Pete Eeles

[Pete Eeles]

Blackadder Returns

Another delightful morning spent in the company of Matthew Oates, monitoring Purple Emperor larvae in a Wiltshire Wood, before heading over to Winchester for the UK Butterflies winter social gathering. This time we returned to the area where I found my first ever iris larvae and ova a few months ago. We quickly relocated the few that we knew were there, but also decided to give one particular sallow a really thorough search. Now that the sallows are largely devoid of leaves, any leaves that were left warranted a closer inspection to see whether or not they were attached with silk to the branch, a sure sign that a larva isn't too far away. I managed to find such a leaf pretty quickly and soon found a hibernating larva on an adjacent stem. I then realised that this was the 3rd larva I'd ever found - Blackadder returns! Matthew then surpassed himself (again) by getting us well into double figures for larvae on this one sallow and taking his own tally to over 225 for the season - amazing!

Spot the larva

Blackadder returns

Leaf stalk attached by silk

Going walkabout

Cheers,

- Pete

[Wurzel]

Particularly like the final shot Pete, not sure why it stands out for me but it's a cracker Gutted that we still didn't catch up properly at the social yesterday but hopefully we'll meet up in the field some time next season.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Padfield]

I agree, Wurzel.

I think that last picture stands out because that little chap is the Jonathon Livingstone Seagull of iris cats! At this time of year, and wearing those nice winter clothes, he's supposed to be settling down for a snooze, not wandering off on his own, doing interesting things!

Guy

[David M]

Magnificently uplifting images, Pete. You must have had a really rewarding day!

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks all - yes, very rewarding, David ... it always is! I learn so much every time I go out with Matthew, and it's not always about poets or cricket either

Cheers,

- Pete

[Susie]

Wonderful stuff Pete.

I was inspired enough to go looking myself this afternoon. Didn't find anything though

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks Susie.

I suspect that woods with lots of sallow are the most difficult, since it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. But if you know a wood with few sallows, or a location where females lay, then that's probably your best bet!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pete Eeles]

Local Goings On

Having freed 3 Small Tortoiseshell that decided to show themselves in the house this morning, I took a short walk with the dogs and spent 10 minutes looking at an oak that, in past years, has proved a favourite of Purple Hairstreak. And so it was to be again, finding 3 eggs in total, and all gleaming white before the algae take hold! This particular oak is one that toppled over a few years ago, making it very easy to search. Unfortunately, many of the buds have been nibbled off by deer, so I've rescued 2 of the eggs that are in immediate danger of becoming deer fodder.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pete Eeles]

Wiltshire Doings
It turns out that there are some advantages to working in Swindon - namely the proximity of a wood full of Purple Emperor larvae I managed to grab an hour or so to check out some of the larvae that I've been keeping an eye on. No new finds, but good to see that the few I was searching for were still around, despite a lack of winter (it was quite balmy at times). The penultimate photo is of a larva that has survived the felling of an enormous sallow and that somehow managed to cling on as the tree toppled. As Matthew Oates often tells me - "never underestimate a caterpillar"! The last photo, not brilliant by any means, does show how the horns on the head make for a very smooth outline when seen in silhouette and, being on the north side of this particular twig, must be very difficult to find from a bird's perspective. The wood itself has transformed now that all of the leaves have fallen, looking like a skeleton of its former glory.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pauline]

Some great photos here Pete. I'm always in awe of those folk who can find these immature stages in the wild and then go on to impress me even further by returning time and again to monitor their progress in their natural environment. Now I have a question for you Pete as I know that you have experience in both of these arenas. Would you say that the behaviour and development of these insects is the same both in the wild and when reared in captivity? I only ask because I am aware that with some creatures this is not so, but perhaps if conditions are replicated the cat would know no difference? BTW I appreciate both Vince and yourself giving me a confidence boost re my BH eggs but time will tell.

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks Pauline!

Would you say that the behaviour and development of these insects is the same both in the wild and when reared in captivity? I only ask because I am aware that with some creatures this is not so, but perhaps if conditions are replicated the cat would know no difference?

Quite right Pauline - if conditions are comparable, then there's no reason why the progress of immature stages in captivity should be different from those in the wild. However, recreating the right conditions isn't always an easy task. My garden, for example, is sheltered on all sides and presumably warmer as a result. As a result, unless I create some balance by rearing through certain species in more shady conditions than they might otherwise experience, then they will emerge earlier than their cousins in the wild and progress through to adulthood ahead of time.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

Pete highlighted the problems of captive breeding:

they will emerge earlier than their cousins in the wild and progress through to adulthood ahead of time.

