Winter butterflies and moths

Including a new-to-New Zealand biosecurity risk!

August 2025

I thought it was time to write again about butterflies and naturally winter has slowed things considerably. There is only one yellow admiral chrysalis left from the multitude of caterpillars that demolished my nettles in autumn and I think it is not viable. That said, I thought that too about the one that eclosed a few days ago, so what do I know?

A yellow admiral released at the end of July

I haven't seen any other butterflies in the garden for months. Whilst it is winter, we have had a few warm days where I would expect monarchs and other overwintering species to be active enough to feed. I am pleased that there is nectar in the garden for the honey and bumblebees still around, but if there are butterflies locally, they are not here. Perhaps next winter when the garden is more established, they will come on sunny days. The only monarch I've seen this winter was at Auckland Botanic Gardens.

Winter has meant that captures in the moth trap have slowed too. However, I am still seeing moths that are new to me. One of these moths has quite a story behind it.

Jasmine moth, Palpita vitrealis

I caught the moth pictured above in my moth trap at the end of July. It may be a beautiful change from all the brown moths, but it turns out it is actually a regulated and unwanted pest in the Official New Zealand Pest Register, despite it likely having made its way to New Zealand by itself, making it native. It is Palpita vitrealis, also known as the Jasmine Moth or Olive Moth, after the two plants it likes to chow down on.

It was first spotted in New Zealand three winters ago at Leigh, north of Auckland, and put on iNaturalistNZ. Lepidopterists picked up the sighting and luckily contacted the observer before the moth had found a way out of his house, enabling the moth to be caught for DNA testing. With a number of moth species looking similar, it was not known which one had made it to New Zealand.

Results of that testing only came out nine months ago and Biosecurity New Zealand put out technical advice on this species in December 2024, using iNaturalist sightings. There had been 10 by then across the north of New Zealand, including in Auckland. Apparently the moth can be detrimental to olive orchards, but overall it has been deemed low risk and the ability to eradicate it is difficult now it has been sighted over such a wide area.

My observation was the 20th on iNaturalist in New Zealand and, given there is an olive tree in a pot next to where I put the moth trap, it is perhaps not so surprising that I caught one. They also will feed on privets, amongst other species, if they can't get jasmine or olives. There are still lots of Chinese and tree privets around Auckland, as well as pink jasmine, which is a terrible weed in reserves, so I think this moth is only going to get more prevalent in the city.

For those who have had enough of imports after that, and there are plenty in the moth world, there are also the locals around. This big, dark brown endemic moth is the Brown Evening Moth, Gellonia dejectaria.

Brown Evening Moth, Gellonia dejectaria

This one did not make it into the trap, but was on a tree close by, no doubt attracted by the ultraviolet light. I've found them in my porch before as well. They are common across New Zealand, but are only found in this country, making them as special as our more iconic wildlife.

Another moth that did not make it into a trap this time, but was attracted to our lights, is the Cabbage Tree Bell Moth, Catamacta lotinana. It is also endemic to New Zealand, but unlike the evening moth, is found only in pockets across the country. I couldn't find information online about it, nor was it in my 'Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand' book by Robert Hoare. It's a moth I've seen both in Birkenhead and in Hillcrest since I started moth trapping, so it has to be pretty common, but is likely overlooked. You can see how small it is in comparison to my finger.

Trying to encourage Catamacta lotinana, the cabbage tree bell moth, to leave the house

Tī kōuka / cabbage trees support a number of moth species and we have quite a few of them in the garden here, but the moth most associated with them is the cabbage tree moth, Epiphryne verriculata. It is known for its camouflage and it specifically chooses to alight on dead cabbage tree leaves, which it blends in with. One was captured in July's moth trapping and I've seen their caterpillars in the garden too on a very short tree(!), because they live down at the heart.

The cabbage tree moth, Epiphryne verriculata, showing the markings that help it hide on its host plant

In a couple of months I will have a year's worth of moth trapping information in this new garden (will I be able to call it 'new' after a year?) It will be interesting to see if the new species of native plants I am bringing into the garden this winter will result in new moth species in time. I have recorded a big range of moths here already - 125 species of butterflies and moths in the garden in total - which is about 22% of the species recorded on iNaturalist in the Auckland region. There will be more around of course, but it is hard to spot and identify micromoths, and most being nocturnal means that they are less often spotted than diurnal (day) creatures. Still, that is a fair whack, especially as I can only trap next to the house because its a mains power beginners trap. I am guardian to a pretty special suburban garden.