Notes on keeping various species of insect: Map butterfly

I obtained some Map butterflies during a visit to Estonia, where they were found to be common in many locations such as along roadsides and in woodland rides. A female laid some eggs as seen above.

Here we can see that some of the eggs have hatched and others, typically towards the end of the string of eggs are still to hatch. It was interesting to see the first laid egg (the one attached to the leaf) was the first to hatch. It managed to emerge from its egg through a horizontal slit which it cut from the inside. This left the egg attached to the leaf and the remaining string of eggs still attached to the empty egg shell.

Caterpillars emerged from the eggs in roughly the order that they were laid starting with the egg laid on the leaf and then working towards the end of the string. The string of empty egg shells remained attached to the leaf with none of the eggs or young caterpillars being cut free to fall to the ground.