CURRENT PUPAE - Chrysalides and cocoons

If you are a beginner and need information on rearing from small caterpillars, or hatching out pupae, please order the All Colour Paperback BUTTERFLIES. INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT SENT WITH EACH SPECIES, you need to acquire basic skills and this book is a simple way of doing so.

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Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines pupae
Availability: NOW


Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines Europe

 

Store the pupae in a cool place, for the winter, even a refrigerator, loose in a plastic box. An early spring butterfly. Depending on locality and season, the butterflies usually begin to fly in May. The male has the orange tips. Both sexes have mottled undersides in green which is actually made of microscopic scales of black and yellow, giving the illusion of green. The curious pupae look like thorns.

Eggs are laid on Garlic Mustard, Sweet Rocket and Cuckoo Flower or Lady’s Smock. The larvae live singly and are canabalistic. Not difficult to breed, particularly on potted foodplant. Camouflage in all stages is remarkable.

 

Map Butterfly levana  Pupae
Availability: NOW


Map Butterfly Araschnia levana

A charming and quite small Vanessid butterfly that occurs throughout much of Europe but not in the British Isles. It has been established in Britain but the colony was deliberately destroyed. This is a nettle feeder.

The eggs are laid in unique pendant strings from the underside of a nettle leaf.  Younger larvae are gregarious.

There are normally two broods: the spring brood is patterned rather like a fritillary, as illustrated. In July the second brood (form porosa) emerges looking like miniature White Admirals!

An established British colony was deliberately exterminated. Why not try again?

 

Pairing is not easy but success is more likely if you can create a netting sleeve that brings the two sexes together, like the peak of a hood.  Second brood larvae hang up to pupate in secluded places for the winter. The pupae we are offering now are to be stored in a cool outhouse or fridge until April. Then lay them out for emergence in April/May.

 

WORLD SWALLOWTAIL PUPA COLLECTION 10 pupae
Availability: NOW


WORLD SWALLOWTAIL PUPA COLLECTION 10 pupae

These are unidentified, very varied in shape, size, colour and pattern. They are mostly tropical or sub-tropical and for emergence provide warmth and humidity that the pupae normally have in their natural environment. 

These are some of the loveliest butterflies of all butterflies. They come, unlabelled, ready to emerge and surprise you.  Some may form up and emerge within a few days, others may take a month or more. When possible ten different species will be supplied.

Photos on this site are representative and, as there are so many species, your collection may  have any of the possible species, not necessarily those illustrated.

 

£38.50 +vat
Freyer's Purple Emperor Apatura metis 5 larvae
Availability: September onwards


Freyer’s Purple Emperor Apatura metis

 Apatura metis is a scarce species from eastern Europe, across to Palaearctic Far Eastern countries. It is associated with watery places where its foodplant Salix alba White Willow grows.

 With some subtle differences of marking, although a touch smaller, at first sight this rare species bears a strong resemblance to Apatura ilia clytie, and clytie  has been used here for the illustrations because this is a first and we have no photographs yet.

 The larvae are best sleeved on growing Willows, which can be planted outside, or potted.  They may well take other species of Salix , including Basket Willow S. viminalis.  The June larvae will produce butterflies this year. The pupae will be formed in the sleeve, dramatically camouflaged amongst the foliage. August larvae can be hibernated outside in sleeves.

£39.50 +vat
Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus 5 pupae
Availability: New orders summer 2025


Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus Europe

 

Livestock is seldom available. This is a scarce migrant to Britain. The larvae live inside the flowers and seed pods of Broom, Pea, and almost any Leguminosae (Papilionaceae)

 

£25.00 £17.95 +vat
Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus 5 pupae
Availability: July/August


Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus

An opportunity not to be missed!

Very unusual to have livestock available: this is the first time ever!  These pupae are dormant and should be refrigerated until spring.

The larvae feed inside the flowers and berries of Holly and Ivy. They can be reared on the flowers or pods of Broom and probably other plants of the same family. They live solitarily and are canibalistic, so keep them apart.

These larvae will produce another generation of butterflies this year. The second generation passes the winter in the dormant pupal stage.

