Successful World of Insects course concludes – Join an upcoming training workshop on butterflies and moths

Posted at 27 Aug 2025 at 18:47h in News, Invertebrates, NGT Education by
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The final field excursion for the World of Insects project was completed on 30th July 2025, out at Penambol Conservation Park butterfly walk. Here, fifteen NGT and Mt Gambier Area Friends of Parks volunteers and DEW staff came out to assist in planting important larval host and adult feeding plants. Two local nurseries (Mimosa Farm Trees and NGT Community Nursery) supplied 500 native seedlings, which were planted to provide additional habitat for a range of butterflies and moths. Target plant species included Bursaria spinosa (Native Box), a popular food source for adult butterflies and moths, as well as many other insects, such as beetles and flies. Lomandra longifolia (Basket Grass/Mat-rush) is the only known larval host plant in South Australia for the Trapezites skippers found in the reserve (see below).  

left: Splendid Ochre (Trapezites symmomus) and right: Orange Ochre (T. eliena)

The participants were also treated to a cooked BBQ lunch prepared by Jess Bourchier. The revegetation effort included the use of small squares of weed matting for each plant, to help maintain soil moisture and keep weeds at bay.

Paula Anesbury carefully cutting the weed matting to size
Pat Muhovics installing the weed matting in place
Joe, Maureen and Helen wrangling recycled fencing wire to make pegs to hold down the weed matting

While we chose not to use tree guards, we are in the process of erecting a fence to deter kangaroos, wallabies, and wombats. Thanks to Andy Rethus and crew.

Kangaroo deterrent fence with construction in progress to protect seedlings for the next year or two

Upcoming Butterfly ID and Survey Training

Following on from the successful workshops and invertebrate projects running in the region, NGT is collaborating with Butterfly Conservation SA to run training workshops for citizen scientists to help with gathering data on our beautiful butterflies and sun-moths. The method (as explained here) follows a worldwide adopted technique called a Pollard Walk, whereby participants walk a regular route/track, identify and count all the butterflies or target moths they see. Workshops will be run in the Mt Lofty Ranges and Limestone Coast regions this spring. Please register your interest in participating in a workshop near you by emailing NGT at .

This project has been supported by a Grass Roots Grant from the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, Southern Bent-wing Bat Recovery team, Butterfly Conservation SA Inc, and the Friends of Mt Gambier Area Parks.

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Bryan Haywood