Red Spotted Purple Caterpillar

The pale green eggs are round and sculptured. Second instar larvae construct a shelter out of a partially rolled-up leaf base with silk, and hibernate inside this structure. Mature larvae bear a remarkable resemblance to a bird dropping when resting on a leaf, since they are splotchy white and grey brown in colour and have a shiny look to them. There are usually five instars, but in BC, male larvae may occasionally 'fast-track' and pupate the same season after only four instars, forming a partial second brood in late summer and early fall. This phenomenon may also account for August and September records in Alberta. Adult males perch in shrubs and trees, occasionally patrolling along forest edges, and fly out to investigate other butterflies passing by.