Yellow admiral butterflies are eclosing daily, despite the winter weather.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Cabbage whites are the only butterflies around and I begin to appreciate them.

I find beautiful coastal copper butterflies at the beach and hope they make it to my butterfly garden

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

New Zealand has a range of native nettles, which admiral butterflies need for food and which I'm incapable of growing.

Introduction to the garden & planned projects for butterflies & wildlife. Start reading here.