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Using moths to make science cool

Adventure is engaging in an unusual or daring experience. Discovery is the act of finding or learning something for the first time. Adventure and discovery are both pretty exciting prospects – so ...

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ARTICLE

Making moth identification guides

Names are important. They identify who we are and where we come from. But sometimes, names don’t tell the whole story. For example, the Oxford Dictionary defines ‘moth’ as an insect with two ...

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ARTICLE

Ahi Pepe MothNet – an introduction

Moths are members of the order Lepidoptera, but these mostly nocturnal creatures are often in the shadow of the brighter, day-flying butterflies. New Zealand has fewer than 20 butterfly species ...

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ACTIVITY

Tagging monarch butterflies for science

In this activity, students place small stickers (tags) onto caught or newly emerged monarch butterflies and release them into the environment. The tag number, information about the butterfly and ...

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ACTIVITY

White butterfly life cycle

In this activity, students use white butterfly eggs, larvae and pupae to examine the white butterfly life cycle and to compare it with that of a monarch butterfly. By the end of this activity ...

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ACTIVITY

Pollinator counts – insects and flowers

Pollinators are insects that visit flowers to drink nectar or feed on pollen. During this process, they get covered in pollen grains and then transport the pollen from one plant to another ...

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Explore related citizen science projects

CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

Big Butterfly Count

This New Zealand-based citizen science project collects data about butterflies in our gardens, schools, parks and farms – any location in the country or on the outer islands. This annual event – ...

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CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

iNaturalist

iNaturalist logs hundreds of thousands of photos of flora, fauna and fungi. There are even sound recordings too. Each is described and geo located. iNaturalist is used by citizens and scientists ...

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CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

The Pieris Project

This project involves the pesky Pieris rapae (better known as the white butterfly or white cabbage butterfly), which is very common in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is believed to have originated in ...

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TEACHER PLD

Butterflies (lower primary) – unit plan

This unit plan is designed for students in years 1–5. When someone mentions the word ‘butterfly’, what image pops into your head? Chances are it’s the monarch or the white butterfly, as these are ...

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TEACHER PLD

Teachers using the Hub – Butterflies and citizen science ...

In this online PD session recorded on 30 July 2015, primary school teacher Angela Schipper describes how she used the Butterflies resources from the Science Learning Hub in the classroom. In ...

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TEACHER PLD

Living World – Insects

Investigate insects found in New Zealand to answer questions about life cycles, classification, conservation and biosecurity. Start by watching our webinar All about insects. Below are links to a ...

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Explore related videos

VIDEO

Kā Pepe Tuna Miharo

Ka kōrero a Maia rāua ko Tūmai, nō Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ōtepoti mō te take i pai ai kā pepe tuna ki a rāua. English translation Maia and Tūmai from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ōtepoti tell us why ...

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VIDEO

Naming moths

The Ahi Pepe MothNet team have given Māori names to some of the moths they’ve observed. Watch as Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ōtepoti students name a moth and as Dr Robert Hoare explains why names ...

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VIDEO

Identifying moths

Dr Robert Hoare from Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research explains why it’s challenging to identify moths. He also notes that observation leads to appreciation and, hopefully, conservation. Robert ...

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INTERACTIVE

Ahi Pepe MothNet: Gateway to ecology and science

Exploring moths as ecological indicators of health and connectedness in our natural world. Select here for further information, transcript and copyright.

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SLIDESHOW

New Zealand butterfly families – slideshow

Most of New Zealand's butterflies belong to the Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae families. Use the Slideshow menu for further options, including view full screen, and go here for the download option.

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SLIDESHOW

New Zealand native butterflies – slideshow

Use this Aotearoa New Zealand native butterflies slideshow to learn more about native butterfly habits and behaviour, then go butterfly hunting! Use the Slideshow menu for further options ...

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