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Possums in the garden!
Turns out there is lots going on at night in the garden. Possums are sauntering around.
Aug 10, 20253 min read


What's going on at night?
A new trail camera helps me uncover the answers to the garden's great mysteries
Aug 3, 20252 min read


New beds for the butterfly garden
After a month of work we have new garden beds and cleared borders. Bring on spring!
Jul 27, 20254 min read


Chew cards underline rat problem
I put chew cards out to test for predators. The rats let me know just how many of them were still in the garden.
Jul 20, 20253 min read


Flower power for pollinators
What plants worked best in the small butterfly garden this summer? What will I continue to grow and what will be abandoned?
Jul 13, 20256 min read


Tales from the garden: Kaka
A kaka comes to visit on Matariki and we watch it foraging for wood boring insects
Jul 5, 20253 min read


Butterfly visitors this summer
Which butterflies visited in summer 2024/25? Which didn't?
Jun 29, 20255 min read


Battling the mudbath
Why winter gardening is not recommended. The heavy work to expand the butterfly garden means getting muddy.
Jun 22, 20254 min read


Yellow admirals every day!
Yellow admiral butterflies are eclosing daily, despite the winter weather.
Jun 15, 20252 min read


Dead hedge and (tiny) nettle bed
Our not quite Insta-worthy dead hedge and definitely not butterfly worthy nettle bed is constructed
Jun 8, 20253 min read


What, no wētā?
I look for wētā at night, but find spiders instead. Google helps me figure out why.
Jun 1, 20253 min read


Planting trees for the kids
We finally plant trees in the garden - one each for our children - but with no placentas to plant underneath, we improvise.
May 25, 20253 min read


Be a butterfly citizen scientist!
Keep your eyes open for overwintering groups of monarchs and monarchs with "tags".
May 17, 20252 min read


Yellow admirals flourishing
There are yellow admiral caterpillars everywhere, eating me out of house and home.
May 15, 20251 min read


Raising Reds
A guide how NOT to raise red admiral butterflies. Various disasters have hit my red admiral caterpillars but a few beautiful ones have made it to become butterflies.
May 13, 20253 min read


Autumn brings a lot of work
The lomandra is finally gone, but there is plenty still to dig up.
May 4, 20253 min read


Come on the blues!
A Rotorua visit proves that the common blue butterfly is indeed common. I enjoy seeing them in every direction.
Apr 24, 20252 min read


What's the big deal about wasps?
Wasps. Why they are a big deal and what we can do, if anything, to get rid of the evil things.
Apr 17, 20256 min read


Yellow Admiral visitor
A beautiful yellow admiral butterfly visits unexpectedly to lay its eggs.
Apr 14, 20253 min read


Tales from the Garden: Dragonfly surprises
My first experiences of dragonflies in the new Auckland garden, but it all starts with an unusual butterfly sighting.
Apr 2, 20252 min read
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