The Meadow Brown: The little blade-of-grass survivor. 🐛🌾

The meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) is one of the most common butterflies in Switzerland. Its overwintering strategy is the caterpillar. The young caterpillars hatch in late summer and spend the winter in the turf. They are not completely inactive: on frost-free days, they can even become active and feed on grasses. In the spring, they become nocturnal to avoid predators before retreating near the ground to pupate.

[Photo montage: Reto Künzler, Bern]