Butterfly Walk Field Guide - ForestrySA

HOW TO GET THERE
From Mount Gambier travel
towards Nelson along Punt
Road (approximately 12
kilometres). Turn left onto
Sea Coast Hill Road then
follow the signs through the
forest.
Books:
Braby, M. F. (2000). Butterflies
of Australia Vol1 & 2. CSIRO
Publishing.
Braby, M. F. (2004) The complete
field guide to Butterflies of
Australia. CSIRO Publishing.
Fisher, R. H. (1978). Butterflies
of South Australia. Government
Printing.
Orr, A and Kitching, R. (2010). The
Butterflies of Australia. Allen and
Unwin Publishing.
Websites:
Butterfly Conservation SA
http://www.users.chariot.net.
au/~bcsa/index.htm
Butterflies of South Australia
www.sabutterflies.org.au
nrmFauna website http://
se.nrmspace.com.au/nrmfauna/
For copies, guided tours
or enquiries:
Bryan Haywood, ForestrySA Office,
Jubilee Highway East, Mount
Gambier (08) 8724 2765
DENR Office, Helen Street, Mount
Gambier (08) 8735 1177
Group Contacts:
Butterfly Conservation SA Inc.
(08) 8207 7503
Friends of Mount Gambier Area
Parks (08) 8735 1177
Millicent Field Naturalists
(08) 8733 2320
Mount Gambier Field Naturalists
(08) 8723 1461
Nelson Coastcare Group
(08) 8738 4037
Port MacDonnell Landcare Group
(08) 8725 1909
Southern Ocean Coastcare Group
(08) 8738 2131
Acknowledgements:
Funding and in-kind support
from ForestrySA, Department
of Environment and Natural
Resources, Friends of Mount
Gambier Area Parks and Nature
Foundation SA Inc.
Photography:
All photos taken by Bryan Haywood
or where indicated.
CJW = Chris Wilson
GW = Geoff Walker
RF = Robert Fisher
Cover photo: Shouldered brown
taken along section 6 sunning
itself on a Blackwood tree.
Sweet
bursaria
BUTTERFLY WALK IN PENAMBOL CONSERVATION PARK
A field guide to the
BUTTERFLY WALK
in Penambol Conservation Park
HISTORY OF THE WALK
Butterflies are a valuable environmental indicator, not
only for their rapid and sensitive responses to climate
or habitat changes but as representatives for the
diversity of other wildlife in your area.
In the United Kingdom in the mid 1970’s, a technique
called ‘butterfly walk’ was developed to monitor
butterfly numbers and diversity in an area. In 2000, field
naturalist Christopher J. Wilson came to Australia (from
Ireland) and wished to share his passion for butterflies
by setting up South Australia’s first Butterfly Walk.
This trail is a meandering walk in two adjoining
reserves; Penambol Conservation Park and Warreanga
Native Forest Reserve, taking you through different
butterfly habitats. There are 7 sections along the walk
allowing you to see and experience different species.
Monitoring at this site
began in October 2000
and has involved many
people, so after many
years of surveys we
can now inform you
of the common, rare
or infrequently seen
species to this area.
COLOURS
Butterflies seen along this walk can be divided into four
colour groups (or families).
› Browns (Nymphalidae) › Blues (Lycaenidae)
› Whites (Pieridae) › Skippers (Hesperiidae)
Refer to the inside panels for photos of the varieties you
might see and learn of the plants their caterpillars feed
on (commonly called larval food plants).
WEATHER CONDITIONS
The best weather conditions to visit the walk is during
calm, sunny to warm days (›18°C). Avoid visiting when
weather is overcast, cold and wet as butterflies keep a
low profile.
WARREANGA NATIVE FOREST RESERVE
PENAMBOL
CONSERVATION
PARK
1 Stringybark forest and edge
2 Open grasses and bracken
3 Stringybark forest and edge
1
2
7
4 Mat-rush thicket and
wattles
FLIGHT TYPES
Each butterfly has a characteristic flight pattern,
so understanding flight patterns greatly helps with
identification. Most species you encounter here skip,
dart, meander or flutter within a few metres of the
ground. Refer to the table on the inside panel to learn
which flight type each species has.
