We’re Campaigning for More Monarchs!
The Monarchs are coming!
It’s critical everyone know that when you have hungry caterpillars later in the season you MUST NOT depend on buying plants for food. You need to plant well in advance! Get plants well established before those first butterflies return. Buy or grow twice as many as you’ll think you need – you can keep some out of reach of the monarchs. Keep successive plants growing and flourishing.
I have plants in Henderson Valley the size of small shrubs. They have been growing for several years. I have to cut them back! I know of two people in Dunedin that have plants lasting for more than one year. Their plants are growing in a warm, sheltered part of the garden. So possibly, in cooler areas, you could get plants going this year which you can keep for later years?
If you are buying seed, now is the time to buy a packet or two and get the seedlings established in pots indoors.
Photo by Cos Ray fromTauranga. Cos was a keen taggers when the Moth and Butterfly Trust tagged monarchs a few years ago.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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89.1% Yes, it's fair
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10.3% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
Smoke in Mt Wellington
Smoke has been seen coming from the crater of the Auckland maunga Mt Wellington.
Images of the smoke began appearing on social media on Friday afternoon.
Around 1.45pm, Fire and Emergency (Fenz) shift manager Josh Pennefather told the NZ Herald a crew was fighting a fire of about 60 square metres in size.
”It’s spreading up hill … [but] there’s no property at risk at this stage,” Pennefather said.
Six fire trucks were in attendance working to contain a grass fire that's spreading up the maunga.
A helicopter was on its way to assist firefighting efforts, he added.
At 2pm, Pennefather shared that the fire was contained and they were working to extinguish it, including “keeping an eye on a whole bunch of hot spots“.
Just dough it
With three basic ingredients and a bit of creativity, you can give old containers new life with Resene testpots.
Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.