Complete Novice..can you help?

[maroon1]

Evening, and please forgive me as I am so far out my depth here. I have stumbled upon your website/forum by chance after being a "host" to what I've (hopefully) identified as a small tortoiseshell butterfly. I noticed it, with wings closed sitting on a picture frame in my bedroom in May/June....and there it has sat, although it did move (unseen by me) a few inches...until last night when it burst into life, and I was treated to a couple of hours of activity. It appeared to have settled back into it's slumbers, but has woken up again this evening and it is "sunning"? itself on beside a lamp I have on. Is what I'm seeing strange?...is there anything I can do to help the little fella?....I live in Scotland and we've had some harsh frosts here already and it's not gonna get warmer

[David M]

Puzzling that a butterfly can remain alive since May/June settled continuously indoors.

Let it go during a sunny, relatively mild spell (by all means offer it some nectar if you have any suitable sources, or maybe something artificial like lucozade, etc).

Your only other option would be to place it in an outhouse in something like an egg box until next spring, but I'm not sure whether butterflies are ready right now to completely hunker down for the winter so the first option is preferable.

[maroon1]

Thanks dave...I've just cut open a plum and it's showing an interest...sunny days are rare up here at this time of year, but will have a look at tomorrows forecast, I'm amazed at the longevity of the creature, and I'd like to give it a good chance to survive

[Padfield]

I agree with Dave - but if you can't release it in the next day or two you should take the cool box in the shed option. Small tortoiseshells are perfectly happy going into hibernation in August, let alone November, and this one may well have come into your house looking for a place to hibernate. What you mustn't do is keep it warm and active for very long, because although it can take a little top-up from fruit &c. it is basically born with one set of non-rechargeable batteries and it needs them for next spring!

Guy

[maroon1]

Ok padfield, thanks for that...it's been active for about 90 mins now and looks like it's gone back to "sleep"?, that's a good description of it's state for me...every day is a school day I didn't know that butterflies lived for such a long time