Hi all,
I saw an Australian Painted Lady butterfly at Te Mata Peak in Hawkes Bay yesterday. It was quite tatty and dull, so presumably old-ish.
Does anyone know if they over-winter here? Wikipedia says not.............
cheers
Australian Painted Lady butterfly
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sav
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Olwen
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Re: Australian Painted Lady butterfly
The book Butterflies of the South Pacific by Brian and Hamish Patrick says that they breed here but cannot survive the New Zealand winter. They say large numbers were found in NZ in 1968-69, 1980-81 and 1998-99 usually appearing in October. Maybe this will be the start of another influx with all the westerly weather.
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David Riddell
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Re: Australian Painted Lady butterfly
While on the way to see the gull-billed tern and other birds at Big Sand Island yesterday there was an Australian painted lady along the access track that runs northwards a short distance from the shore. It mostly kept its wings closed when at rest on account of the strong wind, but I did manage to get the photo below.