First feeding

The single, wild purple emperor caterpillar I am following this year (Gautama) survived the winter, nibbled a bit of the buds he hibernated on, then moved to new leaves about 60cm away. The feeding season is under way.

Guy

4th Consecutive Generation A.ilia Adults (without diapause)

Following on from recent posts: I am very pleased to report that to my knowledge the pictured specimen is the first, 4th consecutive generation (i.e without diapause) adult Apatura ilia specimen that has EVER been produced. And what a beauty he is. This species has now been continually in active culture since 15.04.15, meaning that this 4th generation specimen has elcosed just 9 days short of a full calendar year. I think it is safe to say that this species can therefore to cultured year round, if conditions are significantly optimised. I also have another 6 females to follow (all in the ideal window of about 7 days delay), so will soon hopefully be aiming for generation 5!

One out of one

I was sorry to read Matthew's post about wintering larvae in Savernake. As I have been following just one caterpillar this winter it's all or nothing for me, so far as hibernating statistics are concerned. And at the moment, Gautama is still doing fine. These two pictures show him on 12th February and then today, 6th April, just days away from his first meal of 2016:

He first hibernated on a grey branch somewhere (he went completely grey, then wandered off, back in November) and then relocated to this twig at the end of 2015. He has moved less than 1 mm since!

Guy

Late Winter Losses

A very disappointing and worrying end to the winter.  Mortality rates were high during the mid to late autumn period in Savernake Forest, my main study site - i.e. before and shortly after larvae entered diapause.  I don't know why.

Then all was relatively good for a long while, with wild larvae surviving well.  I was cheered to read the BTO announcement that Blue Tit and Great Tit numbers were low this winter, due to poor breeding success last year, as tits are major predators of hibernating Emperor larvae.  However, tit numbers seemed high in Savernake all winter, probably because it was mild enough for them to winter out in the forest (in severe winter weather they seem to desert the forest, presumably to visit gardens).  

The bad news is that Purple Emperor larvae have been hit hard this last month, by assumed (tit) predation.  Also, one wild larva has shrivelled up and died, along with one of my two captive larvae. This is a familiar problem to breeders (I've forgotten what this desiccation is called - can someone please remind me, I've got it written down somewhere...  it's associated with wet weather).  I think I've only recorded three hibernating larvae shrivelling up and dying in the wild, out of some 200 I've followed.  

So, at this stage the prospects for the 2016 Purple Emperor season do not look good...

Continual Rearing

Below I attach a photo (taken yesterday) of what I believe to be the first, 4th consecutive (i.e. without diapause) generation (in a single season), L2 A.ilia larvae ever produced. In just over 6 weeks time I will have continually cultured these specimens for an entire year without diapause. It would therefore appear that if conditions are optimised it is now possible to continuously rear these species 12 months of the year.

Aside from these new L2 larvae I also currently have a another 20 specimens either in L5, pupae or recently eclosed adults (specimens supplied by Colin Wiskin) which did diapause, but due to the very mild winter conditions woke early and are now producing viable adults.

Much has certainly been learnt about these species in the process.

Surviving Winter

This winter is bloody awful.  It's very similar to that of 2013-14: mild, wet and windy, with gale after wretched gale, although until now (8th Feb) the gales have largely been to the north of the Purple Empire.  

To date, hibernating Purple Emperor larvae have survived reasonably well in the wild.  I haven't got many to follow this winter, but lost one in late November and a second in late January, both to assumed tit predation.  (The second one may have moved, and not been relocated - but it was on a terminal bud, which is a suicidal position as foraging tits search there first and foremost).  

Three larvae have moved after entering hibernation, two during mid-December and another in late January.  Several moved whilst hibernating during the mild winter of 2013-14.

Here's No. 13, Wittgenstein, on the upper side of a fairly thick branch -

Here's No. 14, Kierkegaard, with unusual dark green and yellow mottling - 

And here's No. 9, Heidegger, on an old stem scar -

Happy New Year!

A heatwave throughout July and August last year had a notable effect on the emperors. I didn't find a single egg and only in September, when the forest verges were cut, was able to locate any caterpillars - just two, both deep in shade and near the ground, presumably where the air was most humid. I can only hope it was choice of laying site that meant I found no eggs in the usual places. I followed just one caterpillar, Gautama, up to hibernation, when he wandered off. I couldn't find him anywhere. Then suddenly today, on my first Swiss walk of 2016, there he was, not 20cm from the leaf he grew up on.

Gautama:

Happy New Year!

Guy