Butterflies Gifts & Frames

23/05/2024

NZ Monarch Butterfly. Our largest butterfly, but is superseded by some lovely saturnine night flying moths. You can see very clearly hear how these designs work. The shadow box has enough depth in it to create more shades/shadow by layering carding inside the box. In this display there are several layers all of which create shadow. This in turn crates depth and points of interest in the shadow box....rather like the design of color on a butterfly's wing. Next time you look closely at a butterfly, look at all those colorful points of interest. The Monarch has a very simple color range but the way color is applied adds interest

09/05/2024

Red Heart Butterfly, also called The Cattle-heart because the red shaped mark looks like a cattles' heart (not my favorite name for a butterfly). Love this display though...lots of shade that creates depth in the shadowbox frame.

09/05/2024

Green Banded Urania Moth

09/04/2024

I have been sooooo… inspired by my Indian 'likes' that I have decided to produce 30+ edible plants loved by New Zealand butterflies/caterpillars. 30 because people need a plant-based diet with at least 30 different species of plant to maintain healthy bodies in which they live. One of the core drivers of our bodies are the plant hungry micro biome which live in our gut delivering to our bodies the micro nutrients essential for the health of our entire bodily functions……so hear is a list of over 30 species of plants loved by butterflies and edible by humans.

CATERPILLAR FOOD PLANTS (LEAVES)

ADMIRAL BUTTERFLIES

Urtica spp STINGING NETTLES, tea

LONG TAILED PEA BLUE BUTTERFLY

Pisum spp GARDEN PEA, edible pods
Phaseolus lunatus BUTTER BEAN, edible pods
Lablab purpureus HYACINTH BEAN, edible pods
Dolichos lablab HYACINTH BEAN, edible pods
Glycine max SOYBEAN, edible pods
Phaseolus vulgaris COMMON BEAN, edible pods

MONARCH BUTTERFLY

Curcurbita PUMPKIN: COURGETTE: CUCUMBER, edible ‘gourds’(a backup food source for Monarch caterpillars)

CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY

Brassica species BRASSICAS, edible fruit and leaves
Tropaeolum species NASTURTIUM, edible fruit leaves and flowers
Reseda MIGNONETTE, edible leaves
Hirschfeldia incana HOARY MUSTARD, edible leaves
Lepidium africanum COMMON PEPPERCRESS, edible leaves
Sisymbrium officinale HEDGE MUSTARD, edible leaves

NZ NATIVE COPPER BUTTERFLIES

Mulenbeckia axillaris CREEPING PUHOEHOE, edible berries

GREEN LOOPER MOTH

Petroselinum crispum PARSLEA, , edible leaves
Mentha MINT, edible leaves
Solanum tuberosum POTATOE, edible tuber
Solanum lycopersicum TOMATOES,edible fruit

CONVOLVOLUD HAWK MOTH

Ipomoea batatas SWEET POTATOE, edible tuber

BUTTERFLY NECTARIES ( FLOWERING PLANTS)

HERBS

Pimpinella anisam ANISE
Mondera didyma BEE BALM
Nepeta cataria CATNIP
Hyssopus officinalis HYSSOP
Melissa officinalis LEMON BALM
Rosmarinus officinalis ROSEMARY
Valeriana officinalis VALERIAN
Allium schoenoprasum CHIVES
Borago officinalis BORAGE
Foeniculum vulagare SWEET FENNEL
Oraganum vulgare MARJORAM
Thymus THYME
Matricaria chamomilla GERMAN CHAMOMILE
Chamaemelum nobile ROMAN CHAMOMILE
Cichorium intybus BLUE DAISY

ANNUALS

Calendula officinalis ENGLISH MARIGOLD, Edible flowers
Tadgies patula FRENCH MARIGOLD, Edible flowers

PERENNIALS

Aloysia citriodora LEMON VERBENA, makes highly scented tea
Helianthus tuberosus JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, edible tubers
Tagetes lemmonii MEXICAN BUSH MARIGOLD, edible flowers
Taraxacum officinale DANDILION, Edible roots, flowers, leaves

TREES

Arbutus unedo STRAWBERRY TREE, edible fruit
Citrus spp LEMON, LIME, GRAPEFRUIT, MANDARIN, ORANGE, ETC… edible fruit

25/12/2023

17/12/2023

The metallic Blue Glory Butterfly form South America. Frame size 154 x 130mm

21/08/2023

My winter vege patch. Back cnr is Rosemary in full flower & composting system. Left cnr Winter Mint. Center is Miners Lettuce, Fennel, Brussels Sprouts, Elephant and Chinese Garlic, NZ Spinnich, Beetroot.

Crespular pest moths and Cabbage Whites hardly touch the mint at this time of year. Monarchs and Admirals will go to the Rosemary flowers...... In summer the whole lot can be covered in netting when lepidoptera pests get too invasive. Smaller insects will go to the flowering Garlic, Fennel and other garden treasures I have hidden away.

Composting is vital, it adds worms and organic matter to the soil, making it nutrient rich and free draining. Depth of soil is important (hence a raised garden bed) as well as a leaf litter of sorts on top of the soil as this helps with the moisture retention in summer as well as the provision of microscopic biological processors.

21/07/2023

I didn't think I would see one of these knuckling down for winter. He won't hatch till spring.

17/07/2023

Flowering winter plants for overwintering butterflies on sunny days

Hardenbergia violacea PURPLE CORAL PEA
Buddleia salviifolia SAGE BUSH
Callistemon citrinus BOTTLE BRUSH
Rosmarinus officinalis ROSEMARY
Camellia japonica JAPANESE CAMELLIA
Arbutus Unedo STRAWBERRY TREE
Erica HEATHER
Dimorphotheca ecklonis OSTEOSPERNUM CAPE DAISY
Tithonia diversifolia TREE MARIGOLD
Centaurea cyanus CORNFLOWER
Calendula officinalis POT MARIGOLD
Monarda fistulosa BEE BALM

16/07/2023

Unfortunately I have marked the side of one of my framed butterflies.

04/07/2023

Urticaria dioica, Perennial Stinging Nettle. Kept in tubs because it is so invasive. Can be used for tea, but I use if for a high nitrogen input in my compost bin. And I get Yellow Admiral butterflies off it too. With winter chills both caterpillars and pupa have slowed right down. Probably won't get much action out of them for several weeks (if they don't get eaten before then!)