Kuranda Attraction – Butterflies & Moths

The lifecycle of a butterfly starts with the female butterfly who deposits her eggs onto a specific plant. The female has odour detectors which allow her to locate the plant, sometimes from as far away as two or three kilometres. The trick to encouraging butterflies into your garden is to cultivate these plants. You can easily find out which are tasty for the caterpillars in your area by ringing a reputable plant nursery.

Caterpillars are fussy eaters, and usually a species will only eat one or two types of plants. If you were wondering why we don’t see as many butterflies around as we used to, it’s because the use of herbicides has reduced the supply of plants that caterpillars can eat.

No caterpillars = no butterflies!

Approximately four to five days after the fertilised egg has been laid, the caterpillar eats its way out of the shell, often turning around and ingesting it. If the female laid on the correct plant, the caterpillar then goes on to eat its first meal, and with a few exceptions, this meal is basically uninterrupted – these caterpillars are the original eating machine. Being very small when it first emerges, the caterpillar soon becomes too big for its skin, and within a week, it will attach its hind parts onto a leaf by way of silk, it will rest for a while, and then literally walk out of its skin. The new skin has enough stretch in it to allow further growth and during its time as a caterpillar, it will repeat this process another three times. Often the new skin differs slightly in pattern or colour to the previous one.

Each stage is called an “instar”. The pupa or chrysalis stage is the final instar of the caterpillar where the metamorphosis takes place. The caterpillar spins a silken pad, then using hooks on the bottom end of its body (called the “cremaster”) which it attaches to the silk. Some species hang head down while other species also spin a girdle around the thorax that holds it in an upright position. The caterpillar then forms the pupa case under the caterpillar skin and sheds the old caterpillar skin. Inside the pupa, the body of the caterpillar deconstructs and then reforms into the butterfly. This can take anywhere from one to four weeks in a tropical climate and even longer in cooler climates.

When the butterfly finally emerges, it is a fully formed adult, with only the wings needing to be pumped up and dried. Then off it will fly, ready to play its part in starting the entire life cycle all over again. What is the reason for all this complexity you may ask? Two distinct advantages are that the adult form (butterfly) eats nectar, rotting fruit or sometimes sap, and does not compete for food resources with the young (caterpillars). Being able to fly in the reproductive part of the cycle also means that the gene pool is greater than if restricted to a small area.

The best way to attract butterflies to your garden is to plant the plants that the caterpillar stage of the butterflies in your area eat. Caterpillars are very specific about what they will and won’t eat, so female butterflies are equipped with an extremely good sense of smell in order that they can lay their eggs on the correct plant(s). It stands to reason then that having these plants in your garden will attract female butterflies from all around your area – some can even smell their host plant from several kilometres away!

You will also attract male butterflies into your garden by planting a butterfly host plant garden – after all, the boys are always on the lookout for the girls! There are a couple of things to remember when planting and caring for your butterfly friendly plants. Don’t have then in a prime spot in your garden – remember the whole idea is that the leaves will be eaten by caterpillars! Secondly – don’t spray them with insecticides. Be careful with the amount of fertiliser you apply. Even that can affect a caterpillar’s sensitive constitution.

Not all the butterflies and moths listed below will fly in your area – a huge percentage of Australia’s butterflies and moths are found in the tropical rainforests in north Queensland (which is why we are here!). It’s best to check with your local nursery as to whether or not the plants are available/will grow in your area. Chances are that if conditions are conducive and the plants occur throughout your region, the butterflies and moths will also be there to take advantage of the food. And while you’re at it – don’t forget butterflies need to eat too, so don’t forget to plant some flowers for nectar. Pentas or Ixora are good as they are multi-headed and have lots of nectar. Have fun!