White admiral caterpillar in hibernaculum

[Padfield]

I thought I'd post these pictures in a separate thread, to reach those who don't read my personal diary.

This is a white admiral caterpillar today, seemingly poised on the edge of his/her winter shelter, ready to enjoy the new foliage as soon as it unfurls:





I don't know if he/she was that exposed during the winter because this is not a hibernaculum I had consciously noted before today. I just spotted that in one part of my local woods the honeysuckle was ready to burst into leaf and had a quick check in case I could catch a caterpillar emerging. The hibernacula are hidden in plain sight and in fact very easy to see when you know what you are looking for.

Guy

[Chris Jackson]

You did right to post these photos in a separate thread, Guy. They are very educational - a good learning experience.
A lesson on keeping one's eyes open - thanks.

Chris

[Cotswold Cockney]

Good picture Guy. Bit untidy but no doubt bashed about a bit by the long exposure to winter weather. The ones I've seen are usually neater and smaller. Always anchored securely by silk to the main stem. In the late summer-autumn, it is interesting to see how these and the Poplar Admiral larvae prepare the still living leaves of their foodplant by eating them in a certain way which later becomes their hibernaculum. Then as the leaf dies, the silk draws the prepared leaf into a neat tube where the little larva, it really is still very small then, spends the winter. Same with the Hungarian Glider which I have found their hibernacula on Spirea species in Northern Italy. Those are prepared as early as August.

[Padfield]

They vary somewhat, CC, with some distinctly smaller and neater than that one. Hungarian glider will be a challenge but now I've mastered white admirals I feel a little more confident!

More little spiky people poking out today, catching the scent of spring in their spiracles.

These are the same individual (as each other - different from yesterday's individual):





These two are another individual - I don't know why he isn't out guzzling those leaves:





Finally, this one was in a shady part of the woods, where the honeysuckle was not so advanced:



Guy

[Paul Harfield]

I am a novice where White Admiral larvae are concerned so I have a few questions.
Our Honeysuckle would seem to be a little more advanced than yours. I know the larvae like shady conditions, but once there is new leaf growth do they return to their old shelter after feeding or do they create a new one from new leaf. Do they do away with a shelter once the winter is over? I spent a while searching a week or so ago but did not really know what i should be looking for. Approximately how large is the larva at this time of year?

[Padfield]

I'm on a steep learning curve too, Jack!

So far as I know, they do away with the winter shelter completely once they start feeding again. I've always found them in summer on leaves or on stems. They are tiny on emergence from hibernation - c. 5mm I guess, though that's just off the top of my head. But once they get feeding they will grow rapidly.

I'd be interested to know how you get on. They use a different species of honeysuckle in the UK so timings &c. are likely to be different.

Guy

[Goldie M]

Hi! Guy, I'm not well up on early stages of different Butterflies it's a lot to take in for me I just enjoy the Butterflies themselves, If I was walking in the woods I'd think they were dead leaves So I've found your photo's very informative Goldie

[Padfield]

I bet you'll look a little closer next time you pass a honeysuckle, though, Goldie!

Miniature sleeping bags were unzipping all over the woods today. Although I've not actually observed any movement I can deduce from the various states of openness I've seen that the process starts at the head end and works backwards, from this ...



... to this:



Even where the foliage is ready for the eating the cats are still snoozing in or on their unzipped bags. Here is a zoom-out of that last one:



Perhaps it is safer to wait until the whole bush is in full leaf - or maybe the nutrients are richer when they are fully out. Whatever the reason, the cats seem to be in no hurry to take their first spring meals.

Guy

[Padfield]

Most of the cats are still in or on their sleeping bags but at least one was out exploring this evening:





His long winter wait is over. At about 6mm long he is probably more than 8 months old. The next two or three months hold many dangers, though.

Guy