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Our first swan plants were planted about 6 years ago when we bought our place on the Hibiscus Coast - it was essentially a bare site with a few neglected fruit trees plus great swathes of pampass grass! The swan plants were so successful they self-seeded, and for the next 2 summers there was a forest of them along one fence line. Chrysalises were numerous, but there was nothing to sustain the butterflies, and they didn't stick around. 3 years ago I started sowing wildflower mixes into developing beds, plus turned about 40 square metres of lawn into additional wildflower beds. Now the garden is such a happening place and a true delight - lots of birds, bumblebees (bee numbers are up also), hoverflies, ladybirds (and aphids!), and of course some resident monarchs. I'm expecting their numbers to swell soon as lots of fat caterpillars have recently pupated. Next steps? To try and encourage other kinds of butterflies (and moths), through learning more about their needs. Really interesting and helpful information from the Habitat Creation course so far:)
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