Growing native shrubs to help an endangered butterfly

March 18, 2024 7:20 PM

This endangered butterfly is a fussy eater, so a nursery is helping grow its food. A Victorian plant nursery is growing a native shrub to help expand the habitat of the golden-rayed blue butterfly, found exclusively in western Victoria.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (3 comments total)

This is encouraging news. Wonderful!
posted by Czjewel at 9:16 PM on March 18

Neat project! - we have a Myoporum that's a tree M. laetum / ngaio, old ones get really gnarled. They have white flower, pinks fruit and are exceptionally salt tolerant.

And I just checked my plant manual and realised (for the first time) that we have a groundcover one like in the article but larger and a bit toxic M laetum var. decumbens - and now I really want to find one as it sounds a neat plant. But it's subtroipical so might not like what I have in mind for it!
posted by unearthed at 1:20 AM on March 19

Similarly in Queensland, the Richmond Birdwing butterfly, a large beautiful butterfly that is listed as vulnerable, only feeds on the birdwing vine. There's a project to encourage the many bushcare groups here to plant the vine all over, bless them. It's incredible how specific so many species can be with their food sources.
posted by drnick at 2:34 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]