News & Events

The copper butterfly is relatively small, 24-34mm across with orange and black wings. It is often seen on pohuehue on the back dunes where it lays its eggs. When hatched the little green caterpillars (very hard to see) feed exclusively on the pohuehue leaves and flowers.

Copper butterflies have evolved a strategy for coping with New Zealand’s unpredictable climate. In every brood some larvae grow steadily towards maturity, but others stop feeding after just one molt and enter a resting stage (diapause) for several months before continuing their growth some months later. This increases the chance of survival for some offspring if harsh conditions suddenly develop.

Pohuehue (Muehlenbeckia complexa)

Pohuehue is a low growing wiry vine that scrambles over rocks, dunes and other plants forming dense mats in the back dune area helping with dune stabilisation.  Its white fleshy fruits provide food for geckos and skinks and the leaves and stem are food for other creatures such as Rauparaha copper butterflies a small brown native moth and a native mite.

Susanne Krejcek, the recipient of the 2012 Quinovic-sponsored Coastal Restoration Trust Study Award, is working with the Department of Conservation, Ngaa Rauru and Nagti Apa near Wanganui conducting large scale field experiments to investigate competition between native and exotic plants. Her studies will contribute to best practice guidelines for dune restoration and management in New Zealand. Her work is complementary to the existing large scale backdune restoration project the Coastal Restoration Trust is currently working on supported by the Ministry for the Environment’s Community Environment Fund.