Common Tussock Butterfly

Today I went to Christchurch to have another shot at the appointment I missed last week due to locking myself out of my house. It took more than two hours, mostly waiting. I did the bare necessity of shopping- garden shop, greengrocer and supermarket- and came home blipless and exhausted. Then I noticed this butterfly outside a window. It was fluttering about franticly, flashing orange. I stalked it as it teased me, flying back and forth, and circling around me. Eventually it settled on the ground with wings folded. It was like nothing I have seen before. I waited and waited for it to open its wings, but this was the best I was given before it speeded off over the fence.

Fortunately the little bit of colour was enough to identify it as a female common tussock butterfly. The forewings have large orange blobs with that white-specked black spot. The hind wings are also orange, but with three small white centred black spots. They are endemic to New Zealand. How exciting to discover a new butterfly in my garden.