Madam Butterfly

Last week I was in Tauranga and presented to the children at Otumoetai Primary School. As it was ‘Book Week’ my presentation took a slightly different tack and I also covered my work as a writer, editor and author.

Jenny Chapman, who organised the visit, said: “It was great to have you. I thought you aimed your talk well for the level of the children. It was definitely fun seeing you dress Mr Smith up.”

In the photographs Mr Smith kindly volunteered (?) to model for me, as I illustrated some of the differences between butterflies/insects and other animals.

The Bubbly Butterfly Lady

On Thursday 17th March, Jacqui Knight (the butterfly lady), paid a visit to Waihi East School and gave an interactive talk all about heaps of different types of butterflies, but mostly the Kohuku (colourful coat/monarch butterfly).
Jacqui is also a very enthusiastic environmentalist and talks about litter, different animals, saving our plant life, and looking after our planet. But mostly butterflies.
“I absolutely love doing this type of work,” says the Russell resident.
Madam Butterfly has been in this ‘Butterfly Business’ of teaching kids all about butterflies for over 35 years, and travelled to over 45 schools. She says her main aim is to protect the butterflies that used to swarm over NZ. Although there are over 20,000 different species of butterflies throughout the world, the numbers have speedily dropped to less than 75 around NZ.
She taught the pupils of East School about how the chrysalis is actually clear, how they group together to survive winter (they mostly go to Butterfly Bay), how moths are different from butterflies and much, much more.
Unfortunately, she had to leave after only one hour in order to get to other schools but in that hour, the Waihi East School students including myself, learned a lot about butterflies and enjoyed her presentation of the magical creatures.

By Joseph Walmsley, Age 11 Year 6

Magnificent Madam Butterfly (Jacqui Knight)

On Thursday the 17th of May Madam Butterfly came to Waihi East School to talk about different types of butterflies, such as the Red Admiral and the Monarch. She has been teaching students around NZ for over 40 years now and loves her job. There are about 20 thousand different species of butterflies in the world but there is less than 100 species in NZ.
Did you know that a caterpillar’s first meal is its egg which it is born from, and within 4 minutes a caterpillar can eat a whole swan plant leaf. It takes 10-14 days before a caterpillar is ready to become a chrysalis
Once a butterfly has hatched it has a lot of caterpillar blood in it and has to pump it into its wings before it can fly.
I really enjoyed Madam Butterfly’s presentation. It was really interesting.

By Ruby Twyford
Year 6 Age:10

THE AWESOME VISIT FROM MADAM BUTTERFLY
Today (17/5/07) Jacqui Knight, also known as Madam Butterfly, visited Waihi East School. She has also been to 50 other schools in NZ, wow! She has been trying for 40 years to help butterflies, especially Monarchs. She helps the environment so it can be a better home for NZ’s beautiful butterflies. Madam Butterfly has traveled quite a lot around NZ and now she has driven down from Russell to give us a few tips about butterflies.
The Maori name for Monarch Butterflies is Kahuku, which means colourful coat. Amazingly, there are 20,000 species of butterfly in the world.
The difference between male and female Monarchs is that the female has dark black lines on her wings and the male has skinny ones – and males have two dots (scent pouches) on their wings instead.
Madam Butterfly says that she hasn’t traveled to different countries yet, but she would love to, she also said that she loves doing presentations in front of children, if they are a good audience, because she thinks that we could help nature too.
We learnt a lot more things about butterflies and we really enjoyed it.
I just want to say a great big thanks and I think it’s wonderful what Madam Butterfly is doing!!!

By Jordy Bardin
Year 5 9yrs Waihi East School

Madam Butterfly

On Thursday 17th May, Madam Butterfly (Jacqui Knight) drove down from Russell to Waihi East School to show us a presentation. The presentation was about butterflies.
Madam Butterfly told us a lot about Monarch butterflies. She told us about the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. First the egg hatches and out comes the baby caterpillar. Next the caterpillar forms into a chrysalis. Finally the chrysalis breaks open and the adult Monarch butterfly emerges out of the chrysalis into broad daylight. The Maori name for the Monarch is Kahuku, which means colourful coat.
In NZ there are less than 100 species of butterfly, but in the whole wide world there are 20,000 different species of butterflies.
In the winter, Monarch butterflies in NZ go to Butterfly Bay to rest.
Madam Butterfly also cares for the environment as well as the butterflies. She also showed us a game called the web of life.
Madam Butterfly has been studying butterflies for 40 years and has gone to 50 schools in NZ teaching children about butterflies. She said to us that she loves her job.
Thank you for coming to our school to show us your presentation I really enjoyed it.
By Nicole Kerr Age 10

Magnificent Madam Butterfly

On Thursday 17th of May Jacqui Knight (the butterfly lady who drove all the way from Russell) came to Waihi East School to share her information about all the different types and kinds of butterflies such as the Red Admiral and the Monarch – or kahuku which is the Maori name for it, which means ‘colourful coat’.
She encouraged us to help the environment so the butterflies can live peacefully. There are many amazing facts that I have learnt from Madam Butterfly who has been trying to help butterflies for 40 years now, especially Monarch Butterflies. We were told that the moth and butterflies are family, but one of the differences between them are that a moth makes cocoons and that butterflies make chrysalis. There are less than 100 butterflies in NZ and there are about 20,000 different species of butterflies all around the world. Madam Butterfly has travelled all over NZ teaching children, and says she loves her job.

By Josephine Mueggenburg
10 years Rm 2 Waihi East School

Marvelous Madam Butterfly

Today Thursday 17th of May, Waihi East School had a visit by Jacqui Knight, known as madam Butterfly. She’s been studying butterflies for forty years and she has travelled all around NZ. She drove down from Russell to give us a few tips about Monarch butterflies.
She became Madam butterfly because of her passion for nature. She’s travelled to 50 schools in NZ and she says she loves doing her special presentations but only with a good audience!
She taught us about the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly.
The Maori name for Monarch butterflies is Kahuku. Monarch butterflies are in the Danaidae (milkweed butterfly family).
There are about 20,000 butterflies in the world?
The difference between female Monarchs and male Monarchs is females have wide black veins on their wings and males have thin ones. One other difference is male Monarchs have two black dots on their wings.
Butterflies’ antenna hear, smell and sense all at a time! Now we all know butterflies have terrible eye sight don’t we! Butterflies don’t have hands like humans so they have a tongue called a proboscis that they use to suck up nectar. It sounds a bit odd but Monarch butterflies taste with their feet!
Did you know that butterflies are related to moths but they’re really different because moths have feathery antenna and they form into cocoons when butterflies have sleak antenna and form into a chrysalis.
When butterflies emerge from their chrysalis on a warm sunny day before they can flutter away they have to let their wings dry!
I hope Madam Butterfly enjoyed her visit, I know we did!!!

By Abbey 10years
Waihi East School

10.30am Choral service of Holy Communion – Everyone Welcome.