RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY

Red Admiral butterfly - Vanessa atalanta

Although believed to be a British native, as it is one of the last butterflies to be seen before winter sets in, the Red Admiral - Vanessa atalanta natural habitat actually ranges throughout temperate Europe, North Africa, Asia and North America which makes it a migrant species.

It is a striking black species with bands of red on its forewings and hindwings, and white spots near the tops of the forewings. Look carefully and you will also see some small blue spots at the bottom-most tip of the hind wings. The undersides of the wings are mostly black, but with a dull repeat of the upper wing patterns. There is no colour or pattern distinction distinction between male and females. The eggs are green  but turn darker as they age.

Red Admiral butterfly - Vanessa atalanta

There is a certain amount of variability with the caterpillars, although they will always have a black head. The most usual form is black-ish, with a freckling of white spots. There is also a series of yellow marks down each side which form a wavy line. On each segment there are black or yellow spines. Each segment will have a red ring at the base. Pales versions of the caterpillar can occur with a greenish or yellowish body and pale spines. The pupa is grey with gold marks.

Red Admirals arrive in the UK from North Africa and southern Europe in the early summer onwards. They eggs singularly on the undersides of leaves, which will hatch after just a week. The solitary caterpillar will then live inside a 'tent' make from curled leaves, and will be ready to pupate after a month or so. The pupa will hang head down from a line of silk

Main image credit - By ΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ ΖΑΧΑΡΑΚΗΣ - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69029398

In text image credit - By Charles J Sharp - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51145681

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RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY
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