Pauline

[Pauline]

Thank you Goldie - you will feel safer now that gate is done.

31 August

I was beginning to give up hope of ever seeing the LTB again but today the first appearance of a larva was a welcome sight:

[Pauline]

3 September

Having searched and searched on both Thistles and Nettles at various sites where I had previously seen many Painted Ladies I had no success in finding a larva. Eventually I stumbled across the entry in Paul’s diary where he had found some in Otterbourne on Mallow. I hadn’t even thought to look on Mallow but I didn’t fancy going all the way to Otterbourne – yeah, OK, I’ll go there for the social at a push but it’s a fair old trek for me. I remembered that I had seen lots of Mallow at Broadmarsh in the car park so that was my search area today. I very quickly found three larva of various sizes but try as I might I could not locate an egg – not even a hatched one. A couple of the larva were almost squashed as I watched. They were close to the ground on an area that had been mowed to allow for walkers and having located them I moved away to look for more. As I looked up a dog walker with 6 dogs (yes, 6, but they were all on leads thankfully) were heading straight for them. I shouted out for her to stop which she did and I was able to move them out of the way. Needless to say I didn’t leave them there and I’m looking forward to rearing them.

[Pauline]

I cherished those little cats and followed their development as they grew and matured, looking forward to the time when they pupated and I could eventually watch them emerge into their adult form. I hadn't prepared myself for what actually happened. As the first larva approached maturity and looked to find a place to pupate I found this:

Worse was to come The following day I found the second larva:

This time I sliced open the mass. It looked like cotton wool but it was a gel-like substance. A bit like silicone glue and this is what I found:

Worse still, it seemed like the PL was still alive - squirming around. I decided to hold onto these parasites - they soon sealed up the damage I had caused and today (23/9) I have dozens of ..... something???? Not quite sure what but I don't think I'll be releasing them any time soon:

[trevor]

A real dilemma Pauline. Those ( what I assume are parasitic wasps ) could be released
to breed, and their offspring allowed to consume more butterfly larvae, or not!.

Wrestle with your conscience, do we interfere or let nature take its course ?.

Good to see you the other day,
Trevor.

[millerd]

Fascinating stuff, Pauline, though it's a real shame you didn't end up with a lovely new Painted Lady for all your efforts. At least parasitic wasps often have a beauty all their own (some are exquisite in form and colour) and that little batch might struggle now to find any more butterfly larvae to lay their own eggs on. They could well end up as bird food! On the other hand, the parasitic tachinid flies that also infest nymphalid larvae are ugly little so-and-sos which you instantly feel should not be given the benefit of the doubt!

I know, subjective criteria based solely on aesthetics, and which would be sneered at by a true naturalist I'm sure.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

A gruesome and yet fascinating set of images Pauline I suppose one way to look at it is that those cats could have been squashed on the very day that you rescued them but it doesn't make nature seem 'red in tooth and claw' any the less

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

It may have been before your time Trevor but many years ago I received a certain amount of criticism for not rescuing a Brown Hairstreak from the clutches of a spider even tho' it would have been way too late by the time I realised what was happening and so chose to photograph it instead. I'm afraid I judge each case on its merit and in this instance my conscience is clear - the wasps will not be released but will be disposed of. They didn't originate from this area which was just one of the considerations when making this decision. Perhaps not everyone would agree ........... but then they rarely do

I believe it is not uncommon for this to happen Wurzel but thankfully it is only the second time I have seen it. The first was a Comma I was rearing in 2014. I did not think at that time to secure the parasite with a view to identifying it later:

Hi Dave - thankfully the 3rd and final PL cat made it thru. I hope you like the images.

[Pauline]

Success at last with the 3rd PL larva. What surprised me about this one - and I don't know if it is typical of the species - is the amount of meconium produced by the butterfly. It was dripping out of it for so long and in such quantities that I thought initially there must be something seriously wrong. Even the empty pupal case was full of it but the butterfly seemed no worse for the experience. At the mercy of the elements again when taking these shots

[millerd]

That's a lovely butterfly, Pauline, and a great sequence of pictures. The markings are absolutely exquisite when they are as new as that. Congratulations on your success this time!

