They are all members of the Nymphalidae ( pronounced Nim-fa-lid-eye ) or Brush-footed butterflies.

When the larvae hatch they will find themselves a convenient food supply. So the female butterfly will spend some time finding the correct plant (the food plant) before laying her eggs. Most species of butterflies lay their eggs singularly but some lay their eggs in clusters on a leaf/stem such as the Mourning Cloak, Question Mark, Pipevine Swallowtail, and Baltimore Checkerspot to name a few. According to the University of Rhode Island, butterflies can lay from 200 to 1,500 eggs, which hatch into larvae, or caterpillars. The ones that do are - Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma. The butterfly will lay eggs on the undersides of leaves (singly in the case of the Small White, in groups of 40-100 by the Large White) and after a week or two the larvae will emerge, like the Very Hungry Caterpillar in my favourite childrens' book, ready to eat whatever lies in its path. The Coppers will lay on Muehlenbeckia species. The life cycle of a butterfly begins with the egg. Butterflies of the nettle patch. Many people don’t like Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) because they sting and are thought of as weeds but a lot of these same people don’t realise just how many pretty butterflies have caterpillars that depend on these plants.In the UK, the Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae), Peacock (Inachis io) and Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) are the three main ones.
Their larvae feed in large groups in silken tents at the top of the nettle stems. The stinging nettle is one of the most important native plants for wildlife in the UK.

You might think that for an insect this would be particular place on the food plant for the eggs and will leave them in no other. The caterpillars will starve to death rather than to eat any other plants than the ones they are designed to eat. Butterfly egg laying depends on the type of butterfly, as do the butterfly host plants.

Many of our most colourful and well known butterflies depend on nettles for the growth of their larvae.

). These butterflies require stinging nettles because they keep the caterpillars safe from grazing animals. Many common garden butterflies, such as the red admiral, comma and small tortoiseshell, lay eggs on stinging nettles. According to the University of Rhode Island, butterflies can lay from 200 to 1,500 eggs, which hatch into larvae, or caterpillars. Nettles are also a magnet for other insect-eaters like hedgehogs, shrews, frogs and toads, at all times of year. Unfortunately, it is treated as a weed and rooted out. Where do butterflies lay their eggs: The Small tortoiseshell Butterfly lays its eggs on the underside of nettle leaves. Below is a list of common butterflies and their preferred host plants: Monarch – Milkweed This is really important because the mother butterfly needs to lay her eggs on the type of leaf the caterpillar will eat – each caterpillar type likes only certain types of leaves. If you have these in your garden you can help ensure their future survival. The Southern Blue and Common Blue lay eggs on plants in the Fabaceae family (clover, trefoil, tree lucerne, trefoil) and the Longtailed Blue uses broom and members of the pea family. For the Monarch butterfly it is milkweed (such as the swan plant) and Admirals will lay eggs on nettles. Nettles and Wildlife. This is due the front pair of legs ( which are much smaller than the other two pairs and so not used for walking ) being covered in tufts of hair like scales.

Each species of butterfly lays its eggs on particular plants. Please - does anyone know when the butterflies finish laying eggs/hatching on nettles?

The David Suzuki Foundation is recruiting 'butterfly rangers' in ... Coulter says that ten of the seventy butterfly species on Vancouver Island prefer to lay eggs on oceanspray and stinging nettles. The hole in the center is the micropyle. So, if you are serious about attracting more varieties of butterflies to your garden, you need to consider the host plants that the butterflies seek out to lay their eggs on. If you are going to find monarch butterfly eggs, you have to first find milkweed. The caterpillar eats the leaves or other parts of the plant that it hatches on. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed and the caterpillars eat milkweed. The attractive sculptured effect of a butterfly’s egg as seen if viewed under a low-powered microscope.