Growing swan plants is a rite of passage in New Zealand. You grow your swan plant only to find it devoured by monarch caterpillars. But that’s what it’s all about! That’s why you do it.

Every part of a monarch’s life is fascinating, for young and old alike. It is wonderful to see a small child fascinated by the arrival of a female monarch, when she alights on the swan plant to lay a small white egg… the size of the top of a pin. To know that she might have smelt that swan plant from as far away as 2 kilometres, drawn to your garden knowing this was a safe place to leave her eggs.

Within a few days the egg hatches and the tiny caterpillar, the size of one of your eyelashes begins to grow. Within two weeks the caterpillar has grown to the size of your little finger, and your beautiful swan plant has diminished somewhat. You may even have to buy more or quickly plant more seeds.

And then the caterpillar wanders off to find a safe place to pupate… to shed its final skin layer and become a chrysalis. Ten days later, you’ll find a beautiful orange and black butterfly in its place.

To see this miracle all you need to do is plant swan plants – the monarch will do the rest! Of course, you need to plant them where they will receive warmth from the sun, protection from the wind and just enough water to sustain their growth. Don’t just plant one plant… plant a multitude.

Over the course of the Spring and Summer too you’ll want to plant enough flowering plants that the butterfly can also have a sip of nectar when she’s visiting your garden. Calendula are perhaps the first flowers to plant. Coreopsis and wallflowers have a long flowering period.

Hebes (now renamed Veronica) with their bright, colourful flowers, are great for nectar too. But over the course of the Summer, cosmos and zinnias are the real winners. Keep them deadheaded and they will reward you with flowers right into the Autumn… and the monarch will be able to refuel while she’s visiting. You might even be blessed with a few resident male monarchs, waiting for the females to come along.

There is plenty of other information on the website of the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust, www.nzbutterflies.org.nz. For those wanting to know more we highly recommend the ‘Create Butterfly Habitat’ course online.

Author, Jacqui Knight, MNZM

In collaboration with the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust, NZButterflies.org.nz, Awapuni Nurseries is giving flower vouchers to lucky subscribers. Subscribe to our mailing list and be in to win one of 2 $50 online gift flower vouchers from Awapuni Nurseries! Click here to join. Two winners will be selected by Awapuni Nurseries on 30th September at 3pm.

A garden with swan plants and flowers is a place where people can witness one of nature’s great transformations.