Butterfly Capers - better late than never [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

This is further to the Caper White/ Belenois
java conversation at the end of November which I've just caught up with.
Here is some extra info from Ted Edwards on the possible migration patterns
of the Caper Whites:

From: Edwards, Ted (CES, Black Mountain)
Sent: Monday, 6 December 2010 9:56 AM
To: 'muriel story'
Subject: RE: caper whites

 
Nobody has studied their migrations.
But the usual pattern in Canberra is that sometimes there is a small migration
heading S to SW in late September or early October. There is usually a
much larger migration in late November or early December heading approx
NE. This Dec migration normally heads S out at places like Narrandera and
Griffith, then swings round somewhere in Victoria and some at least head
NE back through Canberra.
 
The caterpillars of the butterflies
feed on Capparis and Apophyllum. These plants occur no further south than
Newcastle on the coast and Griffith in the mid-west of NSW. (And the northern
Flinders Ranges in SA).
 
The butterflies breed in large
numbers in central Northern NSW (Narrabri, Moree) but more commonly in
western Qld and this must be the source of most of the butterflies. So
the ones you see have probably flown of the order of 1000 km already and
probably more.
 
No one knows any of this exactly.
This is all surmise based on casual observations. No one knows why. There
are other stories for Qld, NT and SA.
 
Cheers 
Ted
Ecosystem Sciences
CSIRO BLACK MOUNTAIN

---

Butterfly capers.

from [John Layton]

[Permanent Link][Original]

To:	"Canberra Birds" < m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");>>
Subject:	Butterfly capers.
From:	"John Layton" < m("bigpond.com","johnlayton2");>>
Date:	Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:46:05 +1100

Steve Holliday writes:

Denis is correct, they are Caper Whites, a classic migration happening at the moment, biggest numbers I have seen for a long time. There were also thousands through Cowra-Wellington-Tamworth areas a couple of weeks ago.

Do we know where they’re from. where they’re bound? I can’t find this information in any of our books.

John Layton.

Butterfly capers.

from [Denis Wilson]

[Permanent Link][Original]

To:	"John Layton" < m("bigpond.com","johnlayton2");>>, "Canberra Birds" < m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");>>
Subject:	Butterfly capers.
From:	"Denis Wilson" < m("bigpond.com","deniswilson23");>>
Date:	Fri, 26 Nov 2010 11:15:48 +1100

Their migration patterns are discussed in my blog posting,
http://peonyden.blogspot.com/2010/11/caper-white-butterflies-have-taken-over.html
with links in there to Don  Herbison-Evans's website.
 
Cheers
 
Denis
www.peonyden.blogspot.com

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