Category Archives: Butterflies

Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hedgehogs

Help us build thousands of homes!

Help Creative Woodcraft give nature a home!

Just as you’re making small changes to build a home for nature where you live, we think big and build homes for nature on a large scale right across the country.

Nature’s heroes…you’re brilliant!

How you can help give nature a home ?…..

Consider purchasing a home for nature from www.creativewoodcraft.co.nz

Banner Creative Woodcraft Green Urban Living

The places that nature calls home, where it raises a family and finds food are precious.

With major change ahead for the Christchurch area and the re-build project underway, there has never been a more important time to consider the effects on nature and the habitat of our wildlife. With increasing regeneration and expansion of urban areas across New Zealand, natures homes are in danger of slowly being destroyed or disappearing altogether.

There is more need than ever before to build homes for nature on a large scale.

Here’s how we do it:

We build wildlife habitat for:

  • Home gardens
  • Conservation Projects
  • School Garden Projects
  • Community Projects

We work with partners

We are always happy to work with and assist nature conservation organisations across NZ, as well as landowners, farmers and businesses.

Together we’re helping transform farms, parks, cities and communities into homes for nature – providing habitat for nature across New Zealand and creating better awareness for everyone.

We campaign and support nature
Decisions made by governments about the way our landscapes and seas are managed have an enormous impact on the wildlife that lives there.

We inspire the young
We help young people get close to nature: in and out of the classroom. We give them the first-hand experiences that lead to a lifelong love of nature, because future generations must love wildlife if they are to protect it.

Together we’re giving homes to a huge range of very special wildlife.

Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hedgehogs

We are always pleased to receive any photos of our products in action!….

We are always pleased to receive any photos of our products in action!….

Apple seed Feeder

So please feel feel to send us photos of your bird, bee,  butterfly, hedgehog and any other of your creative woodcraft products… and be into win a creative woodcraft gift voucher for the best photo. (competition closes November 1st 2013) we will also offer a small discount of your next order for all photo’s received before this date.

Bees, Birds, Butterflies

New Zealand’s Only supplier of Leafcutter Bee Cells to the Home Gardener!

Creative Woodcraft is a family run New Zealand business hand-crafting beautiful wildlife habitat, bird feeders and nesting boxes and other great garden products!

 

Creative Woodcraft is passionate about the future of bees in New Zealand and has teamed up with NZ pollination expert Dr Barry Donovan, of Donovan Scientific Insect Research in Lincoln, who has more than 50 years’ experience in the industry.

There is currently a great deal of attention focused on the future protection of honey bees throughout New Zealand, and quite rightly so. However let us not forget about the many other equally important pollinators out there, such as bumble bee’s and the numerous species of native solitary bee’s, which provide a huge impact on the success of our fruit and vegetables gardens, increasing pollination and in turn providing us with much greater yields.

Creative Woodcraft offers a proven solution to help gardener’s encourage native bees and help them to pollinate in their own backyard. At Creative Woodcraft you can purchase a solitary bee house and Leafcutter Bee Cells and have your pollinators ready for the warmer weather!

 

Pollinator friendly gardening 
Whether pollinator-friendly gardening sounds daunting or adventurous, it is in reality quite a simple and do-able task. By making an urban garden, regardless of its size, a welcoming place for insects and animals, you are helping to preserve essential pollinators, which in turn will help to make any garden thrive. The urban environment is not always best suited to pollinators, but by providing suitable nesting habitat and planting a garden focused on supplying their needs is one step in the right direction.
Why are pollinators essential to an urban garden? 
You may not always be able to observe pollinators in a garden, yard, or green space, but they are constantly present, and are actually working to your advantage. Not only are pollinators, such as bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, bats an important part of the natural environment, but they also benefit us by their services to plants. As a group they pollinate fruits, vegetables, and flowers, both wild and domesticated, making plants healthier and more likely to produce a better quality harvest. The presence of pollinators in the urban garden can only be positive. Some solitary bees, for example nest in the ground, other types nest in holes in wood or trees, in an urban environment where suitable nesting habitat is scarce or in decline the use of solitary bee houses will greatly assist our pollinators.

Worldwide evidence shows that pollinator populations are declining, especially that of the honeybee. Not all the particular reasons are known, because the decline could be due to many factors, including the destruction of habitat. By creating attractive environments for pollinators in an urban setting you can provide essential habitats for these insects and birds. Habitats may not be widely available in a setting such as a new subdivision, unless otherwise provided or helped to develop. Pollinators, such as bumble bees and butterflies, are also very interesting to observe, and when you foster a pleasant pollinator-friendly garden you can experience a piece of pure, wild nature in your own backyard.

At creative wood craft we offer a wide range of habitat and products to assist our native pollinators in an urban environment.

Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hedgehogs

Attract wildlife to your school, kindergarten or backyard…

For wildlife professionals, schools, conservation projects, farmers, builders and developers, you may like to consider introducing  products which can be used to help mitigate the effects of disturbance or loss of existing habitat. 

Source:ROSS GIBLIN/Fairfax NZ

Source:ROSS GIBLIN/Fairfax NZ

Creative Woodcraft’s  unique  product range, include nesting boxes for many species of birds, mammals and insects that will fit the bill perfectly.

