... prompting concerned calls to the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust. The eggs will hatch, and out will come caterpillars – and you’re in business. A booming population of monarch caterpillars has been eating swan plants bare this summer. This parasite is part of the monarch’s ecosystem. The eggs will hatch, the tiny caterpillars can crawl through the net and live relatively undisturbed from wasps. This will further help us with our work. Assassin bugs feast on monarch caterpillars; Birds (Black-backed orioles and black-headed grosbeaks are common predators for butterflies overwintering in Mexico.) They will not need to feed until the weather changes. … The term ‘milkweed’ can be confusing – but a Fact Sheet on this is available. All insects go through a series of changes as they mature (called metamorphosis) unlike mammals, where the young are born as ‘miniature’ adults. When the pupa is ready to hatch, the shell will be transparent and you can see the dark colours of the butterfly’s wings folded up inside. No one species or animal should be considered as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Of all the possible predators in the sanctuary area, only 3 species prey extensively on monarchs: one mouse species and two bird species. The Life Cycle Of The Monarch Butterfly. What food plants can I feed a monarch butterfly in NZ? The egg takes 5-10 days, the larva/caterpillar and pupa/chrysalis each take about 10-14 days. The cat. Scientists believe that monarchs were blown from New Caledonia and/or Vanuatu to Australia via cyclones and then blown over to New Zealand a few years later. Not only did Hurricane Dorian in 2019 blow over the plants in the lab’s monarch garden, but also finding pesticide-free milkweed plants that the caterpillars would eat was harder than expected. Add a drop of soy sauce to give minerals needed for reproduction. “Food of Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus [L.]) Larvae in New Zealand” by G. W. Ramsay The most important thing to remember is that pumpkin and other alternative foods should only be fed to 5th instar Monarch caterpillars. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to cure or fix butterflies suffering from this disease. A. These are scent glands. In a country like NZ there should be no need for artificial diets. Throw it over the plant and the monarch will lay eggs where the net touches the leaves. Once the caterpillar eats the milkweed the chemical is passed into its body. Males will die 6-8 weeks after using up all their sperm mating with a succession of females. In my experience, nectar is usually clear. Of course you can also Contact Us but please do so if your question has not been answered here or in the forum. You will see that the strongest plants grow in ‘wild’ gardens. Please consider joining the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust so that we can put together more of this information. It is possible to replace a broken wing by gluing on a perfect wing from a dead butterfly. They usually choose flowers with bright colours, purples, pinks and blues in mass plantings. The hardy parasite forms spores on the exoskeleton (or effectively ‘skin’) of adult monarchs. It’s as much a part of the monarch’s environment as fleas are to a dog. Do not use honey as it could be spreading bee diseases. They are not specifically monarch predators; instead, they eat leaves and especially milkweed seed pods. People also love these ideas When a parasitized caterpillar hangs upside down in the pre-pupal “J”-shape, several tachinid fly larvae or maggots will come out of the monarch. In this way, any disease cannot spread as rapidly. If you are sure the chrysalis is not diseased (e.g. Monarch caterpillars do only eat plants in the Milkweed family (Asclepias spp), so if we want to help them out in our wildlife gardens, we still need to add these plants to our gardens. The healthiest monarch butterflies have been thriving without our help for millions of years. Caterpillars feed on willow, poplar, and cottonwood trees and can eat twice their body weight in a single day, and as such, grow quickly. Consider doing a “Create Butterfly Habitat” course (on-line) to learn more about our butterfly species and how to avoid disease and other pests. However, if you want a garden full of butterflies then it is important to discourage and reduce the other creatures (predators/parasites/pathogens) that use it as food. Adult butterflies need plants giving nectar. During the late larval and pupal stages the parasite undergoes asexual and sexual replication and when the adult butterflies emerge from their pupal cases they have a new generation of parasite spores on the outsides of their bodies. Monarch butterflies are New Zealand’s largest butterfly and have been here since the late 1800s. Every living thing will die – but hopefully before doing so it will have added to the population. Although found in many places around the world, the monarch is considered a New Zealand native because it became established here on its own. See the separate page on ‘butterfly gardening’ for ideas, and to get a list of typical nectar plants, download the colourful poster. Buddleias and Hebes are very popular. I’ve never seen any that was the color of the flower, but I haven’t looked