Matthew's blog on the factors influencing survival is interesting. They certainly seem to like sitting in a water globule at the leaf apex. In these photos [November 2nd], you see two captive larvae on the same Sallow, just a few cms apart; one is still in green summer livery, while the other has coloured up, even though its leaf is still green. Two others have also coloured up, one on a green leaf, whereas the other is in its hibernation position on a branch near a bud. Past experience indicated that larvae remain green until the leaf changes colour; apparently not the case here. However, the two brown larvae on green leaves had been transferred, one week ago, from a branch [same Sallow] where the leaves had turned yellow [and the larvae had started to assume their hibernation livery] onto this branch where the leaves are still fresh and green. I think this shows that the colour change is determined by the leaf background, and that it is not reversible!
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