Very young Small Copper

[Tony Moore]

Caught this one about to hatch...

Tony M.

[David M]

Amazing moment. Are you rearing them or was that a 'wild' find?

[Tony Moore]

It was found this afternoon along with several others. When I set it up to photograph, I noticed a tiny hole. It took about 45 mins for the larva to make a big enough hole to escape. Unfortunately, the egg was set up for a focus stack (with a microscope objective) and the dof was almost non-existent. Below were the best that I could manage given these restrictions (the larva was never still enough for a stack).

Tony M.

[David M]

Fair play for finding that in the wild, Tony.

[Vince Massimo]

Never seen that before. Keep them coming

Vince

[Tony Moore]

Thanks, Guys,

David - eggs are very easy to find at this time of the year. In any area where you have seen the adults, look for tiny, young sorrel plants. The eggs show up very well. I collected a small bunch of plants today to grow on as food for the new larvae, and found three more eggs when I got them home!

Tony M.

[Tony Moore]

Managed to catch this little chap during a pause in feeding. It seems to be covered in a milky secretion - protective? - ant food? Anyone know?

Tony M.