Steve Cotterell
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Habitat
This butterfly flies throughout the country. It's a migrant which is happy to fly and breed in almost any type of habitat.
Food
The larvae feed almost exclusively on stinging nettle, though hop and wall pellitory (Parietaria officinalis) are also reported.
Life Cycle
Red Admirals may be found as early as February or March, but May (possibly April) is more usual for first sightings of immigrants. From this time they may be seen almost into December if the weather then is fine. Hibernation is in the adult stage. A very few do hibernate here, and these exceptionally late butterflies may attempt hibernation, but probably few survive. There is evidence of a southerly migration from this country, to hibernate in warmer parts. It's said that the Red Admiral is single-
Notes
The Red Admiral is well known as a garden butterfly as it feeds from many kinds of cultivated flowers, especially buddleia and michaelmas daisy. In autumn it's particularly fond of sucking the juices of over-
Eggs are laid singly on the upper surface of stinging-