|
"Bring
the Butterflies Back to Adelaide" Campaign I
am delighted to today launch Bring the Butterflies Back to Adelaide
Campaign organised by Butterfly Conservation SA. Butterfly Conservation SA was formed to raise the awareness
of Butterfly Conservation in South Australia, in large part to answer the question: “Where have all the butterflies gone?” South
Australia plays host to more than 75 species of butterfly, some
sedentary, others capable of extensive overland migrations. The Adelaide
Metropolitan area itself ‑at less than 0.2% of the States land
mass, plays host to more than 2 dozen species of butterflies, including
blues, hairstreaks, browns, whites, darts, monarchs, orchard butterflies
and more. Not
only does our region here have very significant butterfly biodiversity,
it also has spectacular abundance. Some of our resident species, like
the common brown, are here in large numbers. We are also lucky enough to
experience wonderful migrations of Caper Whites, Painted ladies and
monarchs as they sweep across our city in their hundreds of thousands. However,
butterflies are under threat. Many species have gone from some regions
of the City. The abundance and diversity of our native butterfly species
has been decimated through urbanisation, the clearing of grasslands,
draining of swamps, fire and the indiscriminate removal of perceived
weeds such as endemic parasitic plants like mistletoe and real weeds
like thistle and cottonbush which are food for the caterpillars of our
most loved butterflies. The
argument for this style of building is ; People don't want back yards
‑they are too busy, too tired or too disinterested to maintain a
garden. Perhaps
even worse, the "backyard" trend in these new houses now is
towards cement and tile based "NeoTuscan" gardens with only a
few ornamental plants and little biodiversity ‑Certainly no where
for the butterflies to feed. The
disappearing back yard has enormous effects on butterflies: Should we
care? Yes! Butterflies
are one of the most recognised and loved insect. They feature in stories
from different cultures around the world and inspire
artists and designers to create colourful displays of craft and motifs. They also reflect the beauty and
fragility of nature. People like having butterflies in their gardens and reserves, even
though they forget that to have butterflies in your garden you need the caterpillar stage, and these are one of the least liked insects! We
now run a very real risk of this generation of Adelaideans growing up
without experiencing a butterfly. It is hard to imagine a childhood
without butterflies, but that is now a real possibility for many of our
children. This is both sad for its own sake but also of great concern
because it means the next generations will grow up disconnected from the
natural environment. Without experiencing natural wonders such as
butterflies, how can we expect them to become involved with, and deal
with the enormous environmental problems we face world wide. So
how do we bring them back? Gardening
is a favourite activity of many Australians. With the introduction of
water restrictions, many gardeners are re‑thinking the design and
make‑up of their garden to ensure their garden's survival through
long periods of little water. As we rethink the structure and nature of
our gardens it is timely to also design them for our most loved animal
‑the butterfly. Butterflies need plants to survive. Adult butterflies suck nectar from suitable nectar plants. The caterpillars eat the leaves of very specific food plants. Whilst
several species will feed on our vegetable patch the vast majority of
caterpillars feed on a variety of indigenous plants including grasses,
sedges, pea flowering bushes and some trees including wattles or feed on
introduced weeds like nettles or cottonbush. By
planting butterfly and caterpillar food plants or by ensuring these
plants survive in reserves and parks, we can encourage butterflies to
visit and breed in our gardens and reserves. If
we can create butterfly habitat in our gardens, and conserve existing
habitat in reserves, then we will also create the conditions that also
ensure the survival of other invertebrates. This in turn will ensure the
survival of larger animals‑the birds and lizards that prey upon
these insects. The
new Butterfly Gardening website launched today will provide an
opportunity for us all to find out which plants local butterflies feed
upon and which indigenous butterflyfriendly plants can be grown in
each area of the Adelaide plains. A future plan is for the website to be
expanded to all of South Australia. Once
people have made a commitment to conserving butterflies by creating a
butterfly friendly garden or are making a special effort to conserve
existing butterfly habitat in remnant scrub they may register
registering heir garden, park or patch of scrub as a 'Butterfly Site'.
They will then be able to purchase a
Butterfly Site sign to promote their commitment to the community
and use the Butterfly Gardening
logo. Registration forms and information on butterfly gardening will be
found on the new website. www.butterflygardening.net.au. By
way of example, this beautiful butterfly garden has been created with
assistance from the SA Urban Forests Million Trees Program and members
of the Urban Forest Biodiversity Program team. Creation of the website
would not have happened with out the financial support from the Norman
Whettenhall Foundation and for this the members of Butterfly
Conservation SA are very grateful. The "Bring back the Butterflies" Campaign will hold
a number of significant events over
the coming year: There
will be an exhibition at the SA Museum due to be launched on 21
September entitled: "Bringing the Butterflies Back" and a book on book
on Butterfly Gardening will be launched
soon. This will be a great reference for Adelaide gardeners
wishing to set up a butterfly
garden. I
would like to acknowledge the huge amount of effort put into this
campaign by Jan Forrest, Matthew Barbour and their committee and am
proud to launch the website, garden and program. This program will
ensure that the most commonly asked question is no longer: “Where have all the Butterflies gone?” But
“How can I help to bring them back?”
|