On the one occasion I reared a few Painted Ladies (some years ago now) I remember them leaving big red splodges of meconium everywhere. I only managed to track down the whereabouts of one escapee because of the unmistakable telltale stain spotted on a worksurface. One caterpillar had somehow found its way to the kitchen ceiling and pupated there.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Another cracking sequence Pauline The wings when seen through the pupal case almost ave the look of a Scarlet Tiger Moth A fantastic 'end result'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

Hi Pauline, I don’t blame you for not releasing your parasites. It’s bound to invite a bit of criticism, don’t take it personally. As Wurzel says, it’s one of those ‘do you or don’t you’ moments.

Lovely sequence again of the hatching PL chrysalis. At least one made it through!

[Pauline]

Thank you Dave and interesting observation (perhaps all PL produce copious amounts of meconium). I had to chuckle at your tale having followed a trail of frass across my conservatory in the past!

Cheers Wurzel - it was certainly something of a relief after the first 2 . Forgot to include this image:

Thank you for your kind words Mark. I reckon my skin's getting thicker with each passing year


I hope this isn't getting too repetitive but because I enjoyed watching it I shall post another sequence of a second Clouded Yellow larva shedding its skin to take the pupal form. I caught this one a bit earlier in the process so it is a little clearer how the skin splits and is subsequently shed:

[Pauline]

Probably the last 'sequence' I shall post before going back to the chronological stuff. Having reared 16 Clouded Yellow only 4 of them were female. This is one of them as can clearly be seen from the pupa. By the time this one emerged I almost had it down to a fine art timing-wise. The first shot of the pupa was taken 90 mins before emergence:

[Wurzel]

Another fantastic sequence Pauline The colours when fresh - just beautiful

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

Cheers Wurzel - much appreciated. To relieve the tedium and mix it up a bit, before I start on the next lot I thought I'd post some of the critters that kept me company (and distracted me) whilst watching all those pupa. First up was a young Woodpecker who came daily for a bath:

A couple of Hummingbird Hawk moths were back and forwards every 15 mins or so for a few weeks. I couldn't see where they came from or where they went to but I must remember to check the Bedstraw I planted a couple of years back - just in case:

The Grey Wagtails come most years and I watched with pleasure the Tree creeper but failed to get a shot.

My little cat Jaffa was keen to get involved and once the cage was empty decided to investigate why I had been paying it so much attention:

Lots of butterflies around and I still wish I'd taken a shot of that gorgeous Comma but got a few Red Admirals instead:

Last but not least a quick update on Violet. After some VERY expensive treatment she seems to have made a full recovery although it is likely she will need more hormone injections before the Spring (seems a long way off!). Here she is with one of her mates, Cloud - Violet is on the right:

[David M]

Jumping forward again to 10 September I watched as a gorgeous Red Admiral emerged from this same pupa

Outstanding yet again, Pauline. How many UK species have you now observed emerging from the chrysalis?

[Pauline]

That's a very interesting question David - one you may regret asking I didn't know the answer so I had to look back over the years. I have reared far more than I have observed emerging from the pupa. I thought it might be worth pulling one out from each species primarily for my own interest:

Black Hairstreak:

Brimstone:

Brown Hairstreak:

Clouded Yellow:

Comma:

Common Blue:

Dark Green Fritillary:

Glanville Fritillary:

Green Hairstreak:

Holly Blue:

LTB:

Orange Tip:

Painted Lady:

Peacock:

Purple Hairstreak:

Red Admiral:

Small Copper:

SWF:

White Admiral:

White letter hairstreak:

[Chris Jackson]

Great photos Pauline, from the parasited PL cat to the freshly emerged WLH.
Did you get the parasites identified? Could be Cotesia vanessae or Cotesia vestalis.
You set the bar high
Chris

[Pauline]

Lovely to hear from you again Chris and thank you for your very kind comment ...... you do like to make me work tho' Briefly, having spent a fair bit of time looking at various reports and videos I have discovered just how many types 'Cotesia' there are. Having looked at the NBN Atlas without any joy (in respect of photos or notifications) I turned to the first report of Cotesia Vanessae in North America (having already established that Vestalis seems to demonstrate a preference for Diamondback moths). Comparing description and photos of my now dead Ichneumonid wasps I am fairly sure they are Vanessae:

Incidentally I counted 172 dead wasps. Have I nothing better to do on a Saturday night? Apparently not Looking forward to my next challenge

[Pauline]

Just one for today: