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Making moth identification guides

Names are important. They identify who we are and where we come from. But sometimes, names don’t tell the whole story. For example, the Oxford Dictionary defines ‘moth’ as an insect with two ...

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ARTICLE

Ahi Pepe MothNet – an introduction

Moths are members of the order Lepidoptera, but these mostly nocturnal creatures are often in the shadow of the brighter, day-flying butterflies. New Zealand has fewer than 20 butterfly species ...

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ARTICLE

Citizen scientists

Citizen scientists are volunteers who participate in scientific projects. They work in partnership with scientists to answer interesting and relevant questions. Rights: NZPA/John Cowpland Joan ...

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ACTIVITY

Tagging monarch butterflies for science

In this activity, students place small stickers (tags) onto caught or newly emerged monarch butterflies and release them into the environment. The tag number, information about the butterfly and ...

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ACTIVITY

Establishing butterfly transects

In this activity, students set up and walk a transect to observe and record butterfly sightings. Butterfly sightings are then recorded on the Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust website. Modify ...

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ACTIVITY

White butterfly life cycle

In this activity, students use white butterfly eggs, larvae and pupae to examine the white butterfly life cycle and to compare it with that of a monarch butterfly. By the end of this activity ...

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Explore related citizen science projects

CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

Big Butterfly Count

This New Zealand-based citizen science project collects data about butterflies in our gardens, schools, parks and farms – any location in the country or on the outer islands. This annual event – ...

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CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

iNaturalist

iNaturalist logs hundreds of thousands of photos of flora, fauna and fungi. There are even sound recordings too. Each is described and geo located. iNaturalist is used by citizens and scientists ...

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CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

The Pieris Project

This project involves the pesky Pieris rapae (better known as the white butterfly or white cabbage butterfly), which is very common in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is believed to have originated in ...

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TEACHER PLD

A butterfly story in a primary classroom

The New Zealand Curriculum has a strong focus on ensuring that all students have the skills and knowledge to participate in public debates and decision-making processes as critical, active ...

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TEACHER PLD

Teachers using the Hub – Butterflies and citizen science ...

In this online PD session recorded on 30 July 2015, primary school teacher Angela Schipper describes how she used the Butterflies resources from the Science Learning Hub in the classroom. In ...

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TEACHER PLD

Butterflies (lower primary) – unit plan

This unit plan is designed for students in years 1-5. When someone mentions the word butterfly, what image pops into your head? Chances are it’s the monarch or the white butterfly, as these are ...

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Explore related videos

VIDEO

Researching with iwi

Weno Iti, Apanui Skipper and Andrew Swales talk about research they undertook for the toolkit. They describe their collaboration with iwi and their learning from them that resulted in an ...

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VIDEO

Developing the toolkit

Andrew Swales, Apanui Skipper and Weno Iti discuss their roles in the development of the toolkit. Andrew led the development while Apanui provided the Māori component – helping to identify the ...

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VIDEO

Teachers using the Hub – Butterflies and citizen science ...

In this online PD session recorded on 30 July 2015, primary school teacher Angela Schipper describes how she used Butterflies content from the Science Learning Hub in the classroom. In ...

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Explore related interactives

INTERACTIVE

Ahi Pepe MothNet: Gateway to ecology and science

Exploring moths as ecological indicators of health and connectedness in our natural world. Select here for further information, transcript and copyright.

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INTERACTIVE

Environmental forensics

Dr Candida Savage explains the clues she collects in estuaries and fiords, to understand how changes in land use affect these environments.

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SLIDESHOW

New Zealand butterfly families – slideshow

Most of New Zealand's butterflies belong to the Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae families. Use the Slideshow menu for further options, including view full screen, and go here for the download option.

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