The very hungry caterpillars: Hundreds found dumped in Dunedin rubbish bin
From reporter Hamish McNeilly:
In a rubbish bin at a small Dunedin playground was a very big problem.
Inside the bin were hundreds of large monarch caterpillars. A few were able to crawl out before they were spotted.
Nat Russell said she was called to the Hocken St playground, in the suburb of Kenmure, after her sister’s children spotted the escapees.
The monarch enthusiast helped collect some of the caterpillars and then put a plea on social media to rehome them to anyone who had swan plants – a type of milkweed – where the butterflies like to lay their eggs.
She estimated there were “a good few hundred caterpillars” inside the bin.
People came from all over Dunedin to rehome the caterpillars.
“A few died, but almost all were rescued,” Russell said.
The caterpillars were large and entering their final moult, where they find a sheltered site, produce a tightly woven silk mat, and hang downwards until they become butterflies.
“The majority of them were only a few days off becoming monarchs.”
It appeared the caterpillars were dumped along with a container of food scraps, which was tied up in a jersey.
Jacqui Knight, who founded the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust almost two decades ago, said it was the first case of mass monarch caterpillar dumping she had heard of in New Zealand.
“I presume they had run out of food and [whoever had them] didn’t know what to do with them.”
While it was “wonderful” they were rescued, it was a shame they were dumped in the first place, she said.
A shortage of swan plants was often an issue for those with very hungry caterpillars, which could eat 2700 times their birth weight in just over a fortnight.
To counter that problem, Knight recommended people with an excess of either caterpillars or swan plants join the Monarchmatchmaker group on Facebook to “share the love”.
“It is a bit like Tinder, but for butterflies.”
Part of the issue was that some nurseries had stopped selling swan plants because some had been sprayed with pesticides.
Instead, people wanting to attract monarchs were encouraged to grow swan plants earlier in the season and let them get to full size in their garden.
Having monarchs, considered a native in New Zealand, helped show children the various stages of an insect’s life cycle and “feeds their curiosity”, Knight said.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
-
4.7% Second half of November
-
43.6% 1st December
-
17.4% A week before Christmas
-
33.2% Whenever you wish
-
1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.