IF YOU’VE noticed a lack of butterflies of late you’re not the only one — numbers are plummeting, but there’s something we can do about it.
A LACK of butterfly habitats in suburban backyards has caused numbers to plummet in southeast Queensland.
And with the coming of spring, it’s up to residents to pick up their gardening tools and plant butterfly-friendly plants, says Gold Coast Butterflies owner Josephine Romeo.
“It has a lot to do with gardening. People used to plant a lot of flowers and different plants that created butterfly habitats but that is no longer the case,” she said. “That is why we don’t see many butterflies around anymore.”
Brisbane Butterfly Plague
The rampant use of insecticide has also made the garden a hostile environment for insects such as butterflies and bees.
Gold Coast Butterflies run programs to educate adults and children about the life cycle of butterflies.
Educators from the hobby conservation farm also head out to Gold Coast and Brisbane schools for students to see them first hand.
The warm spring has already brought the endangered Richmond Birdwing butterfly from its chrysalis.
Originally published as Why Australia’s butterflies are disappearing
