8th October 2019 My thought was that this fresh looking Painted Lady in the butterfly garden at Chambers Farm Wood, Lincolnshire, was not a migrant (now temperatures too cool for long distance flight), but a home grown "imergee" from a previous generation that either migrated here or was home grown (UK resident).
9th October 2019 Using Pete Eeles' superb reference book, this looked to me like a fourth instar stage of the Painted Lady Larva.
It was not expected (by me) at this time of year, for it to make it to adulthood.
"No I was not taking it indoors!"
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
"In under a week, the larva moults for the last time into a fifth instar"
P245 Life Cycles of British and Irish Butterflies - Pete Eeles
I would like to see, more scientific studies as to how temperature cooling in autumn (what temperature?), slows down a butterflies life cycle (larva or caterpillar), in a similar way that fisherman's maggots are slowed down when refrigerated before a next fishing session. I thought that the "in under a week" related to a specific temperature (or normal summer temperatures), rather than just "day length"