Understanding the role of butterflies as bioindicators will help to understand the importance of  any rehabilitation work. Brisbane City Council (BCC) encourages and backs rehabilitation work in our city through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program.

There are currently 163 volunteer based bushcare groups active on public land, registered under and supported by BCC’s Habitat Brisbane Program, 12 catchment groups working closely with the Creek Catchment Program and adding to the rehabilitation effort and to biodiversity protection. More than half of all wildlife habitat in Brisbane is found on private land which is considered critical for the survival of native fauna in Brisbane. The Land for Wildlife Program in particular assists landowners of larger properties in their efforts to rehabilitate and protect native habitat.

Butterflies are excellent indicators of environmental health. Our surveys have already shown how important the combined rehabilitation and conservation work of all above programs, volunteers and landowners is.

Active rehabilitation includes planting for butterflies. While nectar plants are important for the adult butterflies, the immature stages require their specific larval host plants for survival. Our butterflies have evolved with native plants, therefore the establishing of native flora is of the utmost importance.

Planting event to create habitat on Cubberla Creek - JG-Jutta Godwin

To plant for butterflies will provide benefits for other fauna. Butterflies are an important part of the food chain at all life cycle stages. Additionally, butterflies are important pollinators and very sensitive indicators of changes in habitat or climatic conditions.

If you would like to support butterflies through rehabilitation work and habitat creation, why not volunteer with a bushcare or catchment group. If you would like to protect fauna including butterflies and own a larger property, why not join the Land for Wildlife Program.

If you have a small suburban garden, we encourage you to plant for butterflies. If we all join forces, our butterflies will thank us by continuing to give joy to our lives. Why not check out the Butterfly Gardening category under Stories.

Check out the Butterfly Literature  in our Resources section on this website for information on butterfly host plants. And don’t forget to keep an eye on our diary for butterfly planting events.

Yellow-spotted Blue (Candalides xanthospilos) - DM-Deborah Metters