Papamoa/Tauranga - Blue Moon/Painted Lady butterfly invasion

[Tim Barnard]

Hi
Paddy Latham reported one in the dunes this morning and later a male and female in his garden. Murray Smith also had two today - a male and a female at his property.
Cheers
Tim

[Tim Barnard]

Some video links to yesterdays butterflies from Murray ...

http://youtu.be/uyhOrPgspjI

http://youtu.be/m-BZAu5mKIw

http://youtu.be/a2TFXQ6ejNs

and a photo from Paddy ...

[Davidthomas]

My father in Morrinsville said he saw one yesterday. So obviously people in the northern north Island should be on the look out!

[Colin Miskelly]

We saw 8 blue moon butterflies at Tawharanui Regional Park today - 5 females and 3 males. Got reasonable images of a female, but the males were less obliging.

Most were out at the farthest point (Tokatu Point) on manuka and koromiko blossom, but one was near the Anchor Bay car park. They were only noticed when the sun came out (which was not often today), so there could be a lot more there on a nice day.

There must be a lot in the country at present.

Cheers
Colin

[Steps]

I rem these being very common in Sth Auckland as a child....

[Colin Miskelly]

Images of female and male blue moon butterflies (aka great eggflies) taken at Tokatu Point, Tawharanui on 21 April. The female has orange on her wings.

[Tim Barnard]

Still whizzing about Murrays garden today and Paddy is still seeing them in the Papamoa dunes ... I saw a female this morning near the car-park at Okere Falls, down Trout Pool Road ...

[Tim Barnard]

Paddy is also getting Painted lady butterflies too - one in the Papamoa dunes today. Must be some passerines out there too ...

[Minnie]

This is a Beauty that visited me the other day and was stuck in my lounge room for a while, I had never seen one here in Tauranga before, they are very beautiful !

image.jpg (85.97 KiB) Viewed 6834 times

[David Riddell]

... and one on the west coast. Saw a male at Orua Bay, near Manukau Heads, on Wednesday (4 June). It was sitting on a manuka at the top of a vertical bank behind the beach - couldn't get close to it, but got the photo below for the record.