Yellow Admiral

I have seen a New Zealand native Yellow Admiral, Kahu Kowhai (l. Vanessa itea (was Bassaris))many times here in New Zealand but I have never been able to get a photograph such as I managed today.  I had coffee with friends at The Mission View Gardens and when we arrived this splendid butterfly flew down beside me and posed.  The butterfly was collected on Cook's voyage in 1769.

Quick Draw McGraw

I like to carry my camera with me all the time and I know I'm not alone.  Although Wendy said a few days ago that she'd seen something she'd wanted to photograph but for several weeks had forgotten to take her camera with her to photograph it.  But then I had years of indoctrination by my Dad and years of carrying a camera out of choice and practice.  Now, of course even if I don't have my camera in my hand my phone's camera is good enough for many emergencies.  

The Monarch butterfly is exceptionally hard to photograph because it is rarely still unless it is on a swan plant and even then I've not had much success.  However as I was walking through the centre of Napier to the Library the other day a Monarch landed on a plant a few feet from me.  I had my camera in my hand and set before a horse could have swished its tail twice.  I was pleased with the result:

 

 

And for those who remember, Quick Draw McGraw

Ocean Beach

At the end of The Heads we came to Ocean Beach.  I know this  may sound silly but it reminded me of some of the fabulous beaches in the Western Isles of Scotland with one very significant difference - it was warm!  The other differences were, of course, the flora and fauna of the area.  

I have seen Yellowhammers in the area where I live but have never been able to photograph one nor see them in the trees.  This one flew into a tree down by the beach but I spotted it and, thanks to the fabulous lens on the Sony, I managed to photograph it.   It was a long way off but the photo is good enough to confirm the identification.

I'm fairly certain that this is a Glade Copper (Lycaena feredayi complex) because of its heavy markings although it could be a Common Copper/Pepe Para Riki (Lycaena salustius complex).  The problem is that the South Island Common has heavy markings whereas the North Island has much lighter ones.  Whatever, I can be certain that it's a Copper.

And who would have expected wild sweet peas in the dunes above the shore?

The Monarch Butterfly

Probably the most commonly seen butterfly around Napier is the White.


Possibly the most common, although because it is very small (25mm wingspan) and lives very close to the ground it is rarely seen, is the Common Blue.


However the most noticeable is the Monarch or, in Maori, Kahuku. The Monarch arrived in New Zealand at least 120 years ago having crossed the Pacific from North America. It is this country's largest resident butterfly and is very common on warm sunny days particularly near its caterpillar's food - the swan plant (Gomphocarpus physocarpus). It spends two weeks as a caterpillar, two as a chrysalis then lives for about 2 months as a butterfly.

So this photo is one that I took when near Exeter with CJ, Helen and Ian last September. It is a male: note the black scent pouches near the bottom of the black veins nearest the body.


I would probably have written this posting anyway because the Monarch is so beautiful but I was even more fascinated by its migration story.

The Monarch is the only butterfly in the world known regularly to undertake [note the joined infinitive] a two-way migration. Indeed one female holds the record for the longest known insect migration, having flown 3432 kilometres from Canada to Mexico. At average speeds of up to 130 km each day this would have taken almost a month flying at altitudes of up to 1000 metres. Each year, at the end of summer, at least 100 million Monarchs [not an endangered species yet then!] make a similar southward journey to the mountain ranges of Mexico where they hibernate in the pine forests. At the end of winter they mate and start on their long journey back North. The most incredible thing about this northward journey is that it takes up to 5 generations 'leap-frogging' each other until the great, great, great grandchildren find their Canadian summer home again! How do they know where to go? No one knows.

In spite of its incredible journeys overseas, however, New Zealand Monarchs do not migrate long distances.

I have only once seen a Monarch butterfly land here although they fly around constantly very close - particularly on the Croquet lawn where they 'buzz' the balls. On the occasion that I did see one land the batteries ran out on my camera just before I tried to take the photo. By the time I'd put the new batteries in it had gone. Ah well.

Gomphocarpus physocarpus - Swan Plant