David Element's Wildlife Web Page Butterflies 100

David Element

Wildlife Photography and Digital Video Images

___________________________________________________________________________ Butterflies 100 – Peacocks

PEACOCK BUTTERFLY Aglais io

PEACOCK BUTTERFLY Aglais io PEACOCK BUTTERFLY Aglais io

PEACOCK BUTTERFLY Aglais io

PEACOCK BUTTERFLY Aglais io larva

This common and distinctive species is long-lived as an adult with a single generation each year in the UK (although recently there has been evidence of a partial second brood that may indicate a response to anthropogenic global warming). The underside is very dark and cryptically coloured, resembling tree bark and in obvious contrast to the flash coloration and eyespots that these stunning butterflies employ so effectively as a deterrent to predatory birds. Peacock Butterflies Aglais io normally enter hibernation by late August and the adults reappear the following spring. They then mate and the females lay their eggs on Stinging Nettles Urtica dioica. Following oviposition, the remaining stages of the life-history then progress quite rapidly, and clusters of young larvae are relatively easy to locate in mid-summer. The older larvae tend to separate, and the last picture shows a fully-grown larva having a final snack prior to pupation. The above photographs were taken in the UK, France, and Denmark.