Question Kids at school work to save rare 'flying jewel' purple copper buttterfly

Kids at a tiny regional school are on a mission to save one of Australia's extremely rare butterflies. 
The purple copper butterfly is the size of a 10-cent piece and only lives in small pockets of habitat on the New South Wales Central Tablelands. 
The "flying jewel" is known for its iridescent wings, which glint with shades of purple, blue, copper and green in the sunlight.The scant availability of the butterfly's only food source is something students and staff at Meadow Flat Public School, near Lithgow, hope to change. 
"The purple copper butterfly is pretty rare and we need to help it stay alive," six-year-old student Angus said. 
"There's only one planet that usually has life on it and it's usually just Earth.

"So we want them to come back to life and stay on our planet."

The school of 30 has planted a garden of more than 60 native blackthorn saplings and more are on the way. 
Student Hayden said he felt "happy" creating the habitat.

"We get to help them come back to this land," he said.

A picky residentState environment department threatened species officer Alison Cowie said the butterfly was picky about its living arrangements. 
"They only live in areas where the native blackthorn exists, and only one particular subspecies of it — that only occurs at elevations [of] 850 metres and above," she said. 
The butterfly has other requirements for its potential home, including how many hours of sunlight it gets per day. 
"It has amazing iridescence on its wings when it's basking in the sun, which is one of its favourite things to do," Ms Cowie said. 
But perhaps the most crucial element for the butterfly is the presence of an ant that looks after its caterpillars. 
When the caterpillars hatch, the ants ferry them out to feed at night and protect them from predators. 
As sunrise approaches, the ants carry them back down to their nest underground. 
Ms Cowie said the ants were compensated for their labour. 
"The caterpillars grow a little gland on their back which secretes a sugary honey dew, and that's what the ants use as a reward for their bodyguard work," she said. 
Bathurst-based author Christine Bailey said this unusual relationship was what captivated her about the butterfly. "I went out at night counting caterpillars crawling around bushes and just watching," she said."When you see these little ants in action … they shepherd them like sheep dogs. "In the spring … you're able to see them flying like little jewels — they're just wonderful." 
Bailey created paintings of the butterfly's unique life cycle and developed them, using funding from a grant, into a children's book called the Purple Copper's Secret. 
"This is a really interesting story and kids need to know this," she said. All 200 copies of its first print went out the door, including to each public school in the Bathurst and Lithgow educational districts.Slow growingThe habitat requirements for the butterfly are difficult to reach and growing its food plant is not easy either.www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-07/meadow-flat-primary-school-purple-copper-butterfly/106173306