Butterfly gardening

Articles about creating a butterfly garden, flowers for attracting New Zealand butterflies, raising butterflies in captivity and visiting butterfly houses and butterfly-friendly gardens.

A tagged monarch feeding from a bright purple tree dahlia flower

Auckland winter monarchs

Winter cold is only slowing the monarchs. I find new eggs days from our coldest weather yet this year.

Butterfly gardening

3 days ago5 min read

A red admiral partly in late sunshine on a red leaf

Rocking the reds: Red admirals eclose

Some red admiral butterflies survive being raised by me this winter

Butterfly gardening

Jul 252 min read

Visit to Addenbrooke Garden

Addenbrooke Garden is a lovely rural garden at Botany with its fair share of summer butterflies.

Butterfly gardening

Jun 142 min read

Bright Street wall mural kowhai butterfly

Visit to Bright Street Community Garden

A visit to Bright Street Community Garden uncovers an award-winning, relaxing certified butterfly garden

Butterfly gardening

Jun 92 min read

Late autumn flowers in the butterfly garden

May sees many flowers disappear from the garden. What nectar is available for our flying friends?

Butterfly gardening

May 313 min read

A bench covered in colourful autumn leaves

Butterfly garden autumn update

What is happening in the butterfly garden in late autumn? It's all at snail's pace.

Butterfly gardening

May 234 min read

A view looking down on a tree canopy and pond

Surrounded by butterflies - Visit to Wellington Botanic Garden

A visit to Wellington Botanic Garden yields butterflies galore. All the wildlife comes as a shock.

Butterfly gardening

May 44 min read

Mid-autumn flowers for butterflies

Flowers become scarcer in April and I notice what is flowering on our Easter travels.

Butterfly gardening

Apr 302 min read

Monarch butterfly tagging update

I tag my first monarch and see more tagged monarchs in the garden. Exciting!

Butterfly gardening

Apr 74 min read

Early autumn flowers for NZ butterflies

What flowers have been feeding butterflies in March?

Butterfly gardening

Mar 303 min read

A paper wasp feeding from bright orange flowers

Are caterpillars safe from wasps now?

Are caterpillars safe from invasive wasps now and can we leave them to develop without intervention?

Butterfly gardening

Mar 192 min read

Hello yellows!

Yellow admirals have brought colour and energy at the changing of the season.

Butterfly gardening

Mar 172 min read

a tagged monarch butterfly feeding on a bright orange zinnia

Monarch butterfly tagging

With autumn arriving, butterfly lovers have started tagging monarchs and they are appearing in my garden

Butterfly gardening

Mar 84 min read

Spoiled for butterflies: Big Butterfly Count surveys

Results of my Big Butterfly Count surveys and I try to fathom why I have butterflies while many haven't

Butterfly gardening

Mar 13 min read

Late summer flowers for butterflies

Late summer flowers for butterflies? The long-flowering perennials just keep going.

Butterfly gardening

Feb 274 min read

Admiral butterflies in the garden

Red and yellow admirals find the flower garden, joining monarchs, blues and cabbage whites.

Butterfly gardening

Feb 83 min read

The big butterfly count 2026

Please spare 15 minutes for this NZ butterfly citizen science project! The Big Butterfly Count is back!

Butterfly gardening

Feb 31 min read

NZ butterfly plants: mid-summer flowers

What are the best butterfly flowers for mid-summer in Auckland?

Butterfly gardening

Jan 303 min read

Wild weather. Resilient butterflies.

The wild weather has been a curse, but the silver lining has been relief for the butterflies & plants

Butterfly gardening

Jan 255 min read

December visit to Franklin Farm butterfly house

A return visit to Franklin Farm butterfly house in Waimauku, west Auckland, inspires me.

Butterfly gardening

Jan 162 min read