Feedback from Waihi East School
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