Wildlife

An update on all the wins and losses recently in the garden: Butterflies, wildlife & plants

I am distracted by three new-to-me cicada species in the warm November weather, meaning the gardening didn't get done.

What's worse than a new wasp in the garden? Three more. Anterhynchium tamarinum is definitely established locally.

Anterhynchium tamarinum is not known to be established in NZ, but I caught one.

A couple of successful wasp trap lures plus loads that did not work. Plus a new wasp to contend with.

Blackbirds may have a lovely song, but they are decimating my seedlings.

Yellow-legged hornets, Vespa velutina, have been found nearby and I try more traps and recipes for wasp capture

I make a barrel pond with New Zealand native pond plants and there are already visitors!

Killing wasps now saves butterflies. Find out the unusual place I found a paper wasp nest.

Birkenhead's birdlife is flourishing. Each garden has something to offer, which makes for great birdwatching

All praying mantis eat butterflies, but South African mantis also eat New Zealand mantis. This means war.

A new trail camera helps me uncover the answers to the garden's great mysteries

A kaka comes to visit on Matariki and we watch it foraging for wood boring insects

I look for wētā at night, but find spiders instead. Google helps me figure out why.

A Rotorua visit proves that the common blue butterfly is indeed common. I enjoy seeing them in every direction.

My first experiences of dragonflies in the new Auckland garden, but it all starts with an unusual butterfly sighting.

Every wildlife garden needs water, but its going to take a lot more work until I get it right.

It's February and there are cicadas everywhere! Their songs are definitely the sound of summer!

I see a stick insect for only the second time and hope it won't be as long until the next sighting.

A tui nest is discovered in the garden and we watch them grow to fledglings