#wallbrown

#lasiommatamegera #wallbrown #butterfly #artatwork https://www.instagram.com/p/CEzcSS_HA9B/?igshid=1ccln8h3erus3

Wall Brown pupa (Lasiommata megera). by Bob Eade Wall Brown pupa just before emergence. To complete my studies on the life cycle of the Wall Brown butterfly I brought one near full grown larva home. All of the pupae I have found in the wild have succumbed to predation of some kind and the only one that survived I had done similar to this one 2 years ago, but had failed to get a photo shortly before emergence. This one I watched change into a pupa, even seeing it wriggle out of its old skin to complete the pupation. 31 days after pupation the butterfly can clearly be seen through the pupa case, you can even see it is going to be a female. Less than one hour after taking this photo the emerged female Wall Brown was sitting above the pupa casing drying her wings. She even chose my birthday to enter the World as a butterfly (and David Attenborough's)!! https://flic.kr/p/2j8AWxn

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera). by Bob Eade Female. A newly emerged female Wall Brown on Blackberry. This is a species that I study at length. On January 1st 5 larva of this species were seen in my study area. My first butterfly of the year, a Peacock was also seen. https://flic.kr/p/2be3y79