Butterflies live all over Australia. There are over 400 species and many introduced species, like the very common
September is a peak time for butterflies, especially after last winter, which seems to have decimated spring and summer butterfly numbers in our area. Butterflies are almost guaranteed to linger in your garden into autumn and even winter if their larval (caterpillar) food plants are available.
Summer is peak butterfly season with warm, sunny weather that sends colorful sulphurs, monarchs and swallowtails flitting through our gardens. But you might be surprised to know that there's some significant butterfly activity in every season. Take a look at what you might expect to see throughout the year.
As winter approaches, the butterflies leave the inland areas as temperatures drop and migrate towards the coast. For Wanderers near the coast north of the Richmond River in New South Wales, breeding can continue for most of the year with one generation following another.
Butterfly Facts
The average life of a butterfly is around two weeks, but some species can live over 11 months such as the Mourning Cloak (a North American butterfly). In Australia, the Monarch Butterfly can live up to 8 months in winter, and the Blue Tiger Butterfly can live up to six months.
Common Brown Butterflies only live in south east Australia, Tasmania and a small area of south west Western Australia. They are the most common native butterfly seen in the backyards around Melbourne & Geelong.
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus plexippus), which arrived in Australia from North America around 1856, only overwinters south of a latitude around the Richmond River in Northern New South Wales.
Good plants for butterflies include: Hardenbergia violacea, Goodenia species, Buddleija, verbena, salvias, native grasses, daisies, herbs and 'weedy' plants such as nettles.
Larval foodplants
The larvae of the Monarch feed on a number of introduced foodplants, for example Araujia sericifera (cruel plant), Asclepias curassavica (red-head cotton- bush), Gomphocarpus fruticosus (swan plant), G. cancellatus (broad-leaved cotton-bush) and Orbea variegata (carrion flower).
Do butterflies migrate? Most adult butterflies stick close to home, but a few species, including the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), are migratory. Monarchs travel incredible distances from Canada and the northern United States to overwintering sites in Mexico, where they roost together in vast numbers.
Simple, right? Butterflies are active during the day, so at night they find a hiding place and go to sleep. In the same way, moths are active at night and during the day moths hide and rest. Animals that sleep during the night, like most butterflies, are diurnal.
Butterfly sightings become increasingly common as the weather starts to warm up. Sheltered gardens on sunny days are the ideal place for butterflies to stretch their wings after lying dormant all winter.
Most butterflies emerge in spring and early summer, but some species have several breeding cycles a year so can appear at any time. If you are keen to identify your visiting butterfly or see one that is unusual, you can find out about them here. Butterflies love: Sunshine.
And so to see butterflies frequently, then, is most generally thought to be a symbol or metaphor for growth and transformation, whether you're in the midst of a transformation right now or the universe is encouraging you to level up.
How long does a butterfly live? The life span of a butterfly varies between species. Small species may live for several days whilst other species of butterflies may live for a few months. The species we have on display have an average life span of 4 weeks.
In the morning, and throughout cooler days, they must spend time in the sun with their wings spread, raising their body temperature to roughly 85 degrees before they can fly. A few minutes of basking in the sunshine raises their temperature as much as 20 degrees above the surrounding air.
In summer, the Monarch Butterfly is common along the east coast of Australia from Queensland to South Australia, and in south-west Western Australia. They like the warmth, so as the days get colder, some will leave for warmer regions.
Adult monarchs are attracted to flowers with orange, red, yellow, pink and purple blossoms. They also like blooms that have a flat top or are clustered with short flower tubes to protect the pollen.
They pollinate plants in your garden
Butterflies are great for your garden as they are attracted to bright flowers and need to feed on nectar. When they do this their bodies collect pollen and carry it to other plants. This helps fruits, vegetables and flowers to produce new seeds.
The number one step to attract butterflies is simply providing the food they like – which is generally plants. The adult butterflies are attracted to nectar plants from which they sip nectar. They are also attracted to their host plants which are the specific plants where the females lay their eggs.
Decaying fruit such as pears, apples, and watermelon have been seen to attract butterflies. If these are placed systematically, they provide additional sources for specimens. Feces on the ground have also been observed to attract many butterflies.
Provide food. Making your garden an attractive space for an insect starts with food. Adult butterflies get their energy from nectar, and they visit gardens looking for flowers to feed on. Grow nectar-rich flowers in the spring and summer months to encourage them.
The male and female also have differently shaped abdomen, and the female's wing veins look slightly wider than the males. How long do monarchs live? Monarch butterflies typically live from 2 to 6 weeks except for the last generation of the year, which can live up to 8 to 9 months.
The monarch butterflies' host plant, which it relies upon for food and protection in the caterpillar stages, is a milkweed, a group of plants which exudes a milky, latex-like poison when its external skins are penetrated.
Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly. Without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop into a butterfly. Monarchs use a variety of milkweeds. Monarch larvae ,or caterpillars, feed exclusively on milkweed leaves.