at nectar from every flower species. Disease can also be transmitted from caterpillars and will badly infect pupae – so if you are breeding monarchs ensure that you keep their food supply in small, separate ‘islands’ in your garden rather than a concentrated area. Article by The Healing Lotus. The mantis is nearly the size of a human finger and it is found in the eastern United States. Monarch caterpillars, or larvae, are specialist herbivores of milkweed plants, such as … How can I tell a male from a female monarch? http://www.nzbutterflies.org.nz/about-us/how-to-join/. Overcrowded conditions are not seen in nature. They are cold-blooded and do not ‘suffer’ in the cold. Plant them NOW (whatever the time of year) and grow them so you have lots of food for your monarchs in the spring or look for Yates seeds at your nearest retailer. How do I help a butterfly with a damaged wing? As well, moths tend to have plumper bodies than butterflies, and because moths’ scales tend to be larger they give the appearance of being more dusty. Instar 3 caterpillars measure up to a half-inch in length. In NZ the natural food species of the monarch ( Danaus plexippus ) larvae is the Asclepiadiae family – milkweed which includes swan plant ( Gomphocarpus fruticosus ) and giant swan plant ( G. physocarpus ) as well as Asclepias species such as tropical milkweed/bloodflower ( A. curassavica ). swan plant) and the major predator of caterpillars, the social wasps. There are many types of injuries – and sometimes it is time for the butterfly to die. Swan plants are the main source of food. See it here. Cover a plant when you have seen a female monarch laying eggs. Monarch butterflies all over the world are infected with Ophryocystis elektroscirrha or Oe. It is possible to decontaminate cages and other equipment by soaking them in a 10% bleach solution. The other type of insect development is called incomplete metamorphosis. Full instructions can be found here. Some wasps have been deliberately introduced to control the white butterfly. What is Oe or Ophryocystis elektroscirrha? Also, you will want to ensure that you have a copious supply of their host plant. https://www.monarch.org.nz/items-for-sale/seeds/. Reading a little more, I found that they will indiscriminately eat monarch eggs and small caterpillars along with the leaves. Considering a monarch butterfly can lay around 1,000 eggs – even the norm of 200-300 – if every one of these eggs resulted in a healthy adult, we would soon be overrun with monarch butterflies. Th… *** If you have “run out of food” place a notice in the forum but make sure to say where you live. Seeds are $5 a packet. The process from egg to butterfly is weather dependent and also depends on the regional climate. Also in cold dry weather sugar water can form crystals inside the butterfly. Monarch caterpillars are uniquely designed to specifically feed on one plant, the milkweed. In March, I had 30 caterpillars and 25 of them made it to the chrysalis stage. The female butterfly will donate a few eggs to your cause as it flies around looking for milkweed. Everything is part of the food chain, i.e. You can then watch your caterpillars grow. Nature is meant to be diverse. So here are some tips. If not, i.e. The tropical milkweed comes in two colours -scarlet (which has a gold centre) and gold (all yellow). In winter, autumn and spring it takes a lot longer (if it happens at all – they can continue to breed throughout the year in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Nelson-Marlborough and Northland). Overcrowded conditions are not seen in nature. We did find a few caterpillar bodies though, and suspected we had a wasp problem. Another difference is that butterflies have clavate or club-like antennae or feelers, but the feelers of moths are feathery (pectinate). Just to complicate things… there is one species of butterfly in Siberia which spins a cocoon. The new skin soon hardens and molds itself to the caterpillar, which often eats the shed skin before starting in anew on plant food! Setting up the Caterpillar Enclosure Choose a medium-sized container with a tight-fitting mesh top. The transformation happens suddenly and if you turn away for a few minutes you will usually come back to find a butterfly. There are ideas on the two attachments below for removing the major species that affect your milkweed (e.g. Monarchs have been doing just fine without our help for millions of years. There are four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly. How can I tell the difference between a moth and a butterfly? In the meantime, consider doing a “Create Butterfly Habitat” course (on-line) to learn more about our butterfly species and getting the best from your plant. Most birds will take one taste of a monarch and find it too bitter, so recognise the warning colours and don’t try to eat it again. The monarch butterfly is a much-loved visitor to New Zealand gardens however these beauties often need a little extra support to thrive. These parasitoids lay their eggs on monarch caterpillars. This wonderful plant is the reason why the Monarch butterfly has been proven beyond doubt to be the most beautiful butterfly … Suddenly I had an answer to my prayer–cut off the flowers! Monarchs are found primarily in North, Central, and South America but