Caterpillars of the Painted Lady

[Sylvie_h]

Caterpillars of the Painted Lady found at Whiteford Burrows on marsh mallows in August.
As the adults are very likely to die with temperatures below 5 degree C, I wonder if these caterpillars are doomed or if they have had the chance to emerge and migrate south to better climes to escape the cold winter. Does anybody have any information on this?
Sorry for the quality of the pics, it was a misty rainy day and no light ...
Thanks,
Sylvie

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Sylvie,

If your larva was already well developed in August, then there would have been more than enough time for it to have completed its development (assuming it survived all the usual hazards of disease and predation etc).
I am basing this on my experience in 2009 when I found a half-grown larva in Surrey on 27th September. This was taken into care, and allowed to develop under natural conditions. It pupated on 2nd November and the adult emerged on 17th November. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3080&p=29028#p29028

That being the case, I do not now whether late-emerging adults try to fly south or stay put.

Vince

[Sylvie_h]

Thank you Vince for this information, interesting thread. After reading this, there may be the possibility that the imagoes fly South again if the wind blows from the right direction.... that makes sense otherwise why would the migrant adults lay eggs in colder climates if the migration South was not possible?
Sylvie