Photographed at Arne RSPB Reserve, near Wareham on 22/05/15.
Described by Dom as ‘almost unrecognisable from their later instars’, the fully grown caterpillars become a beautifully vibrant green!
‘Instars’ are stages of growth in caterpillars, as the larvae grow they shed their old skins and enter a new instar or stage. Typically there are five instars in the life of a caterpillar.