Many of our products are well suited to assist in empowering children and students in early childhood centers and schools within nature gardens, habitat mitigation schemes and conservation projects in New Zealand.  All products are handmade to high standards and designed with their inhabitants in mind.

Attract wildlife to your school, kindergarten or backyard?

  • Solitary Bee Houses
  • Bumble Bee Nesting Boxes
  • Butterfly Houses
  • Bird Feeders
  • Bird Houses
  • Hedgehog Nesting and Feeder Boxes
  • And more……..

To view our product range (Click Here)

 

Butterflies

Including Butterflies in your garden

Butterflies

Imagine having a mini butterfly conservatory in your own back yard, or to be able to regularly experience beautiful butterflies dancing in your garden, in amongst the flowers and sun? It may seem a bit far-fetched, but in reality, butterfly gardening is an attainable goal. A perfect mix of gardening and interest in butterflies, this form of butterfly focused gardening is a practical way to be involved in butterfly conservation, as well as raising pollinator awareness.

Buterfly Shelter Feeder 7

By creating attractive environments for pollinators in an urban setting, you are providing essential habitat for butterflies, birds and bees. These essential habitats may not be readily available in a setting such as a new subdivision, unless otherwise provided or helped to develop.

Butterfly gardens are not substitutes for wild habitat, but are important in their own right and certainly do contribute to the survival of butterflies.

Butterflies are very interesting and beautiful to observe and when you create and foster a garden that includes butterflies you are set to experience a piece of pure, wild nature in your own backyard!

Take time to plan and plant in 5 easy steps!

Step 1: Be familiar with butterfly species in your area.

One important first step is to identify the kinds of butterflies that tend to normally live near your home. This can be done by observing butterflies in the area yourself, or by consulting a butterfly ID guide. By determining what kinds of butterflies are present, you will be better able to plant the appropriate nectar plants, and important larval food sources.

Step 2: Design for sunshine and shelter.

Butterflies love the sun. Your garden must have enough sunlit areas to attract them and keep them warm and active. Although the vast majority of butterflies like to bask in the sun, some are shade-loving butterflies and will benefit from garden areas protected from the sun. An ideal butterfly garden should also have areas that provide shelter from the wind. Consider providing a purpose built butterfly shelter giving migrating and hibernating butterflies a helping hand by providing them a place to live. When butterflies migrate they need to find shelter from bad weather. Usually they seek shelter in cracks of trees or buildings. Some butterflies will hibernate in the winter and need shelter to protect them from winter cold.

Buterfly Shelter Feeder 6

This butterfly house gives migrating and hibernating butterflies a helping hand by providing them a place to live.

Creative Woodcraft offers purposely designed butterfly houses that will provide habitat for migrating and hibernating butterflies. Butterflies will thrive better if they do not have to fight strong wind while feeding on nectar or while looking for plants on which to lay their eggs. Trees and shrubs can act as wind barriers and still be aesthetically pleasing in a garden.

Step 3: Plant nectar food sources.

Support  nzButterfly.info. 
1 It keeps the website online
2 It gives you a way to experience the magic of butterflies close up plus do your small part towards conserving and promoting the population growth of New Zealand’s butterflies.

As adults butterflies not only love the sun, they also love the nectar of flowers, a sweet substance that makes up their diet. Design your garden so that it has blooming plants from late spring to early autumn. A continual supply of flowers is essential to accommodate different butterflies, appearing at different times, with specific preferences. Also try to plant a variety of nectar rich flowers, such as the butterfly favourites of buddleia (butterfly bush),milk weed, and black-eyed susan. Hybrid garden varieties, such as those of roses and lilies, are not usually a good choice of flower because they tend to be low in nectar content. Butterflies will be attracted to even a small area if it is dense with nectar sources, shortening the search time for nutrition. Butterflies are often attracted to large and bright red, orange, yellow, pink, blue or purple flowers. Plants that have a trumpet or tube shaped flower and have a landing platform for the insect are desirable. Such flowers include zinnia, goldenrod, honeysuckle and daisy.

Step 4: Plant larval food plants.

Female butterflies are often very particular about where they lay their eggs, and will often spend a long time searching for the right plant. If you can make such plants available, such as milkweed, aster, lupine, violets and black-eyed susans, they should guarantee butterfly attendance, and the occurrence of a whole butterfly life cycle. The newly hatched caterpillar, or larva will feed on the food source and when they have turned into an adult butterfly it is most likely they will stay to feed on the garden’s nectar sources.

A butterfly garden can also be a mix of flowers and vegetables. For example planting carrots, parsnips, or dill should encourage certain butterflies. The butterfly larvae will likely devour these vegetables, so it would be wise to set apart another vegetable patch to grow food for your own consumption. Weedy plants, such as thistles or nettles, on which some butterflies feed, are also in demand. Such plants should not be dismissed and can be put in the back of the butterfly garden, away from any visiting people. Certain trees and shrubs, such as willows, and cherries, are larval food and can also serve as wind blocks and shelter. Once again, it is important to educate yourself about which butterflies are most likely to appear in your area, so that you can cater to their specific food needs, as larva and adults.

Step 5: Stop pesticide use.

Using pesticides will kill butterflies, as well as other important and beneficial insects. Please refrain from using pesticides, and if a problem arises, try an organic alternative.