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Grizzled Skipper pupa
- Trev Sawyer
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Grizzled Skipper pupa
Woo-hoo! Even more exciting than "football coming home" at the weekend, I discovered that the slow-growing Grizzled Skipper caterpillar I've been fostering since it was an egg had finally decided to pupate
The second photo shows a close-up of an eye and a black thoracic spiracle through which oxygen and carbon dioxide can pass. Apparently too much oxygen is toxic to the growing insect and the spiracles stay closed for extended periods of time - either opening fully or "fluttering" to maintain the correct balance of respiratory gasses inside the pupa.
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Re: Grizzled Skipper pupa
Great shots Trev and interesting details. When you say 'adopted', is this wild? semi-wild? reared?
- Trev Sawyer
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Re: Grizzled Skipper pupa
I suppose you'd call it "semi-wild" now... I saw the adult lay the egg right on the edge of a very busy footpath and felt it's chances of survival were next to zero there, so I thought I'd see if I could get it through myself... I only tried with that one egg and wasn't really expecting to succeed, but once it hatched, I put fresh cinquefoil leaves from my garden into the small petri dish I housed it in and it had been coming out from it's shelter occasionally and leaving frass as evidence it was still alive. I emptied the frass out every time I changed the leaves and eventually it stopped eating and left me no more little signs. After a week or so (last weekend) I carefully opened up the curled leaves to discover the pupa inside. If it makes it through the winter and hatches out, I'll take it back where I found it.
I did the same with a White-Letter Hairstreak which was on a piece of low-hanging Elm tree branch which had been half snapped off by highways workers strimming the roadside bushes during the first lockdown... I took the branch home and although I couldn't see any eggs or larvae, kept the twig in a bucket of water "just in case" until it started to dry up. Just as I was going to throw it away, I noticed black frass on the paving slabs underneath it and after a careful search found a fully-grown caterpillar. This pupated and hatched into an adult and was returned to its original tree early the next morning after a brief photo session.
I don't always succeed and two attempts at getting Purple Hairstreaks through to adulthood over the past couple of years with eggs from wind-blown Oak twigs have failed - the furthest one got was third instar before succumbing to some unknown malaise
One day.
I did the same with a White-Letter Hairstreak which was on a piece of low-hanging Elm tree branch which had been half snapped off by highways workers strimming the roadside bushes during the first lockdown... I took the branch home and although I couldn't see any eggs or larvae, kept the twig in a bucket of water "just in case" until it started to dry up. Just as I was going to throw it away, I noticed black frass on the paving slabs underneath it and after a careful search found a fully-grown caterpillar. This pupated and hatched into an adult and was returned to its original tree early the next morning after a brief photo session.
I don't always succeed and two attempts at getting Purple Hairstreaks through to adulthood over the past couple of years with eggs from wind-blown Oak twigs have failed - the furthest one got was third instar before succumbing to some unknown malaise
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Re: Grizzled Skipper pupa
Thank you for that explanation Trev and very well done on both accounts.
- Trev Sawyer
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Re: Grizzled Skipper pupa
Thanks Pauline.
I'm extremely impressed by your diary photos of the various life-stages... especially the hatching of pupa and eggs... you must spend ages waiting for the first signs of emergence![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
I'm extremely impressed by your diary photos of the various life-stages... especially the hatching of pupa and eggs... you must spend ages waiting for the first signs of emergence
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: Grizzled Skipper pupa
That's very kind of you to say so Trev - it certainly does involve an awful lot of waiting and watching but to actually see it happen is amazing. Perhaps you could do it with your Grizzled Skipper?
- Pete Eeles
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Re: Grizzled Skipper pupa
Great work, Trev!
We have so much to learn and I'm convinced that captive rearing has its part to play.
Cheers,
- Pete
We have so much to learn and I'm convinced that captive rearing has its part to play.
Cheers,
- Pete
Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies: http://www.butterflylifecycles.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
- Trev Sawyer
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Re: Grizzled Skipper pupa
Thanks Pete - long time no see!
It was extremely helpful to have your brilliant book to tell me how long each of the various stages would likely last. I only saw the caterpillar a few times (I should have taken more photos), but could easily tell which instar I was looking at and know that things were progressing as they should.![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
It was extremely helpful to have your brilliant book to tell me how long each of the various stages would likely last. I only saw the caterpillar a few times (I should have taken more photos), but could easily tell which instar I was looking at and know that things were progressing as they should.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
- Pete Eeles
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Re: Grizzled Skipper pupa
Careful - I might quote you on that
Seriously ... yes, it would be good to catch up. It's been way too long!
Cheers,
- Pete
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Cheers,
- Pete
Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies: http://www.butterflylifecycles.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com