Peacock butterfly - Aglais io

3 May, 2022
3 likes

Several attempts and about 10 minutes later of walking up and down the same path trying to capture a shot, I got it.

Where to see
Peacocks prefer to breed on woodland edges and clearings but they are strong flyers and can be seen in many habitats looking for food.

When to see
Adult peacock butterflies are generally seen between March and September with eggs laid between May and the beginning of June. Peacock caterpillars are black, with spines and small white spots and can be seen on stinging nettles from the end of May to the beginning of July. When they hatch they spin and web that they live and feed in until they are large enough to move away. If the weather is warm enough during the winter you may see peacock butterflies flying.

Comments on this photo

Cariad18

Thanks Klahanie not a problem :)

4 May, 2022

Anget

Worth the walk! We've had the caterpillars on nettles in the past, but I wasn't sure who they belonged to. Love the butterflies when the sun shines on their iridescent wings.

4 May, 2022

Cariad18

Oh most definitely :) I will have to take a cautious look next time I pass some nettles lol. They are beautiful creatures, reminds me of the ugly duckling story.

4 May, 2022

Seaburngirl

I love these. when I gave a talk to a local U3a group about encouraging wildlife into the garden they all agreed more butterflies, but when i asked about who'd want caterpillars less than 1/3 did. There were a few shocked faces as they realised without the caterpillars no butterflies.

5 May, 2022

Cariad18

Haha that sounds about right, people just want the good but aren’t willing to sacrifice something first so they can reap the benefits.

5 May, 2022