STAGE 2: CATERPILLAR

Eggs hatch in 7-21 days, forming a communal tent of silk. Insidetheir tent they eat the host plant (nettles), growing bigger eachday. They don't leave this refuge until all of the food isconsumed. They then move onto another leaf creating a new silktent as they go. Mature caterpillars are black with whitespeckles and are covered in a black spines that deter predators.

STAGE 4: WINGED ADULT

The newly emerged adult willrest a while as it pumps bloodinto the wet and folded wings.Blood pumped into the veinsspreads out the wings, restingto dry them in the sun. At thisstage they are very vulnerableto attack. Adults don’t survivelong afterwards and are goneby June or July, when they dieoff the new generation aredeveloping and hatching in thesame nettles patch.

STAGE 1: BUTTERFLY EGGSFemales lay eggs in May and will choose nettles in full sunshine,depositing 300-400 eggs on the underside of nettle leaves.Nettles are termed the host plant, which means eggs are layedon this plant and the larvae only feed on this plant.

STAGE 3:CHRYSALIS/PUPASuspended from their silk thepupa hangs from thevegetation, well camouflaged,up to a meter above theground. The butterfly emerges2-4 weeks later, breaking freeof the chrysalis following itstransformation inside.

WILD NEPHIN NATIONAL PARKPEACOCK BUTTERFLY LIFECYCLE