[Kay]

I thought it was a bit late but today I saw a monarch flying about and landing on the thistles on the next door empty section!! (It’s been hot here today (high 20’s) By the time I got out to try and catch it to put on my still flowering swan plants it had flitted off to the next neighbour’s. Maybe it had found my plants earlier

[Kay]

Hi Mark, I’m at Outram. (Look also at the postings under Dunedin Monarch People on the forum)
I thought it a bit late for monarchs this year as we have had a few cold nights, almost frosty. However today it has been hot again (high 20’s)and I actually saw a monarch butterfly!!! on thistles in the next door empty section. By the time I got out to try and capture it to put on my still flowering swan plants it had flitted off to the next neighbour’s garden. Never mind, if it did visit my plants and I get caterpillars I will be bringing them inside on potted plants (It was probably a male!)

[Kay]

Hi guys – we shifted to Outram over a year ago and I was surprised to see two large swan plants outside and even more surprised when butterflies (well, one anyway)came and we then had caterpillars and chrysalises. I brought the chrysalises inside to emerge as it was getting cooler, and would have released about 10 butterflies. However, this year we have nothing – even though we have had a good summer out here. I am like you Katrina and had really only seen the caterpillars on plants bought from the garden centres and put in school classrooms. My swan plants are about 10 feet tall and have seeded everywhere so I have lots of plants for next year.

[Kay]

You could be right Jacqui – praying mantis are about as rare down here as monarchs!! We don’t have too many wasps, and currently the ladybirds are well outnumbering the aphids in our garden.

[Kay]

Hi Lyndon – welcome to the friendly south! I live in Outram which is south-west of Mosgiel and when we shifted here just over a year ago I was amazed to see we had two swan plants growing outside! and was even more amazed when on Waitangi Day I saw a monarch on one of them. Lo and behold we then had caterpillars and eventually I released several monarchs. The swan plants seeded everywhere so now I have self-sown plants (not very big) and have sown some seed in pots. I haven’t seen any monarchs yet but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any, or maybe they are still coming. I have a cousin in Invercargill and she tells me the only monarchs she has seen there are the caterpillars you buy on a swan plant with no hope of reaching the next generation. I thought it would be too cold here as we do get severe frosts, but it can also get very hot in summer (like Central Otago). I would also be interested to know how far south monarchs are.

[Kay]

Number 69

[Kay]

I have a swan plant which is about 12 feet tall and almost finished seeding and I am wondering if I should prune it. The main trunk is about two inches thick and four feet up, then the plant branches out. I’m too scared to cut it back too far in case it dies? If I just leave it without pruning what will happen?

[Kay]

Yes, there is not much publicity in Dunedin about breeding and tagging monarchs. I only found out about the Trust from the ODT earlier this year and took notice of the article because we had shifted house and have swan plants in our garden. Perhaps the Trust could have information at the museum’s butterfly house? Also, I know at the start of the year lots of schools and pre-schools buy swan plants with caterpillars from local garden centres and keep them in classrooms to see the process. But I don’t know if any actually know about tagging and tag their butterflies when they release them. Perhaps if the garden centres who sell the plants could have brochures or something to give out to people buying the plants??

[Kay]

Good to know, Jennifer! I’m at Outram and still have four chrysalises inside so hoping for good days to release butterflies when they emerge. It can get quite warm here even in winter when it’s sunny. (My son saw the aurora from Saddle Hill – he was impressed!)

[Kay]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I think it will be more humane just to freezer him. 🙁

[Kay]

I put my butterfly with one crumpled wing outside on the balcony and he wanted to fly away but couldn’t. He just kept falling down to the ground. How long will a butterfly survive inside? Would it be more humane just to freeze him?

[Kay]

Thank you Anna – I have a monarch with a crumpled wing, and noticed while it was emerging that part of the chrysalis was not coming off the wing, so I got tweezers and pulled it off. I would have done this sooner if I’d realised the wings hardened so quickly, I didn’t really want to interfere and thought it would straighten out. Now do I let the butterfly go? Will it be able to fly?

[Kay]

So there’s hope for mine yet!! I have some that would be that old, have brought them inside now too and have a couple of butterflies which I will hopefully let go this weekend (weather permitting)- I’m at Outram which is south west of Mosgiel

[Kay]

Should I be feeding my butterflies (which are emerging inside since it is cold outside here in the south) before releasing them? How long should I keep them inside?

[Kay]

Yes, Wendy I agree. I had to refer back to the notes I printed out (when I found them!!). Thanks Darren

[Kay]

Thank you for your feedback. We shifted here about 7 months ago and have two large swan plants – one is over 10 feet tall and like a tree and is currently seeding profusely. The other was a bit smaller and had a dead-almost-diseased-looking centre which we cut out and the plant grew lots of branches out from that. It is now flowering and producing pods (swans). However, the weather is getting cold here (we are south-west of Dunedin) and we get quite severe frosts. Obviously the position of these plants is OK.

[Kay]

How long do the plants live?

[Kay]

I did as Jacqui suggested and put my monarchs in a cool dark room and put them outside this morning since was warm and the forecast for next few days not good. How was I to know we would have gale force winds in Otago!! Consequently the monarchs have gone, but I don’t know if they are alive! I notice some of you feed your monarchs honey and water. How long can they survive without being fed (ie in the cool dark room as Jacqui suggested?)

[Kay]

Thank you – it’s sitting on a bunch of flowers on my kitchen table now but I will put in a cooler room. Should we bring crysalises inside or leave them on the swan plant? We have brought about five inside, there are at least four more outside.

[Kay]

A butterfly emerged today!! Wet outside and about 12 degrees but about 16 or more inside. Do I need to feed the butterfly while it is still inside? – the forecast for the next day or two is for rain. Another couple of the chrysalises we have inside look like they may “hatch” soon – we can see the wings

[Author]

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