Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: arillady on December 14, 2012, 08:10:11 AM
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Yesterday it was very hot outside but cool on the bricks in the courtyard where the monarch butterflies congregated.
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I have seen this before. Two males fighting by attempting to mate with each other. They are quite territorial and it is possible an older male will take down a newly emerged one that hasn't quite managed to get away fast enough.
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Thanks Anthony and what is the difference between female and male. Of course as a novice on butterflies I had thought they were male female. ::)
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Thee males have thinner black veins and a large black scent mark in the middle of a vein on the hind wing. This is easier to see on the upper side and can be seen in both of your pics.
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Thanks Anthony. Now to keep a better eye on butterflies.
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According to a recent post in the latest ELG list, a spectacular calendar has been produced and is available to overseas cost $NZ25. Payment can apparently be made by PayPal. See a low resolution version at -
http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/MBNZT-Calendar-2013-low.pdf (http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/MBNZT-Calendar-2013-low.pdf)
Interested ??? I know I am !!
email - trust@monarch.org.nz (http://trust@monarch.org.nz)
Hope I get one in my stocking!!! 8) 8) 8)
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I got one Ron. Ask for discount as they are now reduced in price (NZ$15 in NZ - so perhaps NZ$20 - best to check?). I was a bit annoyed that the postman folded it in half so he could put it in the letter box without having to slow his bike down. I joined the Monarch trust and tag and release butterflies. Last week I tagged four reared males and yesterday I caught and tagged three wild females that came into the garden.
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Noras getting me one, and one each for a few other peeps, ;D
That's great work you are doing there Anthony, 8) 8)
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I had a couple of female monarchs in the garden. Neither tagged. I caught and tagged one and photographed the other feeding and egg laying on Gomphocarpus fruticosus (swan plant). It also laid on Asclepias curassavica. It managed to fly off before I could catch it. You'll notice the swan plant is only just recovering from the previous generation!
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thank you for these fine pics, Anthony. Do you have a pic of
the belonging caterpillar?
Uli
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Here is one from March this year, feeding on Gomphocarpus, plus an example of a tag. A female monarch (called "the wanderer" in Australia and apparently arrived in NZ then Oz under its own steam mid 18th century) can lay up to 1000 eggs, so predation by polistes wasps and mantids is necessary to prevent over crowding of the food plant. The caterpillars wander too if they strip a small plant. I have found them moving from one stripped plant to another. A year ago I caged a big swan plant and ended up with so many caterpillars from wild laid eggs I had to go looking for more to keep them alive. I seem to remember releasing about 40 butterflies!
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One I saw in Ontario Botanic gardens in July
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If this monarch was still around in August he'd be heading off to Mexico which they spend the winter. The monarch migration in North America is amazing. There are little migrations in New Zealand with some favoured trees having congregations of monarchs in July/August, but here in Auckland I can see butterflies on warm days in all months.
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We seem to have had Monarchs around a lot the last few years. Never any major migrations that I know about around here. Watching butterflies or baby chickens are two pastimes that I have enjoyed lately.
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Monarchs migrate in North America as they wouldn't survive the winter otherwise. I don't think they've been in Oz or New Zealand long enough to evolve any migratory behaviour. Even welcome swallows don't migrate in New Zealand as the climate allows them to be static.
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Here's one of my tagged monarchs laying eggs on Gomphocarpus fruticosus yesterday.