REVEGETATION
3
Two areas of revegetation can be seen along this walk
(in sections 2 and 4). Attempts have been made to plant
adult flowering and larval food plants by Friends of
Mount Gambier Area Parks volunteers and DENR staff.
These plantings are to supplement the existing natural
habitat. Take note of the Mat-rush (larval food plant) and
Sweet bursaria (adult food plant) planted in these areas.
If you plant these along with
native grasses in your yard
this should ensure you see
more butterflies in your
area.
We hope you enjoy the
experience along this
Butterfly Walk.
6
4
5
WOMBAT WALK
5 Blackwood edge to hilltop
6 Hilltop through swamp
gum
7 Swamp gum and
stringybark over shrubs
and Mat-rush

BROWNS
RF
Australian admiral
Vanessa itea
Native and introduced stinging
nettles (Urtica incisa, U. urens).
Australian painted lady
Vanessa kershawi
Native and introduced daisies
including Chrysocephalum,
Helichrysum and Cape weed*.
Common brown
Heteronympha merope
Native and introduced
grasses including
tussock, weeping rice,
kangaroo, couch*,
and veldt grass*
Marbled xenica
Geitoneura klugii
Native and introduced grasses
including kangaroo, spear and
tussock grasses, and veldt
grass*.
Meadow argus
Junonia vallida
Native and introduced herbs
including Goodenia, Scaevola,
Scabiosa*, Plantago* and
Veronica species.
Shouldered brown
Heteronympha penelope
Native grasses especially
wallaby and kangaroo grass.
WHITES
CJW
Caper white
Belenois java
SKIPPERS
Wanderer*
Danaus plexippus
Introduced milkweeds or swan
bush.
Cabbage white*
Pieris rapae
Vegetable garden plants, and
local crops.
Does not breed in SE region,
migrant from central Australia.
Barred grass skipper
Dispar compacta
Cutting grass, tussock grass
and mat-rush (Lomandra).
Bright shield skipper
Signeta flammeata
Native grasses including
tussock and hairy rice-grass.
BLUES
GW
* Denotes introduced species
Broad-margined azure
Ogyris olane
Mistletoe species growing
on wattle or gums (with
attending ants).
Common grass blue
Zizina labradus
Native and introduced
soursob/clovers and
other legumes including
Hardenbergia, Indigofera, and
Pultenea.
Salt-bush blue
Theclinesthes serpentata
Various saltbush species
especially coastal varieties
including Rhagodia and
Atriplex.
Orange ochre
Trapezites eleina
Mat-rush (Lomandra).
Splendid ochre
Trapezites symmomus
Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia).
STATUS CODE:
C Common and abundant
I Irregularly seen but common
in district
R Rarely seen but an important
site for them
Va Vagrant (non-breeding area) -
rarely seen
M Northern migrant (nonbreeding
area) - some years
in good numbers
FLIGHT PERIOD
COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME
J F M A M J J A S O N D STATUS
FLIGHT WINGSPAN
TYPE OR SIZE
Australian admiral Vanessa itea x x x x x x x I G M
Australian painted lady Vanessa kershawi x x x x x x x I G M
Common brown Heteronympha merope x x x x x x x C F L
Marbled xenica Geitoneura klugii x x x x C F S to M
Meadow argus Junonia vallida x x x x x I G M
Shouldered brown Heteronympha penelope x x x C F M
FLIGHT TYPE CODE:
Wanderer/Monarch* Danaus plexippus x x Va F L
S Skip or dart - can be very fast
to as a slow as a hover
F Flutter or meandering flight
- mostly slow but can be fast
during windy conditions
G Glide with wings held out flat
- generally a fast flight
Cabbage white* Pieris rapae x x x x x x x x x C F M
Caper white Belenois java x x x M F M to L
Broad-margined azure Ogyris olane x x x I G/F M
Common grass-blue Zizina labradus x x x x x x x C F/S S
Saltbush blue Theclinesthes serpentata x x I F/S S
Barred grass-skipper Dispar compacta x x x C S S
WING SPAN CODE:
S 20-25mm
Bright shield-skipper Signeta flammeata x x x I S S to M
Orange ochre Trapezites eleina x x x R S M
M 25-50mm
L ›50mm
Splendid ochre Trapezites symmomus x x x R S M to L