What does the Two-tailed Pasha do in March and April ?
The TTP egg would have been laid last autumn, and the caterpillar has overwintered, feeding only when mild. It's host plant is the Strawberry Tree.
On March 16th, this cat is nearly 30 mm long which is big for the end of winter. It was very mild this year without even a frost:
By April 18th the cat has reached its maximum size of 50 mm:
At 50 mm long, the cat is showing signs of loss of vital fluids, I may be wrong, but I am worried about parasitic attack:
On April 24th, 8 am, the cat unusually had not returned to its home leaf and I found it deeper in its bush, exploring a branch:
By 12 midday it had moved under the same branch and appeared to be preparing an area under the branch with a weaving motion with its mouth:
By 4 pm the cat was in position for pupation:
On April 27th, 3 days and a couple of hours later, after much concern over whether the cat had been parasited and had died, the cat pupated unexpectedly and rapidly between 4 pm and 8 pm:
The butterfly is expected to emerge for mid May.
Chris
Can you get them to slow down a bit though - I'm hopefully visiting the south of France the second week of August (Covid-19 willing) and it would be nice if there were still some species flying! 
In the meantime a fantastic set of shots of a species I'd dearly love to see. I too don't know how unusual cop shots are of this species but they also made my day 