also occur intermittently in other parts … So not every egg is destined to become a butterfly. Here is more about the trust and what you can do to help support New Zealand monarchs: Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust Info W hat to feed starving caterpillars? That way they will acclimatise more easily. Monarch butterfly caterpillars adapt: we always thought they would only eat milkweed, but turns out they’ll eat squash and cucumbers! Monarch butterfly, member of the milkweed butterfly group known for its large size, its orange and black wings, and its long annual migrations. Have a great day, New Zealand, hope this helps. I noticed they were eating the nectar on the flowers and the cats the leaves. There is a poster showing many nectar plants available from the MBNZT. A pupa that falls or is dented may well be infected with disease. In NZ the natural food species of the monarch (Danaus plexippus) larvae is the Asclepiadiae family – milkweed which includes swan plant (Gomphocarpus fruticosus) and giant swan plant (G. physocarpus) as well as Asclepias species such as tropical milkweed/bloodflower (A. curassavica). Also, down the right-hand side of this page are “Hot Tags”. If you don’t have the time or inclination to do the job well, our suggestion is to pop your injured monarch into a container and put it in the deepfreeze. All creatures depend on other species (plant and animal) for their survival. Oe causes considerable harm to monarchs, reducing pre-adult survival, adult body mass, mating ability, fecundity, flight ability, and adult lifespan. The only way to stop the parasite is to ensure food plants do not become infected with spores, which is almost impossible for plants maintained outside. How long does it take for a monarch butterfly to leave the chrysalis? Thank you Jesus for saving my cats! It is a protozoan parasite that is a monarch specialist. You can exterminate these pests but that breaks down the natural ecology of your habitat. Thanks to an excellent study at the School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, we are now better equipped to help monarch butterflies. Their wings are naturally shower-proof; the rain runs down and off them like it does off roof tiles. It is important that unhealthy butterflies do not reproduce. A central principle of ecology (the study of ecosystems, ecosystems being the natural unit in which a species lives) is that each living thing has an ongoing and continual relationship with every other thing that makes up its environment. Only a few of these eggs will mature to become butterflies – some will become food for predators or succumb to parasites etc. Firstly, remember that a female monarch will lay hundreds of eggs – one laid over a thousand! The spores then open in the gut, and the parasites penetrate the gut wall. Early in 2020 Dr Phil Lester and Mariana Bulgarella at the School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington investigated how many monarch butterflies in NZ carried the parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, commonly referred to as Oe. Hungry Monarch Caterpillars Seek “Alternative Fuels” in wake of Milkweed Shortage. Its system will shut down and within 24 hours it will not be alive. After mating the butterfly has done what it was created for – to continue the species. you knocked it off yourself) it can be rehung by tying cotton around the cremaster (the black stem at the top) using miniature pegs, or it can be glued by using a glue gun. The monarch butterfly's main habitat is urban and suburban gardens. Chalcid Wasps (monarch chrysalis parasite) Lizards; Mice will eat chrysalides; Spined Soldier Bug- Predatory Stink Bugs; Toads; Tachinid flies (monarch caterpillar parasite) Imagine how many monarch butterflies there would be if we helped every one! Whereas we shut the windows, turn up the heat or add another layer of clothing wild animals, just as their forebears have done for thousands of years, will more than likely find shelter and wait the weather out. There are ideas on the two attachments below for removing the major species that affect your milkweed (e.g. This explains why the Monarch butterfly is also known as the milkweed butterfly. How do I help a butterfly that is hurt? Yes, but it is always better to choose a natural diet, the nectar from fresh flowers. It is during this stage that Monarchs do all of their growing. Prune your plant so that there are many branches, providing many leaves. How can I best help monarch butterflies in NZ? According to the National Geographic, the mantis is probably one of the few animals which prey on monarch butterfly caterpillars rather successfully. But in bad weather (cold or wet) you can best help a butterfly by putting it on flowers in a sheltered position, or by bringing it indoors. It may be best to euthanise the pupa (by wrapping it in a tissue, and putting it in the deep-freeze). Their Maori name is kakahu. You could get a very fine capillary tube, like the kind that they use to draw blood after they prick yo… Place a bead of glue on a suitable support and then place the silk mat or the cremaster into the glue. It can take about four weeks in the peak of the summer in warmer climates. Spores are clustered among the butterfly scales and concentrated mostly on the abdomen.