Painted lady butterflies, Wellington

Discuss natural history subjects not strictly related to birds. Reports of interesting mammal, reptile, and invertebrate sightings are welcome.
Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Painted lady butterflies, Wellington

Postby Colin Miskelly » Sat Sep 11, 2021 3:26 pm

Kia ora

This morning I saw two recently-emerged painted lady butterflies on the Tip Track (off Happy Valley Rd, Owhiro Bay). Both were on wild mustard flowers, about 200 m below the stockyards.

Ngā mihi
Colin
User avatar
Neil Fitzgerald
Site Admin
Posts: 3637
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 10:20 am
Location: Hamilton, New Zealand
Contact:

Re: Painted lady butterflies, Wellington

Postby Neil Fitzgerald » Sat Sep 11, 2021 4:07 pm

Cool. I've only seen one, years ago. When you say recently-emerged, do you suspect locally in NZ? My limited understanding is that they might breed in the summer but they don't overwinter here.
Ngā mihi
Neil
Colin Miskelly
Posts: 912
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:31 pm

Re: Painted lady butterflies, Wellington

Postby Colin Miskelly » Sat Sep 11, 2021 4:45 pm

Kia ora Neil

They both looked pristine. Given that I saw two within 100 m, I suspect that they were locally-bred and had recently emerged. I don't know if they can overwinter inside a chrysalis, but that would be my guess.

Ngā mihi
Colin
User avatar
Neil Fitzgerald
Site Admin
Posts: 3637
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 10:20 am
Location: Hamilton, New Zealand
Contact:

Re: Painted lady butterflies, Wellington

Postby Neil Fitzgerald » Tue Sep 14, 2021 10:26 am

Interesting. Perhaps climate change has us on the edge of seeing a new butterfly established here.
User avatar
Michael Szabo
Posts: 2533
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 12:30 pm
Contact:

Re: Painted lady butterflies, Wellington

Postby Michael Szabo » Sat Sep 18, 2021 1:56 pm

I saw one in good condition on the coast in Island Bay also feeding on a flowering mustard plant a few years ago.
'Birds New Zealand' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Birdsnewzealand

Return to “Other Natural History”