As I made a call to look out for scarce tortoiseshell Nymphalis xanthomelas a few days ago, I couldn't stay inside today. So I decided to get on my bicycle and go to a forest some 20 km from home. Some butterflies were on the wing, comma Polygonia c-album and brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni. I also saw my first small tortoiseshells Aglais urticae.
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No luck for the big shot for me, unlike in the Netherlands where already 4 scarce tortoiseshells were seen this weekend!
But I wasn't totally unlucky. After some searching I found 2 very small caterpillars of white admiral Limenitis camilla. Both were still in their hibernaculum, their winter stay made up of the remainings of the honeysuckle leave they fed on before winter and attached with some silk to secure during harsh winter.
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No luck for the big shot for me, unlike in the Netherlands where already 4 scarce tortoiseshells were seen this weekend!
But I wasn't totally unlucky. After some searching I found 2 very small caterpillars of white admiral Limenitis camilla. Both were still in their hibernaculum, their winter stay made up of the remainings of the honeysuckle leave they fed on before winter and attached with some silk to secure during harsh winter.
I found your blog after seeing your post on the UK Butterflies forum. I am looking forward to reading about the butterflies you see this year. I found the comparison between the Small Tortoiseshell and Scarce Tortoiseshell very interesting.
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