A kahukōwhai for winter
Enjoying an hour with the butterflies, and introducing my new monthly offering
Today’s premium newsletter is going out to all members.
I’m starting a new monthly newsletter and would like to share the first edition with all of you. As always thank you so much for letting me fill your inbox with nature!
Kia ora,
Today I bring something a little different. Thank you to all of those who shared feedback about potential changes - it was split 50/50! So in the end I’ve made a call based on sustainability for me and best value for you, of course taking your comments on board.
I’ll still email you every Sunday morning, with something from the garden that week (perhaps bouncing off my Weekly Wildlife topic). However, this will now be a short and sweet highlight from the garden.
For something extra special, there’ll be an extended newsletter at the end of every month to share and celebrate the garden and its wildlife through the month.
So, what’s been my highlight in the garden this week?
Well, the riroriro (grey warblers) have continued to keep me company in the garden… but more exciting was being visited by a kahukōwhai (yellow admiral butterfly). Yes, at this time of year! It utilised the dandelions most of all, but also took breaks to bask, and gave its nod of approval by spending a lot of time in and around the butterfly garden.
Spots it used for basking:
Woodpile behind the butterfly garden
Corrugated iron sheets
Horse chestnut tree behind the butterfly garden (trunk and leaves)
My (bright yellow) bag
Flowers it visited:
Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
Catsear - Hypochaeris radicata
Yarrow - Achillea millefolium
White Alyssum - Lobularia maritima
California poppy - Eschscholzia californica
California poppy is an environmental weed. The plant “tolerates hot, dry conditions and thrives in poor soils” (see Weedbusters, my weed bible) so invades habitats like braided areas, which are important breeding grounds for some of our endangered native birds. When they appear (in seed mixes, or brought by birds) I let them flower, and then snip the heads off so they can’t go to seed.
Your first monthly newsletter
Click below to download. There’s a colour version if you’re reading on a device, and a black & white edition so you’ve got the option to print it out if you like.