I don't breed many species these days but always have a few Orange Tips. They (as chrysalises) are put in the fridge in their plastic containers (no need for any air holes) in November. This ensures that they have a "proper winter" and don't emerge prematurely. They are brought out to warm naturally in April. This way, they emerge at the correct time. I have kept Peacock adults successfully in the fridge over winter and presumably eggs of those species that hibernate in this stage could be wintered this way. Caterpillars might be difficult though as many feed intermittently in the winter.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Not a Butterfly!

... but a new record for the garden - a Ring-necked Parakeet! Almost tops the Waxwing we had in the garden a couple of years back, which topped the Sparrowhawk before that! Not bad for a suburban garden!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

You might get excited now Pete as did a friend (Mike) in NW London when he first got them in his garden. He now hates them as they monopolise the bird feeders and bully everything else. Mike has had to adopt the equivalent of "anti-squirrel" measures to keep the Parakeets at bay.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Bring 'em on

Cheers,

- Pete

[Wurzel]

Great photos Pete - I think that's a female as the ring is quite subtle so perhaps you might need to try a different type of rearing this year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pete Eeles]

Back on the Green Isle

I had the good fortune of spending some time in Dublin this week, and the even better fortune of having some time visiting a nature reserve to the east of Dublin. This gave me a chance to catch up with the Marsh Fritillary colony found there, which I've been following from adult, to egg, to overwintering larvae. I knew that, if my luck held out, I'd get a chance to see larvae emerging from their larval webs, if I was able to relocate them.

Monday was pretty dire - wind and rain all day and I only had a small window of opportunity due to other commitments. Once I'd reached the favoured spot, I was dismayed to find a lot of it under water - clearly suffering from the recent weather. What was once a rich pasture sprinkled heavily with Devil's-bit Scabious, the larval food plant of Marsh Fritillary, was now a mire. I was so glad that I'd decided to take my wellies with me, although I discovered that nothing will save you if you put your foot down a rabbit hole that's completely hidden under the water!

After squelching around for 5 or 10 minutes, I noticed some webbing that could easily be mistaken as the work of spiders, and was quite easy to see as it caught the raindrops. However, it was soon clear that this was recent webbing created by Marsh Fritillary larvae, who sat dormant inside their shelter. I opened one up to confirm their presence before putting their shelter back together. I managed to find 8 webs in total and was quite happy to leave things there and consider this a worthwhile trip.

And then ... on Tuesday ... the sun came out I was unable to make a return visit until early afternoon, but am so glad I did, since I was about to have one of those butterfly experiences that I could only have dreamt of. Once I'd reached the favoured area I found an extremely conspicuous larval web with the larvae catching the few glimpses of sun that remained as clouds started to come over. The web reminded me of Peacock larvae since they were so easy to see, even from a distance of 20 feet or so. A little further on I found another, then another, and was really taken aback by just how many there were. In the course of an hour, I managed to notch up an incredible 200 larval webs and decided to stop counting - it was just getting ridiculous. I'm sure a proper survey could easily double that number. And so - some photos below, and I've also added a couple of videos of webs that sat in full sun, when the larvae are most active. Their dark colouring allows them to thermoregulate most effectively as a group, since the increased temperature is a pre-requisite for the larvae to digest their food.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dSb-YOB8LE[/video]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U5iCZh-eNk[/video]

I was hopeful that all of the webs had been saved from the waterlogged areas, especially since the larvae are mobile and can move away if they need to. However, I noticed great swathes of Devil's-bit Scabious completely submerged and, on 3 separate occasions, found larvae that were completely cut off from dry land, and clinging for their lives on whatever stems they were attached to. Unfortunately, the larvae at the bottom of these groups were underwater and clearly long gone. I suspect their demise is the only reason that their brothers and sisters had survived since their bodies acted as a floating base on which the others were then able to sit.

And just to finish on a positive note, here's a photo of a typical sight, with several larval webs clearly visible from the same vantage point. At one point, I could see 15 larval webs from the same position. All in all, a visit I'll cherish for quite some time. It will be difficult to top that in 2014, and it's still February

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

Pete has been

visiting a nature reserve to the east of Dublin

Surely east of Dublin is the Irish Sea?

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

It's North Bull Island, in Dublin Bay!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Padfield]

Amazing pictures, Pete.

The larvae seem to be doing just the right thing in those waterlogged conditions. The ones at the bottom may never grow old but if their sacrifice has enabled their brothers and sisters to survive they will have fulfilled their biological duty as surely as if they flew and mated.

As for that last picture - I've certainly never seen anything like that! Fantastic stuff.

Guy