Butterflies are blooming

Flowers aren't the only things that bloom at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. Come and check out the Garden which is buzzing with the arrival of beautiful Caper White Butterflies. 

Passion for pomegranate 

Interestingly, Caper White Butterflies (Belenois java) are exclusively attracted to the native Pomegranate tree Capparis arborea. 

The Caper White lives mainly west of the Great Dividing Range but is sometimes blown towards Sydney while on its northward migration in about November.

Staff and visitors to the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan are often fascinated to watch the delicate fluttering of butterflies around the plant and everyone is delighted by their arrival this year. Check out the video further below. 

Watch them fly!

Check out this amazing video taken by Curator Manager of the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan John Siemon. You can go see them for yourself near the Bowden Centre. 

Bringing butterflies to the Garden 

Along with Caper White Butterflies, Pearl White Butterflies are also attracted to the Capparis arborea pomegrante plant. Having successfully grown a huge variety of rainforest trees over the years, staff at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan decided to plant it to see if these butterflies would come. 

Amazingly, after more than 10 years, a tree planted near the Bowden Centre now has a colony of Pearl White Butterflies and Caper White Butterflies with the larvae happily chomping at the leaves and the butterflies delicately fluttering around. 

The team at Mount Annan are delighted. Plant it and the wildlife will follow! 

Adult Caper White Butterflies are mostly white with black margins to their upper wings and yellow-orange, black and white underwings. 

If you visit the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan and you snap a good pic, please post it on social media using the hashtag #australianbg or tag @australinbg