£17.95 +vat
Adonis Blue bellargus 5 pupae
Availability: 2025


The Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus

The intense blue iridescence of the male is unmatched in Europe. The female has a rich burnt umber colouring.  To raise the larvae you need Horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa, a low-growing plant, covered with yellow flowers in May, requiring calcareous soil.  The larvae, which will also feed on Coronilla, feed rapidly and pupate among the base of the foodplant.  In Britain the Adonis is double brooded, the adults flying in June and August.

£22.00 +vat
Poplar Hawk Laothoe populi  pupae
Availability: Autumn


Poplar Hawk Laothoe populi

These pupae will produce moths this year when given warmth and watering.

The moth has a curious resting position, with hindwings projecting in front of the forewings. Patterned in shades of grey, this large Hawkmoth escapes detection because of its curious shape.

Two broods are produced in May and July/August. The larvae are very robust, bright green, with stripes and sometimes red spots. Sleeved larvae do best, on Poplars, Willows and Sallows.

Very easy to breed.



 

Lime Hawk tiliae pupae
Availability: NOW


Lime Hawkmoth Mimas tiliae

Some excellent forms of pattern and colour are appearing from these pupae, including one-spot, banded and brick red forms, as well as a wide colour range of normal pattern. There is no way of detecting these in the early stages, but we are illustrating some of these extreme forms that have been emerging.

Store pupae refrigerated for the winter. The moths normally emerge in May/June.

Extremely easy to rear on Lime or Elm. Other reported foodplants include Cherry, Alder, Birch, Oak, Hazel, Acer including Sycamore, Sorbus, Apple, Pear and Ash! In autumn the larvae will grow faster if kept warm. 

The larvae do particularly well sleeved on growing foodplant but can be kept in plastic boxes or cages. Beautiful streamlined larvae. Larger larvae are often heavily marked with flame and scarlet spots and blotches. Very variable. They pupate underground. In captivity they will pupate amongst folds of cloth or absorbent tissue.

Privet Hawk S ligustri Pupae SPECIAL OFFER!
Availability: NOW


Privet Hawk Sphinx ligustri

SPECIAL OFFER 5 pupae £22.95 NOW £17.95   10 pupae £39.95 NOW £35.95  20 pupae £79.90 NOW £66.00

One of the largest Hawkmoths. Keep pupae cool for breeding next year.

The caterpillar becomes enormous and is characteristic of the name Sphinx moths, by its sphinx-like resting position. Adults emerge in June and July.  They need nectar from the flowers of Privet, Valerian, Buddleia. 

Larval foodplants: Privet, Lilac, Ash, also reportedly Spiraea, Viburnum opulus, and other Viburnums,  Holly, Dogwood, Snowberry, Apple, Pear, Oleander, Leycesteria, Currant.

One generation in the year. Privet Hawks breed readily in a large cage with nectar and foodplant. 

 


 

Willowherb Hawkmoth Proserpinus proserpina Pupae
Availability: NOW



Willowherb Hawkmoth Proserpinus proserpina

SCARCE! Only a few pupae available. 

This rather rare Hawkmoth is a gem, seldom encountered, though it lives throughout much of western and central Europe, eastwards into Russia.  

The larva is rather like a grey form of Small Elephant Hawk. The foodplant is Rosebay Willowherb Epilobium, Evening Primrose Oenothera and Purple Loosetrife Lythrum. The pretty little green moth has prominent egg-yolk coloured hindwings.  The normal flight period is June and July.

Elephant Hawk elpenor 5 male pupae
Availability: NOW


Elephant Hawk Dielephila elpenor

Store winter pupae refrigerated in a plastic box. In the emerging cage it is important to have the pupae moist but well drained. Please see the Pupae Nest on this website. The moths usually emerge in June and July. 

Cage the moths with nectar flowers and springs of Willowherb – you do not see the pairings but fertile eggs are easily obtained. 

An exceptionally pretty moth with amazing and characterful larvae, with eye-spots and probing “trunks”. Young larvae are green, later changing to charcoal black, with occasional rarities remaining green.

Larvae feed on Willowherbs, Fuschia, Creepers.

Highly recommended.

£18.95 +vat