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 moths. • 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 Lepidoptera 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 caterpillars 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, insects 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 insect 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 moth) 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 Cinnabar moth are two that are depicted in this calendar. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 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 upper side of the forewing visible). 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 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 caterpillar 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. A number of varying forms have been 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 recognised throughout different regions. 27 28 1 2 3 4 5 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 Tyria 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 and flowers of the ragwort plant, making 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 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. 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 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 coppers, frequents riverbeds, stream 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 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 invisible. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 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.