Just wanted to know if anyone here has bread butterflies and if so, how did they do it? E.g. breeding cage, foodplant etc... Any pics will help.
I am currently breeding map butterflies that seems to be failing as I have one fully emerged from pupae, one died and another one still drying wings and one that did not emerge on time and has stubs for wings.
Just like to know what breeding places you used.
Your breeding
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Dave McCormick
- Posts: 2388
- Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:46 pm
- Location: Co Down, Northern Ireland
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Cotswold Cockney
- Posts: 487
- Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2006 9:39 pm
- Location: GLOUCESTERSHIRE
As a child in the fifties I used cardboard boxes, paper bags ( successfully enclosing Nettle Cuttings stood in water jars) to rear Red Admiral, Garden Tigers, Scarlet Tigers, Commas et al larvae found locally with reasonable success. Few losses.... Good husbandry essential for success.
In the intervening years until I stopped breeding bugs about 1995, used net enclosures over growing foodplants in my garden ( including Spanish Moon Moths on a 20 foot high Cedrus Deodara ) and a field I've been maintaining as a small nature reserve in a remote part of Glos.
Also various sizes of breeding cages ~ wood and nylon netting ~ including ones I could stand up in. All in a large unheated greehouse.
Always used growing foodplants for best results.
During the latter 1960s through to the mid 1990s, concentrated on breeding the Apaturinae from various parts of the world. Over twenty species of 'Purple Emperor' bred continuously having learned my techniques on our own Apatura iris. Here I established contact with Apaturinae enthusiasts from all parts of the world ~ some sadly no longer around. They helped with ova, having previously sent foodplant seeds or seedlings from remote parts even China where access back then was difficult. Bred several generations of the huge Apaturidae member: Sasakia funebris on Celtis grown from seeds ~ some developed into large trees since removed but, have sevral thriving smaller ones.
My favourite butterflies bred being the Prepona (huge Purple Emperor types from South and Central America ~ on Avvocado grown from their huge seeds ~ex supermarket greengrocers..
) and a few Morpho species ... from ova reared on of all things ..... Peanuts ... the plant not the nuts....
Have photographed many life histories .... all prints and negatives as mostly done in pre-digital days.
Where there's a will ... ways and means ..
P.S. In the sunshine of my garden today ~ several Holy Blues ~ very active ~ all males I think ~ several Speckled Woods and a male Orange Tip ~ they both breed here as I've found their pupae on fences and stuff ~ do not know what foodplant the O-Tips use. There was a bonus: a female Brimstone using that typical shrub checking flight whilst searching for suitable foodplant to lay on. I did have a potted Alder Buckthorn years ago ~ wish I still had it today ... she would have used it as did another female twenty years ago which flew into my open greenhouse and laid twenty plus ova on the potted plant.
In the intervening years until I stopped breeding bugs about 1995, used net enclosures over growing foodplants in my garden ( including Spanish Moon Moths on a 20 foot high Cedrus Deodara ) and a field I've been maintaining as a small nature reserve in a remote part of Glos.
Also various sizes of breeding cages ~ wood and nylon netting ~ including ones I could stand up in. All in a large unheated greehouse.
Always used growing foodplants for best results.
During the latter 1960s through to the mid 1990s, concentrated on breeding the Apaturinae from various parts of the world. Over twenty species of 'Purple Emperor' bred continuously having learned my techniques on our own Apatura iris. Here I established contact with Apaturinae enthusiasts from all parts of the world ~ some sadly no longer around. They helped with ova, having previously sent foodplant seeds or seedlings from remote parts even China where access back then was difficult. Bred several generations of the huge Apaturidae member: Sasakia funebris on Celtis grown from seeds ~ some developed into large trees since removed but, have sevral thriving smaller ones.
My favourite butterflies bred being the Prepona (huge Purple Emperor types from South and Central America ~ on Avvocado grown from their huge seeds ~ex supermarket greengrocers..
) and a few Morpho species ... from ova reared on of all things ..... Peanuts ... the plant not the nuts....Have photographed many life histories .... all prints and negatives as mostly done in pre-digital days.
Where there's a will ... ways and means ..
P.S. In the sunshine of my garden today ~ several Holy Blues ~ very active ~ all males I think ~ several Speckled Woods and a male Orange Tip ~ they both breed here as I've found their pupae on fences and stuff ~ do not know what foodplant the O-Tips use. There was a bonus: a female Brimstone using that typical shrub checking flight whilst searching for suitable foodplant to lay on. I did have a potted Alder Buckthorn years ago ~ wish I still had it today ... she would have used it as did another female twenty years ago which flew into my open greenhouse and laid twenty plus ova on the potted plant.
Cotswold Cockney is the name
All aspects of Natural History is my game.
All aspects of Natural History is my game.