First snow and first sightings of hibernating larvae in Switzerland (Jorat forest, north of Lausanne). We're launching a small research project in collaboration with local woodland managers. No Apatura ilia so far (but last sighting was 30 years ago...)
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I would be very interested to hear further details about the research you intend to perform. If you are happy to discuss it further here, please feel free to expand? Alternatively however if you would prefer not to disclose in public, please drop me an email. I myself hope to obtain some very interesting data mid to late January, which just might (or might not) open up a whole new can of worms!
I'm an open source person, so here are some details. Our project is a preliminary effort to promote woodland butterflies in the Jorat forest (The city of Lausanne is theonly owner, which facilitates implementation). We are focusing on habitat selection of iris for oviposition in regeneration patches (surfaces that have been cut down less than 10 years ago where S. caprea grows in numbers). The idea is to identify tree caracteristics that are prefered and maybe an effect of time since last management). The final goal, apart from an effort to educate forester to entomologcial diversity in forests is to provide managemenent recommandations for iris. We're also focusing on T. betulae, S. w-album and N. quercus. We should end up with a catalogue of recommandations and a monitoring programm to verify the success of measures. A map of egg/caterpillar locations is available at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=214848523627196280118.0004b39181556fed84f88&msa=0&source=gplus-ogsb.
The work certainly sounds interesting. The data I hope to obtain in January might just help out (as well as helping the general Butterfly Conservation iris/Apaturinae focus, and with whom the results from my research are partially aimed at). It's obviously too early yet though to tell what the results are going to yield. All of the data obtained will eventually of course make it on to here, although in light of putative data publication I am reluctant to reveal all, as yet. I would however be interested to discuss some matters further. If you could please send me an email, I will be able to enlighten you further.
It would be very interesting to know how many hibernating larvae survive the winter (if your sample size is sufficient). I have good data from the last two winters here, though this winter's sample size is too small.
I'd be interested to have an estimate of the hibernating larvae survival rates in the wild. Would you say it is around 50%? Less? Have you any clue that this rate is constant througout the winter or are there episodes of high mortality?
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