BUTTERFLIES

Issue 85

BUTTERFLIES AUSTRALIA manager Chris Sanderson reports that the project is continuing, “and possibly even more popular than last time we spoke, despite the coronavirus craziness that’s going on”.

Sanderson says that there are nearly 4500 verified records in the database now, with about 350 awaiting verification. The big news, he says, is “thanks to the big rains post-christmas down the east coast of Australia we had a huge boom of butterflies, which was very exciting. It lasted several months and is still not quite done yet!”

The main species (in terms of big numbers) seen over recent months were lemon migrants (Catopsilia pomona), the blue tiger (Tirumala hamata), below, and the large grass-yellow (Eurema hecabe), with many more species showing higherthan-normal abundance.

Butterflies Australia’s official end date is 30 June 2020, “but we have the funds and the intent to keep it going for a few more years at least, and some interest from a third party to take on the project into the future, which is exciting,” says Sanderson.