Chris Jackson in Marseilles

[Chris Jackson]

Brilliant shots Chris Thank you for letting me use Pete's book properly for the first time - those defensive glands are called its osmeterium Good luck with your charge, I'm looking forward to following their progress
Have a goodun
Wurzel

Thanks for the research, Wurzel - "osmeterium" hey?, that starts to ring a bell now.
I haven't seen Pete's book yet so its good to hear there is a lot of useful and pertinent information in it.
I'll put it on my Xmas list.
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

16th September

Swallowtail cat on fennel. I hope pupation is not too far away. I find the cat in the same place morning and evening but I'm not always at home to check on it during the day. 30 / 32 mm long today.

Chris

[David M]

Great that you've got such a creature in your garden, Chris. I hope you will be able to observe it to pupation. I don't see how it can go anywhere else in all honesty so good luck!

[Charles Nicol]

16th September

Swallowtail cat on fennel. I hope pupation is not too far away. I find the cat in the same place morning and evening but I'm not always at home to check on it during the day. 30 / 32 mm long today.
machaon33 caterpillar 30 mm long on fennel Marseille 16Sep19.JPG
Chris

it is a handsome beast ! have you thought of a name for it ?

[Chris Jackson]

Hi David and Charles,
Unfortunately the Swallowtail cat crept off and pupated elsewhere other than on the fennel itself. I looked for it but I won't be getting a pupa photo this year. Next year I will plant more fennel in my garden, taken from nearby waste ground.
The cat was coming up to 35 mm long which I think must be the magic figure for pupation (down here).
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Folks,

Down here in the south of France in mid September there was a peak of Painted Lady imagos that lasted 2 weeks.
They could be seen in their tens on each buddleia shrub in my local park near work.
I believe that some parts of the UK had an influx of Painted Ladies at the exact same time.

My workplace park has lawns studded with Mallow plants, and Painted Lady caterpillars can now be found in their second instar.
PL cat 5 mm long - second instar, on Mallow:

PL cat in its silk web on Mallow:

Here is the context - the park lawns are studded with Mallow - but the council lawnmowers will soon be here - the same massacre each year:

The same Mallow is home to Mallow Skipper cats. The Mallow Skipper is prolific and has a long season down here:

Mallow Skipper larval shelter (cat tent) on Mallow:

How can I save all these cats before the lawnmowers arrive?, its just a question of time.
Chris

(Thanks to Vince for his help).

[Charles Nicol]

sorry to hear that your Swallowtail caterpillar did a runner

do you have any mallow growing in your jardin ? maybe rescue a few of the caterpillars from the park before they are martyrisées by the council.

[David M]

..Here is the context - the park lawns are studded with Mallow - but the council lawnmowers will soon be here - the same massacre each year..

Same as here eh, Chris? All in the name of tidiness.

I despair sometimes (often, in fact). Reining in our obsession with destroying habitat for no tangible benefit is an easy win from every perspective. It saves money and preserves the natural environment. Who wants a 'manicured' earth?

[Chris Jackson]

... do you have any mallow growing in your jardin ? maybe rescue a few of the caterpillars from the park before they are martyrisées by the council.

Good idea, Charles, so that is what I have done.
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Charles and David,
Here is the caterpillar rescue mission before the council park lawnmowers arrive.
I attempted to lift the whole of the Mallow plant containing the Painted Lady cat, but finally it didn't fit into my improvised container.

Instead I took the leaf with the Painted Lady cat (here on the right) and two Mallow Skipper tents (on the left).

Here is the Mallow plant I recovered from waste land near home and which is now in the garden.

The cats have been put in their new home and the PL cat set about investigating it. This morning it had settled down on its chosen leaf. It is now 7 mm long.

Cheers,
Chris

[Pauline]

I applaud your rescue efforts Chris and am enjoying seeing the immature stages of species I shall probably never see - hope they're not all parasitised as many of mine were.

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Pauline,
The weather is still holding up in the south of France with a lo of around 12°C rising to 25°C+ in the afternoon mostly with blue skies.
This is a Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) on the outskirts of Marseille today.

And here is a Two-tailed Pasha egg seen today on this same tree - its only host plant around here

The egg must be more than 2 days old because of the dark crown around it. Also, we must be very near (if not beyond) the end of the TTP flight period, despite the continued good weather.
When the egg hatches, the cat will over-winter on the top of a leaf and then pupate in the Spring.

Chris

[essexbuzzard]

Blue skies and 25C? Thanks for that, Chris (I think). Are you going to try to follow that TTP through the caterpillar stages, if it is accessible? Good luck with your Skipper and Painted Lady mission, good work!

[Wurzel]

Great set of shots Chris - congrats on the rescue mission Those weather conditions sound fantastic and as I sit in the drear in the UK they male summer seem sooooooo far away

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Chris Jackson]

Blue skies and 25C? Thanks for that, Chris (I think). Are you going to try to follow that TTP through the caterpillar stages, if it is accessible? Good luck with your Skipper and Painted Lady mission, good work!

Hi Essex,
Yep ! That's the indian summer down here, although how long it will last I can't tell.
I have indeed taken charge of the TTP egg on its leaf and when (and if) it hatches, I will transfer the larva to the Strawberry Tree in my garden (which was planted a year ago exactly in anticipation of this kind of opportunity). I have loads of cat photos of this species, but I need pupa photos, which would be for around May 2020.
More PL and Mallow Skipper cat news coming soon.
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Great set of shots Chris - congrats on the rescue mission Those weather conditions sound fantastic and as I sit in the drear in the UK they male summer seem sooooooo far away
Have a goodun
Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel.
Yes, its still pleasant down here, and I can still count up to about 7 or 8 species of worn butterflies on the wing.
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Folks,
At the end of the season, Mallow is becoming bit of an obsession. It is one of the places where we can easily find butterfly early-stages.
Today I found further Painted Lady caterpillars, one 7 mm long, and these, 12 mm long:

And more advanced Mallow Skipper cats, ranging from 5 mm to 19 mm - here 19 mm long:

Chris

[Charles Nicol]

Glad to hear you are rescuing the caterpillars from the council. i look forward to hearing about their progress.

Charles

[David M]

No such thing as an obsession, Chris.

I wish you luck with all your adopted early stages, and I'll be particularly interested to see how the TTPs get on.

[Chris Jackson]

Hi David and Charles,
Two-tailed Pasha news is arriving quicker than planned.

The Two-tailed Pasha egg that I recovered a couple of days ago hatched between the 14th and 15th October.
It has consumed its chorion (its egg shell).

The TTP cat is already 5 mm long after 24 hours.

I have transferred the cat to the Strawberry Tree in my garden.
Notice the uneaten base of the chorion remaining on the leaf

I have stapled the leaf to the host plant.
Here is the Strawberry Tree in my garden.

Reminder of the egg 4 days ago

Chris