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In October, I found the cocoon of a speckled wood butterfly, I put it inside a jar with some leaves, and expected to release it as a butterfly on the first day of spring, but I've kept my room too warm and it's come out of the cocoon, and now it's winter, and we have snow, and are due more. I don't know what to do!the butterfly appears to be alive, but not moving, and has no food.

I've really screwed up, help would be appretiated.

PS, sorry this is in the wrong forum.

Mark.

EDIT: He's just moved a little.

Hi Mark,

As you know, Speckled Wood don't overwinter as adults and, I suspect, this chap won't have enough body fats stored to help it last the winter. The only choice would be to place it in a cool outhouse (shed, garage) and hope it somehow makes it through the winter, releasing it in April when it might have a chance of finding a mate.

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete Eeles wrote:Hi Mark,

As you know, Speckled Wood don't overwinter as adults and, I suspect, this chap won't have enough body fats stored to help it last the winter. The only choice would be to place it in a cool outhouse (shed, garage) and hope it somehow makes it through the winter, releasing it in April when it might have a chance of finding a mate.

Cheers,

- Pete

This is what I was thinking, thanks.

I'll know never to do this again in the future.

But wait, what will he eat?

Hi Mark,

Your options are very limited. The best one has already been suggested by Pete, which is to place it in a cool shed and hope for the best. The other is to let it live out its short life inside the house. It may help you to know that, in the wild, adult Speckled Woods only survive for a week at most.

If you wanted to try feeding it, you could opt for some cotton wool soaked in sugar solution or possibly a piece of sliced orange, but these will not necessarily build the reserves it needs to survive a prolonged cold period.

Vince

I agree - put it somewhere cool and dark (for 'cool', read 'cold'). However, I have seen or read no evidence that it is remotely likely to survive until the spring, so I would actually release it even during the winter if there were a suitably warm spell before the spring. It would not find a mate but it could live out some of its biological imperatives, especially if it is a male. It could fly, defend its little sunspot &c.

If you were to release it before spring it would be good to refer your local butterfly recorder to this post in case he/she received reports of speckled wood on the wing!

Guy

I followed Pete's advice and left him in the garage all day and night. He'd barley moved when I came back to him, but I knew he was still alive, he's now back in the jar, warming up near the radiator, about to be served dinner, and hopefully will soon be fit to go back in the garage.

EDIT: He's now become active again, and flying about the jar, looking for an escape. That's why I prefer him being in the garage, there's more space, also, I think he's learning to fly.

Absolutely - you mustn't warm him up at all! He doesn't need to eat once he is in the cool. Leave him COLD, either until the spring (Pete's advice - but I suspect he will be dead by then) or until a really sunny day (if there is one before the spring), when he can warm up and have a little flying time outside. He can then choose where to roost and you will probably never see him again.

If he is allowed a little warmth, so he thinks he might get up and about, he will actively waste energy heating himself up - all for nothing. So leave him cold until his final release. NO warmth, no food, except the day you prepare him for freedom.

Guy

Okay, I'll just leave him in the garage until February.

He's still alive...