All Posts

Our not quite Insta-worthy dead hedge and definitely not butterfly worthy nettle bed is constructed

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

We finally plant trees in the garden - one each for our children - but with no placentas to plant underneath, we improvise.

Keep your eyes open for overwintering groups of monarchs and monarchs with "tags".

There are yellow admiral caterpillars everywhere, eating me out of house and home.

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.

The lomandra is finally gone, but there is plenty still to dig up.

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

Wasps. Why they are a big deal and what we can do, if anything, to get rid of the evil things.

A beautiful yellow admiral butterfly visits unexpectedly to lay its eggs.

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

What flowers attract common blue butterflies? Find out with a tour of the butterfly garden led by Zizina otis

A visit to Franklin Farm's butterfly house is AMAZING and I watch monarchs on the beautiful range of flowers.

English style flower gardens around Auckland to get inspiration from for my butterfly garden

I want to choose native plants that belong in this habitat, but I need to plant for erosion as well. Why I'm a native plant hypocrite.

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!

This week was I Love Butterflies week and the Big Backyard Butterfly Count. See what I spotted!

A visit to West Lynn Gardens butterfly house, filled with tropical planting and monarch butterflies

Success! Monarchs finally arrive in the butterfly garden and I note which flowers are their favourites.