Nymphalis milberti
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Nymphalis milberti butterfly scan by Bill Oehlke.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
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Taxonomy Superfamily: Papilionoidea Latreille, [1802] Family: Nymphalidae, Rafinesque, 1815 Subfamily: Nymphalinae, Rafinesque, 1815 Tribe: Nymphalini Rafinesque, 1815 Genus: Nymphalis Kluk, 1780

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The Milbert's tortoiseshell, Nymphalis milberti, flies throughout most of Canada and northwestern U.S.A.

To my surprise, on April 9, 2004, I spotted a Milbert's tortoiseshell fluttering around the south side of my house (Montague, Prince Edward Island) , temperature around 6-7C, 45 F. The butterfly colouration and wing structure were of high quality. Local foodplant for larvae, nettles, has not broken ground yet and is under at least a foot of snow. The butterfly will probably go back into hibernation for a couple of weeks.

In late May, 2000, I discovered a cluster of approximately 100 tiny Nymphalis milberti caterpillars feeding under a grey web at the top of one of my nettle stems. I brought them inside to protect from predation and parasitization and reared the lot of them in four two-gallon plastic tubs on cut nettle stems.

The Nymphalis milberti caterpillars progressed very rapidly but remained rather nondescript throughout their development. Scan by Bill Oehlke. The gregarious feeding habit continued throughout most of their larval development.

Within three weeks of my find, the larvae began hanging in characteristic "j-shape" and formed rather striking pupae. Pupae of the Nymphalis milberti butterfly can be removed from their moorings by gently scraping the silk pads away from the twigs/stems or other pupation surfaces.

Eclosions generally occur within 9-14 days after pupation, depending upon temperature.

I set the pupae on some paper towels in the bottom of a five gallon clear plastic tub and draped some towelling over an end and one side so emerged butterlies could climb, hang and inflate.

Natural winter hibernation quarters in wood piles, under tree bark, under shingles, etc., can be matched artificially by drilling 2" diameter holes half way through 2"x4" lumber.

Screening, stapled over refrigerator chilled butterflies placed in the excavations, will allow for air circulation.

The lumber can be stored outdoors under two feet of leaves once the temperature has dropped to below freezing.

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ARCTIIDAE (TIGER MOTHS)
SATURNIIDAE (SILK MOTHS) OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND: rearing info; livestock for sale.
SPHINGIDAE OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (HAWK MOTHS)
SPHINGIDAE OF THE AMERICAS: North, Central and South America
SPHINGIDAE OF THE UNITED STATES
KIRBY WOLFE COLLECTION OF WORLDWIDE SATURNIIDAE
THIBAUD DECAENS COLLECTION OF WORLDWIDE SATURNIIDAE
LEROY SIMON SATURNIIDAE COLLECTION
TIM DYSON NIGHT VISION PHOTOGRAPHY (Catocala)
NORTH AMERICAN CATOCALA

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