VERY HUNGRY MONARCH CATERPILLARS

It’s not too early to plan how to keep monarch butterfly caterpillars all fed. Most people wait until they see a monarch and then buy teeny plants in the garden centre, which will only feed a couple of caterpillars, says Jacqui Knight, from the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust (MBNZT). If you sow seeds this month, you won’t have to rely on bought swan plants to feed hungry caterpillars later in the season.

Swan plant seeds are available from garden centres, Kings Seeds and MBNZT, or you can grab a mature seed pod from a plant that has overwintered.

Seeds need soil temperatures of 21-24C to germinate, so plant in seed trays undercover or in trays in a sheltered place outside if it is warm enough. Transplant into the ground before they are too big (under 20cm) as the roots don’t like to be disturbed.

And plant lots Those hungry monarch cater pillars can munch through a young plant in no time. It’s a good idea to cover a few of your plants with netting to prevent eggs being laid on them. This means you will have food when the other plants are stripped bare.

Nip out the growing tip of each stem just above a node, so the dormant buds there will develop into stems resulting in a stockier, multi-stemmed more compact plant, which may provide a little shelter and protection from wasps. Watch out for slugs and snails, which can chew through a punnet of seedlings or ringbark a larger plant. Orange aphids are another nuisance. Don’t spray plants with insecticides as this will kill the caterpillars too. Instead, squash them with your fingers, give them a blast with the hose or carefully spray with soapy water.