With its distinctive wing colouration and 'eye' markings, as well as being a regular visitor to gardens, the peacock must surely be one of our best known butterflies. It is a resident breeding species in Britain laying eggs on common nettle and its black, spikey caterpillars are a common site munching their way through nettle leaves totally immune to any stinging that we suffer if we touch them. It is not just a garden butterfly of course, it can be encountered almost anywhere there are nectar rich flowers to feed on and that includes woodlands, scrub, heath and grassland. This is a hibernating species and so it can potentially be seen at almost anytime of year with a break around June between broods.
The weekly reports chart shows sightings from week 6 in February continuously through until week 18 in late May. Then follows the inter-brood wait with virtually no reports until week 24 in early July. Then follows continuous reports until week week 32 at the end of August. Reports then become a little more sporadic, but still frequent, until week 44 at the end of October. Odd reports can then be seen in the winter months when they emerge from their hibernation on warmer, sunny days in November, December and January.
There are reports from many sites across the county showing just how diverse it is in its choice of habitat.
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