I found a small Tortoiseshell last November [2015] flying about my kitchen when i arrived home from work. So after catching it, without causing any damage to this fragile insect i placed it in a small container which, i then placed in the fridge so it could hibernate through the winter months safely. Over four months later at the beginning of April when the temperature was suitable for the butterfly to be flying [about 14 degrees centigrade] i released the Small Tortoiseshell in my garden on a lovely warm Spring day. I carefully placed it on a small stick, at first it just sat there with it's wings closed.
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| Small Tortoiseshell just out of hibernation taking in the warmth of the sun |
But eventually the butterfly spread it's wings open, drowning in the warmth of the sun and, furiously vibrating its wings, just the same way a Bee will, to warm it's body to the correct temperature and so enable it to fly. Between 6-7 minutes later the Small Tortoiseshell took it's first flight for over four months and disappeared into the Surrey countryside.
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| The Small Tortoiseshell just before taking it's first flight for over 4 months |
A male Peacock was rescued from a building that was being demolished a couple of months ago near to my home by Keith a friend of mine who gave me the butterfly for safe keeping. So again i place the butterfly in a small container, and again popped in my fridge until Spring. It was released on the same day as the Small Tortoiseshell, [Saturday, 2nd April 2016]. I placed the opened container in a lovely sunny position in the garden.
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The male Peacock half in, half out of the container it spent the last couple of months in, in my fridge
taking in he warm comforting rays of the sun before successfully fly away |
Again the Peacock opened it's wings after a couple of minutes and began like the Small Tortoiseshell, furiously vibrating it's out stretched wings, building it's body temperature up. Then again after 6-7 minutes it too flew away.
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