An endangered butterfly seems to love the ACT as much as Canberrans, with new populations of the rare Purple Copper Butterfly found in two areas of the Namadgi National Park.
The find follows the initial discovery of the butterfly (pictured) in the ACT last year, when previously it was only known to occur in the Central Tablelands of NSW.
Welcoming the news, Minister for the Environment, Rebecca Vassarotti and Minister for Planning and Land Management, Mick Gentleman said the collaboration between ACT Government ecologists, community butterfly experts and volunteers enabled a successful survey of the butterflies despite the wet conditions this year.
“Following their discovery in the ACT last year, we are very excited to announce that new populations of the endangered Purple Copper Butterfly have been found in two areas of Namadgi National Park,” Ms Vassarotti said.
“We know that the butterflies are very particular about elevation, being found only in areas between 850 and 1150 meters above sea level,” she said.
“They seem to favour post-fire habitats dominated by their primary food, Blackthorn plants.”
However, Ms Vassarotti said, the surveys conducted this year also suggested that non-fire-affected areas in the ACT may be important habitats for the species.
She said the monitoring efforts, in conjunction with citizen science, were crucial to improving understanding of the endangered species, including how it interacts with the other plants and animals in the ACT.
Mr Gentleman said the Namadgi National Park sightings were very special, as the butterfly populations were protected from many of the threats in other areas.
“The small iridescent butterflies, measuring only 20-30mm, are currently protected at Namadgi from the habitat loss or modification that results from land clearing, spraying, grazing and weed invasion,” Mr Gentleman said.
“Unfortunately, the recent wet weather limited access to many areas of the park, so we were really encouraged to find populations of the butterflies despite that challenge,” he said.
“We will be surveying additional areas of Namadgi National Park next year as part of our continued effort to map ACT populations and inform management practices.”
Mr Gentleman encouraged the community to upload possible sightings of the Purple Copper Butterfly to Canberra Nature Map to help conservation efforts.
The Canberra Nature Map can be accessed at this PS News link.
