1-158-684 - Oxford Science Archive/Heritage Images

Metamorphoses of the Peacock butterfly, 1888. The Peacock (Inachis io), is a butterfly of the temperate regions of Europe and Asia. The adult lays eggs on a stinging nettle, a favourite food plant for the caterpillars (larvae). After a series of moults as they grow, the caterpillars pupate into the chrysalis stage. The final stage is the Imago, the adult perfect insect which hatches from the Chrysalis.