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Project Noah Nature School
Delias aganippe
I am captive breeding the wood white butterfly (AKA red spotted Jezebel). The butterfly farm is simply a plastic lunchbox. Wild collected eggs have no predation yet but larvae are almost all predated (as in pic 6 found last year).
This species occurs between Adelaide Melbourne Sydney and Brisbane, common but only in isolated populations.
These are never bred in captivity by Zoos as they like to fly high and far, unsuited to an aviary as they sulk in the corner. But in the wild they gather on hilltops, flying in circular ascending spirals, following each other as if tied on an invisible corkscrew thread. When almost out of sight they break away in all directions and gather to repeat the dance. This is a sight you will never forget.
Spotted on Oct 16, 2012
Submitted on Oct 16, 2012
2 Comments
Certainly EarlyStages.
I will document larvae and pupae when they arrive.
(and hopefully a metamorphosis sequence would be nice.)
Martin, would you kindly post photos when they reach last instar? Thanks!