Interesting. I wonder whether the species makes use of the
cultivated Caper, which is grown much further south than Newcastle. I find the
following attributed to Maggie Beer on the website of the Australian Caper
Company.
“ I'll never forget the day years later in Mildura when
those of us interested in slow food were gathered for the first time. We were
sitting on my friend Stefano de Pieri's newly renovated riverboat to hear of
his dream of the Murray becoming the "Slow River" and to hear other
speakers on slow food, among them Trewartha, of the Australian Caper Company.
When he and his wife, Samantha, approached me before proceedings began and gave
me the first jar of salted capers they'd produced, I felt as if I'd won the
lottery. Taking them home and finding out just how good they were completed the
circle. I now only hope that this can be made into a viable agricultural
pursuit.
The Australian Caper Company grows its capers organically
on the dry rocky slopes of the Murray River near Mannun, combining ancient
techniques with modern research.
The hardy caper bush, with a deep root system that uses
very little water, is grown on land so degraded by salinity it could grow
almost nothing else except saltbush. The capers are picked at first light every
day throughout the hot summer months then cured in their own juices, repackaged
in salt and sold that same season, ensuring they are fresher, firmer and more
flavoursome than the imported product.
Then there is Brian Noone, a nurseryman formerly of Cottage
Herbs in Angle Vale, South Australia. Noone won a Churchill Fellowship to study
caper propagation in the Mediterranean, where he found his calling. Since his
return, he has successfully bred a caper he's called the 'Eureka', protecting
it with plant-breeder rights.
Noone has fielded interest in the plant from as far afield
as Morocco, Israel and Syria. Other than the high-end position occupied by the
Australian Caper Company, Noone feels it will be difficult for the Australian
industry to compete with cheap imports of bulk capers because of our high
labour costs and lack of access to the innovative and very expensive picking
equipment used overseas. For more information on Noone's capers, see www.caperplants.com.”
Perhaps someone should ask Messrs Trewartha and Noone whether they
have noticed any unusual caterpillars on their caper vines. Looking into the
dark corners of a food cupboard, I have just found an ancient jar of ‘Baby
Capers’ which was marketed by “Sandhurst – The All Australian Company” and is
labelled “Product of Morocco”.
From:
[
Sent: Wednesday, 8 December 2010 1:35 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] 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.
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To:
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"Canberra Birds" < >
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Subject:
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Butterfly capers.
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From:
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"John Layton" < >
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Date:
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Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:46:05 +1100
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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.
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Butterfly capers.
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To:
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"John Layton" < >,
"Canberra Birds" < >
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Subject:
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Butterfly capers.
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From:
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"Denis Wilson" < >
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Date:
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Fri, 26 Nov 2010 11:15:48 +1100
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