Almost all of the butterflies in New Zealand are native and most are endemic. Compared to big, colourful species from other countries, our native butterflies are small and secretive. Rights ...
Butterflies and moths form the insect order Lepidoptera. The word ‘Lepidoptera’ comes from the Greek ‘lepis’ meaning scale and ‘petron’ meaning wing. When you look at the wing of a butterfly or ...
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 ...
One of New Zealand’s most well known insects is the wētā, of the Orthoptera order, but there are thousands of other insects species, some of which we know very little about. Rights: Photo by Tom ...
The life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Click on one of titles to find out more about each stage.
New Zealand’s most identifiable butterfly is the monarch (Danaus plexippus). Although found in many places around the world, the monarch is considered a New Zealand native because it became ...
Butterflies are the exhibitionists of the insect world. For many invertebrates, camouflage is the best defence against predators, so how do brightly coloured butterflies protect themselves? The ...
Butterflies are appealing insects. We actively encourage them to visit our gardens, but white butterflies (Pieris rapae rapae) are an exception. We consider them unwelcome dinner guests because ...
Moths, along with butterflies, are part of the order Lepidoptera (from the Greek for scaled wings). Over 90% of New Zealand’s Lepidoptera species are endemic, found nowhere else in the world ...
Here are links to Science Learning Hub resources for primary teachers related to insects in the Living World strand of the New Zealand Curriculum. Investigate insects found in New Zealand to ...
In Spring 2020 Countdown developed a fantastic collection of insect cards and an album full of amazing facts and activities all about insects found in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is an excellent ...
Discover more about five New Zealand insects, each one representing a different order within the insect kingdom.
What is an insect and should we really care about these creepy crawlies? In a word – yes. As American biologist Edward O Wilson puts it, they are “the little things that run the world”. There are ...
Moths make up the third most diverse insect group in New Zealand, and their day/night habits are also diverse. While most moths are nocturnal (active at night), others are diurnal (active during ...
Imagine a creature that turns moths into mummies by trapping them in an underground grave before emerging out of their neck to begin the cycle again. Not only does this creature exist, it’s part ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
What do kiwi, tuatara and many butterflies have in common in New Zealand? They are all native animals that the average person rarely sees in the wild. If you ask most people about butterflies ...
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 ...
Citizen scientists are volunteers who participate in scientific projects. They work in partnership with scientists to answer interesting and relevant questions. Rights: NZPA/John Cowpland Joan ...
In this webinar, join Greta Dromgool as she introduces Tom Saunders and Chrissie Painting – two of Aotearoa New Zealand’s amazing entomologists. Delve into the fascinating world of insects and ...
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 ...
Fred the Thread is the caterpillar of a native moth (Houdinia flexilissima) and is quite possibly the world’s thinnest caterpillar. Fred was found following studies conducted by Dr Corinne Watts ...
