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A common sight that aint that common no more...


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Yes they are nettles. I Am in the proccess of building up a few different bloodlines of the small torts as i fear they will be endangered before too long. Its hard to believe but once i used to be able to watch thousands on some meadows near home. Perhaps a captive bred stock may be the saviour. The peacocks too are on the same potted nettles. At present they are in the kitchen for outside its blowing a gale. JD

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Yes they are nettles. I Am in the proccess of building up a few different bloodlines of the small torts as i fear they will be endangered before too long. Its hard to believe but once i used to be able to watch thousands on some meadows near home. Perhaps a captive bred stock may be the saviour. The peacocks too are on the same potted nettles. At present they are in the kitchen for outside its blowing a gale. JD

 

Saviour :) ... I have planted lots of wild flowers this year and will endeavour to do more hearing that. I took a lovely pic of a peacock in March this year! ... while the photo comp was going on.. is that a strange time of year to have them out?... do they hibernate? (I know nothing really about thier lifespan etc)

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Yes they are nettles. I Am in the proccess of building up a few different bloodlines of the small torts as i fear they will be endangered before too long. Its hard to believe but once i used to be able to watch thousands on some meadows near home. Perhaps a captive bred stock may be the saviour. The peacocks too are on the same potted nettles. At present they are in the kitchen for outside its blowing a gale. JD

 

Saviour :) ... I have planted lots of wild flowers this year and will endeavour to do more hearing that. I took a lovely pic of a peacock in March this year! ... while the photo comp was going on.. is that a strange time of year to have them out?... do they hibernate? (I know nothing really about thier lifespan etc)

 

yes peacocks hibernate as adults. Upon warm weather they emerge. sometimes out mad springs can lie to them. I have seen them out in febuary. one of my favourites they are. I find it amazing how such vivid colours are acheived by eating something so plain as the common nettle.... :notworthy::notworthy: Respect to Mother Nature.

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Yes to some extent, but the torts and peacocks are being hit by a tiny predator. They inadvertantly eat the eggs of a parasite, this then develops inside them and kills them in the end. Small tortoiseshells are plummeting....

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Yes to some extent, but the torts and peacocks are being hit by a tiny predator. They inadvertantly eat the eggs of a parasite, this then develops inside them and kills them in the end. Small tortoiseshells are plummeting....

 

 

I used to see a lot of those black caterpillars on nettles as a kid but had forgotten about them. Is the parasite foreign?

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