Despite gale-force winds and rain, he somehow managed to pupate before I paid a visit at 9.00pm this evening:
For the record, and again despite the wind, which was still blowing this evening, there were wood ants in the elm trees:
Thomas writes: "I know of no one who has found the chrysalis being attended by ants, but this is perhaps because among common British species, only wood ants
Formica species climb trees, and few White-letter Hairstreak colonies occur where these abound". Well, they abound in my woods, so who knows?
Guy