As if pottering about in nature noticing the butterflies wasn’t delightful enough, a slow coach recently found a colony of Eltham Coppers – a rare species that exists only in Victoria. Thought to be extinct for over forty years, the threatened Copper was rediscovered in a small bushland patch of suburban Eltham in 1986. They’ve since been sited in two other areas: Nhill and Castlemaine. This latest discovery, in Bendigo, raises hopes for the flourishing of the species.

Incredibly, the larvae of the Eltham Copper lives underground in the nests of the Notoncus ant and emerges at night to feed on Sweet bursaria – they’ll eat nothing else. The ants protect the larvae while they feed, with one ant attending to one grub at all times. That is until they fly the nest on copper wings from late November to January.

Keep your eyes peeled.