Orange-tip Butterfly Clementine - the second part of this amazing story.
A visit from a female Orange-tip butterfly to the garden in April presented an opportunity too good to miss — to follow the progress of an egg she laid, its hatching into a tiny orange caterpillar, and watching it grow throughout May and into June.
Hi, I’m Mark. I’ve been studying hoverflies for over 10 years, frequently recording and writing about them in this publication. However, I’m also passionate about all aspects of nature and fascinated by all the joy it can bring. So, when the opportunity arose to sit and observe wildlife in my own garden it’s time to relax and simply enjoy the moment.
Clementine was born on the 8th of May — a minute orange caterpillar, no larger than a pencil nib and as fine as a strand of hair. So tiny was she that a hand lens was needed to see her at all. She had hatched from a speck of an orange egg, had I not seen her mother lay it, I might easily have overlooked it.
Watching her grow and develop has been such a privilege - a spectacle to behold, bringing me so much pleasure over the past month.
If you’re new to my publication, or haven’t read my previous article, ‘Nature’s Joy – Orange-tip Butterfly Visit’, then please click here…
I put out a callout to our S.Yorkshire BNA members to suggest names and one of our members came back with the most appropriate name. Clementine - for obvious reasons, it being a similar colour to a citrus fruit - I thought this was perfect. So since then, she as been referred to has little Clementine.
Initially, I checked her daily — partly to make sure she was still there and partly to keep an eye on her movements, in case she wandered off. To be honest, I half expected her to be eaten by one of the birds that so often visit the garden, especially since I’ve stopped feeding the birds under recent RSPB guidelines. She was also in a very precarious position, perched high up on a floret at the end of a Garlic Mustard plant (Alliaria petiolata), at the edge of the border.
Yet, as I write this, she is still there 26 days later — having survived a heatwave, blustery winds, and now with the rain moving in she has endured it all. Nature, it seems, is often more resilient than we realise.
So, what happened next.
From the 8th to the 18th of May, she remained a vivid orange, hardly moving from the spot where she hatched, yet continuing to grow. By the 18th, I could see her without the need for a hand lens.
By the 26th of May, she had grown considerably, reaching nearly 3 cm in length. During this time, she had also changed colour from orange to green. Despite being much larger, she seemed better camouflaged against her surroundings. Still, she hadn’t ventured any further than the Garlic Mustard floret from which she hatched.
I also noticed that during the day she would wander down to the leaves to feed, before returning to the seed pods to rest at night.
Then, on the 28th of May, I went out to check on her. Although she was in the same spot where I had seen her the previous night, it was clear she had shed a skin and was resting just beneath it — perhaps recovering from the effort. I hadn’t noticed any earlier shedding, but I doubt this was her first. Caterpillars are known to shed their skins four times during a 3-to-4-week period of rapid growth.
It didn’t take long for her to be on the move again — back down to the leaves to feed during the day, and up to the pods at night to rest. The same familiar routine.
Then, on the 30th, I went out later than usual to check on her, only to find she wasn’t there. I feared the worst — had she been spotted by a hungry predator looking to feed its young? At just 22 days old, it seemed a little early for her to have wandered off to pupate. My heart skipped a beat; I thought Clementine’s story had come to a premature and tragic end.
I searched for a good ten minutes before realising just how effective her camouflage had become — she had simply moved onto a neighbouring plant. Perhaps the leaves there were more nutritious, or maybe she was seeking a little more privacy.
Relief… she was still there. Still a little exposed, perhaps, but the pods on this plant were larger — and she still had much growing to do. Mum must have told her to eat her greens.
Alongside little Clementine as she grows are several frequent visitors — ants. I call them her aunts.
Some butterflies, particularly the blues, coppers, and hairstreaks, form close relationships with ants. Their caterpillars produce a sugary secretion that attracts the ants, which in turn offer protection from predators.
The literature suggests that Orange-tip larvae lack the specialised glands and signals needed to attract or appease ants. Yet here they were — two ants that seem to visit her regularly, returning every couple of minute or so.
By the 17th of May, she had reached around 1.5 cm in length. By the 1st of June, she measured 3 cm — increasing to 3.5 cm by the 2nd.
Then, quite suddenly, she became still. Resting on a pod, just as in the photograph above, she didn’t appear to move at all — and, as far as I could tell, she wasn’t feeding either.
On day 26, the 3rd of June, she was in exactly the same spot as the day before. I checked on her around midday before heading out, and when I returned at 5pm, she had gone.
Had she wandered off to pupate? I very much hope so. It had been raining on and off that afternoon — I would have sought shelter myself.
The literature suggests that once fully grown, the caterpillar will wander off to find a suitable place to pupate. This process is triggered by a surge in hormones, including ecdysone, signalling that it has consumed enough food and is ready to transition.
So, day 26 — pupation day. Off she went on the longest journey of her life, in search of a safe place to pupate and remain dormant until next spring. In preparation, I had placed a few woody stems around her birth plant, hoping to give her a choice of suitable sites.
I’ll keep an eye out to see if she reappears — whether as a caterpillar once more, or as a thorn-like chrysalis.
There is, of course, another possibility… but after 26 days of watching her live, feed, grow, and survive, I choose to believe in a happy ending.
Before drawing this story to a close, I should mention Terry…
Named, like Clementine, without knowing whether he is male or female, he was discovered along the Trans Pennine Trail, just beyond the estate where I live — no more than 150–200 metres away.
I had been searching in patches of Garlic Mustard for signs of feeding, having learned from Clementine that the florets are often the first part to be eaten.
And there, upon closer inspection, was another caterpillar — green, darker along the back and pale beneath — almost a mirror image of Clementine.
Naturally, I called him Terry, after a famous chocolate orange.
I do hope you have enjoyed this journey into one of nature’s joys. I will, of course, update this article with photographs should there be any further developments—so please come back and check later in the season.
Sources:
Thomas.J 2007 Guide to Butterflies of Britain and Ireland. Philip’s
Lewington.R 2003 Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife publishing
https://scienceinsights.org/how-ants-and-caterpillars-form-a-mutualistic-relationship/
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