11 September β 1 March
the coastal calendar, shifted 10 days later for this region
Buckthorn scrub on the coast; often the first butterfly of the year, in February sun.
One generation a year but the adult lives ten or eleven months β longer than any other butterfly in Europe. A Cleopatra seen in March and one seen in August are different animals: the March one is nearly a year old.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| hibernating | 11 September β 1 March | 172 days | True hibernation: body temperature drops and the animal cannot simply wake. The adult overwinters in ivy or evergreen scrub and can be woken by a warm January day. |
| going about the year | 2 March β 10 April | 40 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |
| on eggs | 11 April β 29 April | 19 days | Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun. |
| larvae feeding | 30 April β 10 June | 42 days | Caterpillars, grubs or nymphs feeding and growing. |
| in the pupa | 11 June β 4 July | 24 days | Rebuilt inside a chrysalis or cocoon; the animal cannot move or feed. |
| adults on the wing | 5 July β 10 September | 68 days | The new generation is out, winged and looking for a mate. |