12 January 2005
Save the Monarchs! - Don’t Spray
Monarch butterfly lovers are appealing to their garden centres to be more aware of what sprays have been used on their
Swan plants – and to keep their staff fully informed.
“We have had yet another member in distress because her larvae (caterpillars) are dying,” said Jacqui Knight, Trustee of
the Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust. “She had run out of food for her very hungry caterpillars and gone to the garden centre
to buy more. The woman behind the counter told her that the plants had not been sprayed – but this information was
wrong, as her caterpillars soon died.”
No garden centre wants to sell half-eaten plants. But staff should be aware of what the sprays are, and the withholding
period required.
“This information is available when you buy vegetable seedlings – so why not Swan plants,” said Jacqui. “After all, they
are sold for that very purpose, as food.”
Further information of ways to help the Monarch butterfly is available on the Trust’s website, http://monarch.org.nz.
The Monarch butterfly season is now in full swing, and the many Monarchs flying around Russell in the Bay of Islands
play tribute that that community is indeed, the Monarch butterfly capital of New Zealand.
ENDS