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400 year old plant discovered in the Mary A vine estimated to be up to 400 years old which provides food for a very rare butterfly has been discovered in the Mary River catchment.The Birdwing Butterfly Vine Pararistolochia praevenosa was found on Walli Creek during an expedition into the area lead by a local resident, and represents the largest and oldest vine system ever seen by recognised butterfly expert Don Sands. During the past 12 months, Vanessa Bugg of the Richmond Birdwing Recovery Network has surveyed many sites in the southern Mary River catchment to verify the presence of the vine, and enters records into a national database. Maps of the butterfly and vine sightings in this database can be viewed at: www.richmondbirdwing.org.au To date, the recent find is the most significant of the survey. Butterfly sightings have recently been reported at Curra (north of Gympie) and Bauple. A butterfly has even been reported at River Heads where this species hasn’t been seen for decades. These northerly sightings are significant and indicate there may well be linkages through areas where the vines occur naturally extending northwards from the established Eumundi/Kenilworth line of occurrence. More vine hunts are planned, including in the Glastonbury and Bauple areas. Vines continue to be provided to those who wish to take up the challenge of planting and caring for them in order to help butterflies in the future. More than 1000 vines have been given to land owners over the last two years. The work to recover the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly is supported by the Sunshine Coast and Gympie regional councils and the Burnett Mary Regional Group. For more information, contact Eva Ford on 07 5482 4766. 
The Birdwing Butterfly vine Photo: Robert Whyte 
The rare Birdwing butterfly needs special vines to survive Photo: Don Sands |
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© 2005-2010 Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management Inc |