Tales from the Garden: Dragonfly surprises

But it all starts with an unusual butterfly sighting...

April 2025

On the first sunny day after we moved in, I was standing on the deck overlooking the back garden and was delighted to see a common blue butterfly sunning itself on a tree. September, which is the first month of Spring in the southern hemisphere, is very early to see them and I happily snapped a photo.

Common blue butterfly, Zizina otis labradus

The next moment I froze. A dragonfly had flown up and landed on my shoulder. I had read about how a conservationist had become passionate about dragonflies after one landed on him. I now understood why. I couldn't see it and when I moved to photograph it, it decided it needed a better spot to warm itself and flew off down the valley. Little Miss 6 was with me and described big green eyes, which might mean a Hemicordulia species.

That moment cemented the idea of having a wildlife pond in the garden. To have an area of still water specifically to attract local dragonflies and have a water source for birds, insects and lizards that doesn't dry up after a couple of hot Auckland days, unlike the birdbaths. This isn't a project for 2025, as establishing the butterfly garden and replanting the bush come first, but nevertheless I have already undertaken research into it and am excited, if not for the digging, then the planting up and imagining sitting by it!

I had only seen one more fleeting glance of a dragonfly in the garden over the summer until February. Then we had a very special visitor.

Uropetala carovei

This is a New Zealand bush giant dragonfly. They are a forest dragonfly and are New Zealand's largest dragonfly at up to 9.5cm. She came to join three generations of my family on our deck one evening and wasn't disturbed by our interest in her or the bustle of us coming and going below where she sat above our kitchen window. She stayed with us for a good half hour and disappeared off for the night.

Our unexpected guest joining us for drinks on the deck

This is a female, because the males have appendages on the abdomen that look like petals. Apparently the females only venture 100m or so from where they emerged as an adult, so were we lucky to see her. Males can travel up to 5km from where they emerge.

Bush giants breed by forest streams and the adults feed on flying insects, such as wasps, cicadas and - gasp - butterflies! As they are part of the natural food chain in Aotearoa, I will grin and bear it, but their naiads (larvae) are targeted by rats and night-active cats, two predators that have had a devastating effect on New Zealand wildlife. Hopefully our garden will become a safe refuge for dragonflies with our rat trapping and insect-friendly spaces. I can't wait to see more dragonflies in the garden!