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

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.

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.

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

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.

How I found out what introduced predators are in my garden and why they are a problem.

Lomandra defeats all the planning and clearing the site for the butterfly garden stalls

The garden is filled with pest plants and we needed help. I also manage to talk butterflies, 'cos that's how I roll.

Step 2 of the project plan is to monitor moths and butterflies. Each month I trap moths to see what's nearby.