The butterfly with colorful eyes on its wings flutters around the garden on warm days of the year in search of flowers with delicious nectar. In winter there is nothing to be seen of him far and wide. Is that because of a short lifetime, or is it allowed to exist for more than one summer?

The butterfly only spends two weeks in its cocoon

Egg, caterpillar and butterfly

The peacock butterfly can be found in several stages of development. The small green caterpillars hatch from the eggs laid in the spring. They grow and molt several times before finally pupating. The metamorphosis into a butterfly begins. The individual life stages of this insect species are of different lengths.

The egg laying

In the spring, the hibernation of the adult butterflies is over. They fly out to collect the first nectar, for example from early flowering pussy willows. They lay their eggs on the underside of nettle leaves. This is because their caterpillars feed exclusively on this plant.

The "age" of the eggs extends from the time the eggs are laid until the 3 mm small caterpillars hatch. This is usually the case after about 2-3 weeks.

Peacock butterfly caterpillars

At first the caterpillars are green, with longitudinal stripes. They are evolving in leaps and bounds. After several moults and 3-4 weeks later, they are large, black, with white dots. The time has come to pupate. The caterpillars only reach a modest age. The "conversion" to the butterfly begins.

The beginning of butterfly life

The pupal case is transparent, so the hatching of the butterfly can be easily observed after two weeks:

  • there are wing drawings recognizable
  • the moth tears at predetermined seams
  • squeezes out of the cocoon
  • the wings are filled with air and blood
  • this makes them hard and airworthy

tips

Do you like watching insects? With caterpillars from the breeder or the BUND, you can breed your own peacock butterflies in May and June.

lifespan of the butterfly

We can see with our own eyes that the peacock butterfly lives during the warmer months of the year. In autumn every trace of him seems to be lost. But that is deceptive.

  • the butterfly has sought shelter
  • in a cave, tree hole, etc.
  • even in cool rooms of human dwellings

This is how the butterfly survives the winter and mates in the spring. Its lifespan is at least one year. In particularly advantageous habitats, it can also reach an age of up to two years.

tips

You can read more information about the appearance, habitat, food and predators in the profile.

Category:

Animals in the garden