Do caterpillars hibernate?

[werdnal]

Excuse my ignorance, but its never occurred to me to question this before. I just assumed the cycle went - butterflies/moths lay eggs in spring which hatch, caterpillars mature over summer and pupate over winter then butterflies/moths emerge in spring.

Its just that in our spring-like weather of the past couple of days, I've seen several caterpillars which seem quite lively and enjoying the sunshine, but where have they come from so early in the year?

[eeyore]

some species over winter in the egg form then hatch out as catterpillars just in time to catch the new growth - also a few species have a two year life cycle overwintering as eggs the first season then as pupae the second.

[wildlifesnapper]

Hi

some species such as the tiger moths ,large yellow underwing & oak eggar etc. hibernate or a sort of semi hibernate as they will come out and feed on warm winter days or nights.The hairy tiger moth caterpillars will enjor a spell of sunning too.

neil

[petereeles]

Originally Posted by werdnal

Excuse my ignorance, but its never occurred to me to question this before. I just assumed the cycle went - butterflies/moths lay eggs in spring which hatch, caterpillars mature over summer and pupate over winter then butterflies/moths emerge in spring.

Its just that in our spring-like weather of the past couple of days, I've seen several caterpillars which seem quite lively and enjoying the sunshine, but where have they come from so early in the year?

Some species hibernate as eggs, some as larvae, some as pupae, and some as adults.

Some species hibernate in more than one stage - such as the Speckled Wood butterfly - with some individuals hibernating as larvae, and some as pupae. To get even more subtle, some eggs hibernate with fully-formed caterpillars inside them, others not. And some larvae hibernate in their early stages, whereas others hibernate in their last stage and don't feed in the spring before pupating.

Cheers,

- Pete
www.ukbutterflies.co.uk