Butterfly ‘rewilding’ project to kick off in Adelaide under Green Adelaide push for National Park City status

They’re small and colourful – but more importantly, vital for healthy ecosystems. But butterflies are being threatened.

They may be tiny creatures, but butterflies have a huge impact on natural environments – and a new rescue project aims to bring more of them back to our gardens.

As part of the state’s push to win the National Park City status, Green Adelaide is leading a “rewilding” program to improve butterfly habitat across the city – particularly for threatened species.

The project will identify areas to prioritise for more butterfly-friendly plants and boost awareness about the insects and their plight.

Butterfly Conservation SA chairman Gerry Butler said butterflies were vital for ecosystems because they pollinated plants and were food sources for birds and lizards.

“They’re very much part of the whole food chain. If we don’t have butterflies, we have a much reduced number of species actually able to survive,” he said.

EntoSearch’s Alex Stolarski, with a yellowish sedge-skipper caterpillar. Picture: Tom Huntley

A bitterbush blue butterfly. Picture: Andy Young

Adelaide has about 30 threatened butterfly species.

Since forming in 1988, Butterfly Conservation SA has been encouraging South Australians to look after butterfly populations through planting habitat plants and protecting remnant vegetation.

Environment Minister David Speirs said Adelaide’s urban development meant threatened species, such as the yellowish sedge-skipper, bitterbush blue and chequered copper butterfly needed a habitat boost to protect their populations.

“Butterflies are … an essential building block of a healthy environment, but several species are under pressure due to urban sprawl,” Mr Speirs said.

Green Adelaide is launching a project to bring more butterflies back to Adelaide streets. Chequered copper butterfly. Picture: Greg Coote

A Yellowish sedge-skipper. Picture: Matt Endacott

“Butterflies need our help to create their new homes, so they can create a healthy environment for us to enjoy.”

As reported, Green Adelaide is also working on a study into reintroducing platypuses to the River Torrens.

Green Adelaide board presiding member Chris Daniels said the yellowish sedge-skipper, bitterbush blue and the chequered copper butterflies had almost vanished from metropolitan Adelaide and despite the best efforts of conservation groups, more attention was needed to secure threatened species’ futures.

Alex Stolarski, who runs insect habitat restoration business EntoSearch, said much work was needed to restore butterfly habitat, especially along the coast.

Last year, he collected yellowish sedge-skipper pupae from larger populations around Meningie, the Coorong and Hindmarsh Island, later releasing about 170 butterflies at the Aldinga Washpool Lagoon to help repopulate the area.