Peacock butterfly caterpillar
Aglais io
Conservation status: Common
When to see: May to July
About
The peacock butterfly mates during early spring, it lays around 500 eggs, usually in May on nettle leaves, which are the preferred food for the larvae of this species. After a brief period of two weeks, the caterpillars emerge, displaying a velvety black appearance with white spots and short, shiny black spines. They spin a communal silk web and feast on the nettles together before gradually venturing out into the open. In July, they undergo pupation, and by July or August, they emerge as fully grown adults.
| See also different: | Garden caterpillars |
