www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I had a casual search for white-letter hairstreak larvae in my local woods this evening (after visiting my purple emperor larvae) and struck lucky with this one:



He was resting underneath a wych elm leaf, next to the midrib, leaving holes between the veins to either side. This picture gives an idea of the scale - he is already quite big.



From beneath, he was clearly silhouetted against the pale of the leaf:



He wasn't as impressed with me as I was with him and started walking off in a strop, so I left him to enjoy the rest of his evening in peace:



Guy

Yeah - his face does read "disgruntled" to me You're become quite the explorer - nice one! And you've inspired me to spill the beans on a species I've been rearing this year:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=3977&p=32695#p32695

Cheers,

- Pete

This one, found today, is buff, rather than green. Does this mean it is nearing pupation? I notice your larva was darker near pupation, Pete.




Guy

I found their colouring to be quite variable and had one just like this - rather than being completely green. When nearing pupation all bright green areas disappear altogether, if that makes sense!

Cheers,

- Pete

A couple of better pictures. Next post will be pupae...





Guy