Overwintering as egg, caterpillar, chrysalis or imago? Is there a best strategy for northern climes? As I gaze at the snow covered skihill in front of me I know there are about twenty-five species of butterfly under there somewhere. Is the overwintering stage locked in for a given species or do some butterflies adapt to changes in the seasons?
1 Like
That is an excellent question @GilesR !! Without being a profesional genetist, I can tell you that most of those overwintering strategies are well embedded on their DNA and only very long timeframes and generations could select a species to change their overwintering strategies.
That being said, the overwintering behaviour tends to be triggered by environmental queues which, under a changing climate, might change the way butterflies spend their winters. For example, Monarchs reproducing over the winter in southern US instead of flying to Mexico to overwinter