10/02/2024
In the autumn, while in Devon, I collected around six Red Admiral butterfly eggs from nettles.
Back home, I planted a nettle plant in a large pot. When the eggs hatched, I placed the tiny larvae on individual leaves of the nettle plant.
The pot of nettles was kept in the unheated conservatory until Christmas, when it was placed outside.
Occasionally, the larvae could be seen, but mostly their presence was signalled by the characteristic tented leaf within which they spent most of their time.
The caterpillars developed at quite different rates and I definitely saw one that was full-grown and out of its tented-leaf shelter. I presume it wandered away to find somewhere to pupate.
Since Christmas, we have had some extremes of weather including torrential rain and separately hard frosts. The frost caused all the nettle leaves to die and after the frost, the leaves hung limply.
Today, the 10th of February, I decided to take a look at the tub of nettles. I was not expecting to find anything, but I could see that some new leaves had appeared on the nettle plant. A quick inspection revealed to caterpillars. One half-grown feeding on a fresh nettle leaf openly in the February sunshine and another smaller caterpillar within a folded leaf.
This picture shows the position of the pot within the garden.
Here you can see some new leaves on the plant
The first caterpillar feeding on a small leaf
A small caterpillar within its shelter, which I have partially opened.
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