Nettle-feeding caterpillars and their parasitoids

This website gives news and information on the research currently underway at Lancaster University to discover the full range of parasitoids which attack Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma caterpillars. This is in association with the Sturmia bella project organised by Oxford University and Butterfly Conservation (http://users.ox.ac.uk/~zool0376/small-tortoiseshell.htm). If you are in Lancashire or Cumbria and would like to inform us of nests of caterpillars in these areas, please contact us. If you are in any other region of the UK, please see the Oxford University site.

2011: another abundant year?

A glorious day yesterday (20th April 2011) in Lancashire. I went to survey the site where I have collected nests for the past two years. There was a Small Tortoiseshell basking in almost every patch of nettles (and there are a lot of patches!). I saw many pairs of Small Tortoiseshells spiralling upwards from the nettles throughout the day also, and late in the day, I watched as a male drummed his antennae against the wings of a female trying to get her interest. There were two or three Peacocks flying around

Over 1000 caterpillars... but we still need more!

Caterpillar update

We've had a busy few weeks collecting, feeding and monitoring Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock caterpillars. We've processed over 1000 with only about 20 left to monitor for parasitism or pupation. We are now in the period between the first and second generations of Small Tortoiseshells, and have only found one small nest of Peacocks in the past week so they might be drawing to a close.

Where did all the nests go?!

After a very successful first generation, it was much more difficult to find Small Tortoiseshell nests from the second brood. Some of those that we did find had mysteriously disappeared when we returned to collect them. The reason for these disappearances has still not been identified.

Could it be predation by birds, wasps, or spiders?

The Caterpillar Detective

Can you spot the nest?

From the usual images of big, black peacock caterpillars, you might think that they are easy to find. But this is not always the case, particularly when they are still small.