Masters of the Cryptic Arts

Most Emperor larvae master the cryptic arts whilst in hibernation, displaying chameleon-like capability. 

Here's 'Hermione', s/he was out on sync with her/his background when s/he entered hibernation in early November. This photo was taken on Nov 13th, showing her/him/it/Us/Preciousss as a mottled grey-green larva:-

Here's the same larva on Jan 10th 2026, now perfectly matching the stem background -

Conversely, 'Harry' (photoed 10/1/26) hasn't quite got it right -