ANIMAL
The BUTTERFLY
EFFECT
Showcasing the fleeting beauty of tropical butterflies since 1985, Melbourne Zoo’s Butterfly House is beloved by members, visitors and staff alike. WORDS Jo
Stewart
Birdwing butterfly
10
that many invertebrates? Turns out, it takes a huge collective effort to keep the space alive with the magic of butterflies.
Male Cruiser butterflies often land on humans, then urinate to dissolve the salt on our skin before drinking it.
Supporting the circle of life
“We breed the butterflies year-round, and they all have different requirements. Some butterfly houses buy the pupa (or chrysalis), then allow the butterflies to emerge, but we breed them all. Looking after the caterpillars is a huge undertaking. It’s a big commitment, but also more satisfying to manage the whole process,” Kate explains. With each species preferring to eat and lay its eggs on different plants, the Zoo’s nursery team work hard to supply the hundreds of potted plants required for each species to breed and survive. As Nursery Supervisor at Melbourne
Zoo, Tom Millane manages several large, heated greenhouse spaces as well as some outdoor growing areas. “Our primary focus is on producing a year-round supply of mainly tropical food plants for the butterflies. We also produce plants to support the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect breeding program,” says Tom. Eggs are constantly being laid, caterpillars are continually hatching and munching on plants before forming
IMAGES: JO HOWELL
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t’s captured the hearts of many members and visitors, but plenty of staff also consider Melbourne Zoo’s Butterfly House a favourite. Ectotherms Coordinator Kate Pearce’s connection to the Butterfly House goes back decades. “I remember visiting the Butterfly House with my nanna in 1988. A butterfly toy from the giftshop was my prized possession for years. So I’ve got an emotional attachment to the House. It’s special to me, but I know it’s special to many others too,” says Kate. Housing up to 15 mostly tropical and subtropical species from Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern New South Wales, the Butterfly House has 500 to 800 butterflies flying daily. But what does it take to breed and feed
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