The Best (and worst) Peacock hibernating places

[PhilBJohnson]

Hello,
This thread is for those who would like to share hibernating places for the Peacock Butterfly (including photos).
I had come across a shed with a "cat flap sized" hole in the door at the bottom, which butterflies had obviously entered through, but when temperatures rose, they were attracted to the larger window light source and were literally caught in the window, seemingly unable to escape. That shed's wood had been painted a very dark brown, both internally and externally.
On another occasion, I found a cool concrete garage with a "cat flap sized" hole in the door, there were no windows or other light sources (inside with the door closed and electric lamp off), butterflies were able to find the same easy route to exit.
So from an understanding of these two examples (one good, one not so good), it might have been very easy to help someone design a better hibernating place for Peacock butterflies.
Habitat Piles of larger logs, were and might be, a valuable hibernating place for the Peacock Butterfly in United Kingdom Woodlands (or back gardens).
Future, extreme winter high temperatures above 15ºC, in time with average global temperature rise, might see these butterflies wake up from hibernation too soon and or too often, for them to be more locally numerous.
"Do Not Disturb"
Hibernating Imago (adult butterflies) such as Peacock, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone needed to be left alone to conserve energy, so that they might breed successfully in a Spring. The exit from hibernation timing needed to be right, so that, once mated, the new brood larva might feed on very specifically needed, new, seasonal, accelerated florae growth, of their specific caterpillar food plants.

[PhilBJohnson]

If it is 16°C or 17°C in a climate changed winter, in someone’s future, in the UK, is that general air temperature too warm in sheltered locations, to keep Peacock butterflies in hibernation, in wood log piles and wooden sheds?
#Caves #ConcreteBunkers

[David M]

If 16 or 17c is ever likely to become the regular temperature during winter in the UK, I suspect that not only will Peacocks be extinct but the human race too!

[PhilBJohnson]

Hello David,
I thought that every time a hibernating butterfly, was disturbed by climate warmth, winter “cheese” photos might have given someone a wellbeing lift, having seen a butterfly, but in actual fact, I guessed that, generally speaking, they were less likely to survive to breed in the next Spring, the more times they changed long roosting or hibernation position. Also, it was disappointing to see some in temperature increased February in recent years, a long time before larval food plants were ready.
It was thought by someone, that a Camberwell Beauty only really hibernated properly in a fridge in the UK, because of a cooler winter needed and a more dramatic change from frost to summer. Although I went course fishing once and kept maggots in a fridge for longevity, I had never refrigerated any part of a butterflies life cycle, including a protected species, managing them in that way.
I had a question to ask about hibernating Large tortoiseshells , to do with it generally in the UK, being much cooler in the 1950s, when they suddenly became less abundant. Were there less larvae predatory song birds that survived very cold winters then?
Why might most (or many) hibernated Large tortoiseshells in the UK, scruffy looking examples?
April 1st might have been an ideal time for a Peacock butterfly to awake from hibernation, for mate finding first, before nettle bed timing, after winter larval food plant, frost growth retraction.

[David M]

I read somewhere that Small Tortoiseshells were now emerging from hibernation approximately two weeks earlier than they were 50 years ago. I suspect that rising temperatures are also bringing forward early season growth of larval host plants, so it's not as if the two things are out of sync.

One does wonder how much earlier it can realistically go though. For me, the second half of February is most definitely spring these days, with crocuses, daffodils and celandines all in flower by the end of the month. Maybe in another 50 years the whole of February will effectively be spring?

[PhilBJohnson]

For generally single, annual Generation butterflies like Brimstone, Peacock & Large tortoiseshell, we could make seasonal temperature comparisons with, for example, with the 1950s, when global human population impact, had not grown beyond most people's personal understanding.
We put those butterflies in hibernation sleep for longer and woke them up faster, with more sudden, seasonal Spring warmth & Autumn cooling.
It's not looking good, when someone thought, for example, the Brimstone butterfly might have an extra brood, just for it's larval food plants not to be in winter leaf, or the Small tortoiseshell to have an extra life cycle, with late summer and autumn, dried out, retracting nettles and warm winter air temperatures, leaving over-wintered Spring females in a scruffy condition, with that being their only chance to naturally pass on, to a next generation.
To attract a Peacock butterfly into a cool dark space, to match it's naturally, attracted to camouflage requirements, someone thought white goods" might be the wrong colour. Some unwanted larval parasites, might have thrived more in increased average heat-warmth temperatures.
Human populations might have a better understanding of wellbeing, by reversing a long term trend, rather than designing for something not locally experienced and then trashed by an extreme weather system.

[PhilBJohnson]

"In sheltered micro-climatic locations, that butterflies were sensitive to, climate changed, micro-climates, might have heated faster, than “nobody panic” weather forecasted, general altitude air temperatures."
A progressional amendment to a previous argument, was that a long roost or hibernation dark entrance orientation, will be facing opposite the direct sunlight (if there is any), at the temperature induced roosting time of day (it might be north facing, NE facing, or NNE facing, as well as East facing".

"Dark Entrance" meaning dark coloured and or low light level space, to suit a Peacock butterflies camouflage (wings closed).

[PhilBJohnson]

Bespoke Garden Shed Possibilities
For a Peacock butterfly's hibernation to work in camouflage, it was attracted to a very dark space, before it became very dark at night, in late summer or autumn.
Sheds with shed windows that lit a shed space, were not chosen, in preference to a boarded up window, with daylight hole elsewhere in the shed.
Time to remove board?, Pest Control?
In the Spring (April-May), those types of dark places were also attractive to common queen wasps building a nest, they over-wintered as single adults, it was thought, often in rotting wood, so be informed and if opening a shed door in that occurrence of Spring nest building, advice was not to stand in the day light lit doorway, to be in the way of an angry stinging wasp. Remember a light flood through shed window, trapped a butterfly, to fly the wrong way and lose it's energy upon awakening, up against a window.
Naming your butterfly and not wanting an overwintered single wasp, during nest building.
As queen common wasps (Vespula vulgaris), adult wasps, were the way that species over-wintered, someone might of had a foresight management control, at that stage.
Some Human Communities had more summer common wasps than was diserved, because of the way people might unwillingly have given them food and be unwilling to manage a nest on their property.

WWII old bunker, internal light turned on. Camouflage was not on black, or very dark colour.

In Conclusion, possible Future Garden Shed Designs
Turning a shed internal light on once, in the winter, was thought by someone, not to significantly disturb a hibernating butterfly, once it had already settled into hibernation.
#TwoDoorShed (No light flood through window, open door, or sliding hatch for light)
#SolarPanel for internal light and winter maximum temperature regulator
#Insulated material (to help keep internal air space cooler and more slowly changeable, in a climate changed UK)
#A fast heat conducting metal, might be less attractive, micro- locally, for a butterfly to roost on.
#Health and safety in possible cluttered, dark spaces.
#A possible single wasp trap, to catch an unwanted, overwintered Queen in about, seasonally April, trying to nest build, in an unwanted place, but to also discriminate for, a larger Peacock butterfly's needs.