Monarch butterflies have their very own matchmaking agency.

Fiona and Mark from Kensington

Are you looking for monarch caterpillars or is it more food for starving monarch caterpillars that you’re looking for?

This year, thanks to the Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust, monarch butterflies have their very own matchmaking agency.

“There are always pockets around the country where there are healthy swan plants which female monarchs haven’t found,” said Jacqui Knight from the MBNZT. “And there are other people who find their swan plants are stripped by the hungry caterpillars. Now, thanks to web-based technology, there’s a site where people can list their details and hopefully be introduced to someone who can come to their aid.”

The site has only just been created but already there are people from all corners of the country networking to lift monarch numbers before the end of the summer.

“As well as other predators, over recent years we’ve seen a huge increase in the numbers of paper wasps. Many people now raise their caterpillars under cover to protect them,” said Jacqui. So it can be disappointing if you run out of food… or you have plenty of food and no monarchs laying.”

You can use either one of these sites to get help:

www.facebook.com... or www.monarch.org.nz...