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Hi All,

I have just found your forum while trying to identify a chrysalis my daughter found.
We were on holiday at the families caravan in Mid Wales. We were taking down the awning and noticed that a butterfly had made it's chrysalis attached to one of the poles. We couldn't leave it, so detached it. Hopefully we didn't harm it when we did so.

Looking in the charts on this website, we think it is a Small Tortoishell...seems the right shape, and similar colour. Has two "horns" at the bottom, and 3 other protusions which almost look like a "face".


P8230115 by http://bendthelight.me.uk, on Flickr

My question is, what can we do to look after this. My 5 year old would be excited to do this and hopefully see the butterfly at the end. Can that be done, or am I better "releasing" the chrysalis by putting it out in the garden somewhere?

If it is a small tortoiseshell, or a related species, it should emerge soon so it can hibernate as an adult - assuming it is undamaged and viable.

I followed a small tortoiseshell through to emergence after it stowed away in my camera bag a couple of years ago. I allowed it to pupate in a large jar and if I remember correctly it emerged about three weeks later. The day before emergence the small tortoiseshell colours appeared through the wing coverings:


(I think that picture was taken on the morning of emergence)

At that stage I was keeping it outside in a large cardboard box and it emerged and dried its wings in the box while I was at school, teaching. I came back at lunchtime and there it was, ready to fly.

It had climbed up a twig I deliberately put in the box with it:



In order for it to emerge and dry its wings properly the chrysalis probably needs to be attached to a suitable surface or twigs. Others on this site will be able to say the best way of doing this. Once this is done, it is basically just a case of waiting. Ordinary ambient outside temperatures should be fine so long as the chrysalis is protected from extremes, from wind and rain and from direct sunlight.

Guy

Thanks for the great info. We will have a look for a suitable box, and furnish it with sticks. Trying to think how we could "stick" it to a twig...

Thanks

Craig

Bend The Light wrote: Trying to think how we could "stick" it to a twig...

Hi Craig,

This year I raised some Orange Tip larvae. The pupae always attach themselves to stems, but some of mine became detached over the winter. I just laid them on a sheet of kitchen paper towel inside a plastic tub. As long as the towel goes up the sides of the tub there should not be a need for twigs. All hatched happily without damage and were able to dry their wings by climbing up the side of the tub. Put a few twigs in by all means, but not too many because the most important element is to provide height and space to enable the wings to expand and dry. When choosing a container, try to get one which does not have a large base area. This reduces the distance the hatchling has to crawl to the nearest twig or vertical surface. A pot with a 4 inch base and 5 inch height is easily large enough. You may also want to consider putting some netting over the top in case the pupa hatches unexpectedly. Do not use clingfilm or glass as this may cause the pupa to overheat.

Still having trouble telling the difference between Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock pupae, but hope to rear some next year.

Cheers,

Vince

I was told the other day that the importance of having a twig or kitchen towel up the side of a container is to allow gravity to help with the expansion of the wings. Not sure if that is correct, but maybe something to bare in mind when "designing" your container.

Disaster!

We set up a box, with paper towel and a couple of small, but not obtrusive, twigs for climbing. We watched a couple of days, then, when we got up this morning the butterfly had emerged. But I don't know why, but he was dead.

There was some liquid on the side of his body, and some in the bottom of the box on the paper towel. He was top down on the bottom, wings extended. I don't really know why this might have happened...there was air in the box (gauze sort of material on top to allow circulation), and nothing he could hurt himself on.

He was a small Tortoishell.

I'm so sorry - for you and for the butterfly. He can't have been long emerged, as he won't have come out before daylight, so I don't think it can have been to do with conditions in your box.

Guy

padfield wrote:............... I don't think it can have been to do with conditions in your box.

Hi Craig,

I agree with Guy. You did everything correctly. It's always a shame when things don't work out, especially so near to the end of the process, but these things are out of our control.

Cheers,

Vince