How many times have you been stung by the nettles?
Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars
Here are some update pics.
One is still wondering around not sure what is happening!
This one has decided to settle on the lid....now we can't open it and get closer look
Here are the other three.
It is so exciting to watch the stages of all five. We thought we had four but one had been hiding in the leaves.
How long do they stage in the pupate stage?
One is still wondering around not sure what is happening!
This one has decided to settle on the lid....now we can't open it and get closer look
Here are the other three.
It is so exciting to watch the stages of all five. We thought we had four but one had been hiding in the leaves.
How long do they stage in the pupate stage?
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Pete Eeles
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2-4 weeks, depending on temperature.
I'm also going to stick my neck out here regarding your remaining "wanderer". This looks more like a Red Admiral caterpillar to me. Does it have a single white line down its side, rather than a double line? If this is a Red Admiral larva, then it will tend to make home in a curled up leaf (which matches your description of it "hiding" among the leaves), and it will also form a tent out of leaves within which it will pupate.
Cheers,
- Pete
I'm also going to stick my neck out here regarding your remaining "wanderer". This looks more like a Red Admiral caterpillar to me. Does it have a single white line down its side, rather than a double line? If this is a Red Admiral larva, then it will tend to make home in a curled up leaf (which matches your description of it "hiding" among the leaves), and it will also form a tent out of leaves within which it will pupate.
Cheers,
- Pete
That is so interesting because I was confused about the one line down the side and it is bigger than the others too. It kept curling the leaves around it before.
Do they eat nettles too? There is not much left but we are finding it hard to get some more and they are on the roof so an scared to open it incase we damage them.
Will we have to go on another nettle hunt?
Lou
Do they eat nettles too? There is not much left but we are finding it hard to get some more and they are on the roof so an scared to open it incase we damage them.
Will we have to go on another nettle hunt?
Lou
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Pete Eeles
- Administrator & Stock Contributor
- Posts: 6869
- Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:10 pm
- Location: Thatcham, Berkshire
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alex mclennan
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