Monarch butterfly caterpillars
This seems very unlikely but if anyone has any spare room on a swan plant or two, there are a dozen or more monarch caterpillars about to starve on the corner of Bella Grove and Rimu St in Naenae. A single, small, swan plant on the public side of someone's fence on that corner has had the butterfly eggs laid on it.
Now the stripey wee things are all over it, it has zero leaves left, and only maybe two of the caterpillars are big enough that they will be able to go and metamorphose into butterflies if they are lucky.
It's a dire situation that probably doesn't have a happy ending. Maybe it is survival of the fittest but it's sad.
I'm not on Neighbourly heaps and won't check my messages or the replies, but I'm just putting this out here in case anyone can rescue the caterpillars by taking them to the only food they will eat: swan plant.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are 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: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.1% Yes
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15.1% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below