Butterfly Project Goes Nationwide!

An Auckland-based conservation initiative focused on the New Zealand red admiral butterfly (Vanessa gonerilla gonerilla) is spreading its wings.

The New Zealand Red Admiral Project, led by the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust (MBNZT), is inviting people across the country to help raise and release one of New Zealand’s most striking endemic butterflies.

The red admiral is a familiar species in some parts of the country, but it is uncommon in other regions. The expanded project will encourage the public to grow the native nettles that the butterfly’s caterpillars depend on, and where the conditions are right, raise caterpillars.

Founding trustee Jacqui Knight, MNZM says the project aims to raise awareness of, and understand, NZ’s native butterflies.

“Most New Zealanders know monarch butterflies but we also have our own beautiful native species,” Knight says. “By planting the right host plants and nectar flowers people everywhere can help support them.”

The nationwide project was launched in Auckland in 2023 and already people are spotting the beautiful butterfly visiting their gardens.

“While it’s a forest species, where conditions are right it will be seen nectaring in people’s suburban gardens,” she said. “Up until the project began it had not been seen in Auckland for about twenty years.”

And now with a funding boost from the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s CARE grant programme, the project can be rolled out nationwide.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

“This is aligned with our mission of connecting people with wildlife and wild places to inspire conservation action,” said Emily Geest, Conservation Scientist at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. “We select projects through our CARE grant programme that have real value for protecting species and habitats. We strongly support community science and education about pollinators.”

“We were already receiving requests from people in Northland and the Waikato wanting to be a part of the project,” Knight said. “As our organisation is volunteer-led, it is important to have funding to support gardeners, schools, and conservation groups involved in the project.”

The MBNZT welcomes inquiries from anywhere in New Zealand.

More information at www.nzbutterflies.org.nz/project/red-admiral-project/.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading