Green Hairstreak Butterfly by OhhiUisce in Limerick

Native Irish butterfly - the Green Hairstreak, with their life cycle. I wanted to share the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into the butterfly, one of the most fascinating things about these tiny creatures. Inside the shays I’ll is, the caterpillar melts into an enzyme soup, totally rebuilding itself as a complex colourful butterfly. It then lays its eggs (the blue orb on the leaf) on young Birds Foot Trefoil. And the cycle begins again. Painted for Draw Out Limerick, in association with the Environmental Agency in Limerick City.