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The flutter of butterfly wings is being seen less and less -- and fanciers of the beautiful insect are worried.
Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust spokeswoman Jacqui Knight said people had been contacting her daily, concerned there were fewer butterflies around.
"Some have returned from tramping in the bush, while others talk about their city gardens or large parks and wild spaces all over the country," she told The Dominion Post.
"People tell me they just do not see monarch and admiral butterflies any more."
South Island lepidopterist Brian Patrick said several butterflies were threatened with extinction before they were even described.
The native forest ringlet butterfly is lost to the Waitakere Range and Northland and a tiny purple copper butterfly is seen only in one coastal car park.
Forest and Bird Protection Society president Peter Maddison told the newspaper butterflies played an important pollination role but that advances in crop science could be contributing to their dwindling numbers.
Insecticides affected them, and hybrid plants did not have as much nectar and, therefore, did not attract butterflies, Dr Maddison said.
The trust wants people to report butterfly sightings to its website, www.monarch.org.nz.
- NZPA
