphocarpus physocarpus) is so named because 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 of the swan shape of the seed capsule. It originated from Africa and is just one of hundreds of plants in the milkweed family on which Monarchs and other milkweed butterflies lay their eggs. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 • It is thought that the swan plant arrived as stuffing in mattresses, and once it arrived in the late 19th century, the Monarch was able to breed here. • Monarch females will lay hundreds of 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 eggs – one laid over a thousand. • Monarchs live six to eight weeks after they have finished egg-laying (females) or used up all their sperm (males). • The caterpillar will grow about 3,000 times in size and will shed its skin 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 five times – each stage being called an instar.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi). Photograph by Mike Lusk. December 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi

(Maori) Te Parahua Wahine Kiriwaituhi 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 A migrant from Australia, this butterfly is seen in numbers some years, and none in others. Appearing in October/ November along the western coast of NZ, the first arrivals breed a second generation but fail to survive 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 our winter. Appearances of the butterfly have been recorded the length and breadth of the country. Large migrations occur in Australia during spring when emerging butterflies 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 head south again. Various foodplants are recorded; scotch thistle, wormwood, capeweed and various everlasting daisies, with the caterpillar not unlike an Admiral. The underside of the wing blends in with 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 bark and stones, making it hard to see when resting.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Micro moth – only 5.5mm long! Photograph by George Gibbs. This is an example of the worldwide moth family Micropterigidae. They have no common name but they can be called ‘jaw-moths’ because they use jaws to feed on pollen and fern spores – other moths are liquid feeders with a long coiled tongue, or else have no mouthparts at all. They are notable for being the most archaic of all the Lepidoptera, with beautiful fossils in amber from the Jurassic period (140 million years ago). They occur on all continents around the globe (except India), New Zealand having nineteen known species. This one, Micropardalis doroxena, occurs in the North Island and shares an intriguing colour pattern with several other species in the family. The black wing margin decorated with shining silver spots, together with all the diagonal bands, is thought to crudely represent a face-on view of a jumping spider, one of its key enemies. Instead of lying in wait motionless to catch the moth, the spider would be tempted to signal to an image of another spider, thus giving its presence away and allowing the moth to escape predation. However, this interpretation has never been tested.

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae rapae). Photograph by Elizabeth Steele-Collins

Cabbage White • Grow brassicas as a winter vegetable, January 2012 when the Cabbage White is not flying. Pieris rapae • Scatter brassicas among other plants Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday so they are less potent and harder for Accidentally introduced about 1930 it has the butterflies to find. become our most common butterfly. Despite • Handpick the caterpillars and leave them early attempts to control it by the introduction somewhere else for the birds to eat. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 of two species of parasitic wasp, the butterfly spread rapidly and is now found from coastal • Cover freshly transplanted seedlings. sites through to mountain ranges. Pegged-down old net curtains are great. The green caterpillar feeds on a variety of • Mulch around plants in summer – 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 brassica leaves. Although an attractive butterfly but remove debris in the winter. in its own right, it is the enemy of home • Brassicas are heavy feeders. Grow gardeners growing vegetables and some companion plants: beetroot, celery, effort is needed to keep it under control. celeriac, dill, rosemary, hyssop and 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 It is often seen flying in cool overcast sage around the outside of the garden. conditions and even slight drizzle, conditions • Grow plants attracting lacewings and that force other butterflies to rest. hoverflies (phacelia and carrot family). How to Survive the Cabbage White • Spray sour milk, rhubarb, garlic or fish fertiliser sprays – or sprays made from lettuce All brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 leaves. This changes the way your plants red cabbage, kohlrabi, kale, mustard and smell, and confuses the female butterflies. various Asian greens) can be attacked, usually during the warm summer months. • Sprinkle flour on the leaves. When wet, 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 The caterpillars hatch from eggs laid under the flour turns to paste and smothers the the leaves and eat big holes out of them. caterpillars. Common Copper (Lycaena salustius) Cinnabar moth (Tyrea jacobaeae) Boulder Copper (Boldenaria boldenarum) NZ Red Admiral (Bassaris gonerilla gonerilla) Photograph by Rob Herd Photograph by Brian Clegg Photograph by Mike Lusk Photograph by Rob Herd

Magpie moth (Nyctemera annulata) Yellow Admiral (Bassaris itea) Black Mountain Ringlet (Percnodaimon merula) Forest Ringlet (Dodonidia helmsii) Photograph by Stu MacPherson Photograph by Norm Twigge Photograph by Brian Patrick Photograph by Owen Spearpoint

Tussock Ringlet (Argyrophenga antipodum) Monarch (Danaus plexippus plexippus) Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi) Micro moth Photograph by Chris Rickards Photograph by Sally Phillips Photograph by Mike Lusk Photograph by George Gibbs

Many thanks to Norm Twigge and Jacqui Knight for their extensive work, and the photographers who made this calendar possible. Many thanks to Robyn at La Roche Design (www.larochedesign.co.nz) for donating her time for the graphic design.

Price $20.00 each. All proceeds to the Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust