Butterflywatch: spring sun brings the orange tip out of his chrysalis

The male orange tip is on the wing earlier than the female; and this spring keep an eye out for a possible newcomer, the southern small whiteTwo extremely beautiful chrysalises hang from a twig on my children's bedroom windowsill. They must be the only orange tips not yet tempted out by fabulous spring weather. (It's the Butterflywatch curse that the second I write those words, down comes the rain, badly needed in East Anglia.)Male orange tips emerge first, and bounce away. Females, possessing a gorgeous dappled green underside instead of orange-tipped wings, wisely wait to emerge until their caterpillars' food - garlic mustard or cuckoo flower - is in full bloom. Continue reading...