Marbled White galathea 15 eggs

Marbled White Butterfly Melanargia galathea

A favourite from the chalk downlands of southern Britain. The female scatters her spherical eggs, unattached, amongst meadow grasses. The larvae hibernate on potted coarse grasses and produce butterflies next year. To hibernate these larvae you need potted grass, securely contained in a netting sleeve.  Make sure you evict any spiders or other predatory creatures! Keep the pot outside in natural weather conditions.

In spring the larvae will stray and again in summer when they are ready to find a secluded place in which to hang and change to pupae, so make sure they are in a secure cage.