Red Admiral

[kielder]

Does anyone know where the Red Admiral returns to in the winter?

[Jez]

Flapland

[kielder]

:-P thankyou for your well researched answer Jez, hehe!

[Jez]

apparently they go back to the continent?!

[wildlifesnapper]

Hi

most go to the continent but more and more are hibernating here as the winters are getting warmer.

neil

[ron1863]

Hi Kielder, they migrate mostly to the Mediterranean region to overwinter and a large population breed in the Catalonia region of Spain.

Ron

[kielder]

Thankyou Ron, and everyone else for your responses.

[Wild-Woman]

Think they must have stayed there this year. There's been a distinct lack of them around.

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by Jez

Flapland

That should be a capital offence.

At least some over-winter here as adults in hibernation, I have seen a very tidy one in January.

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

That should be a capital offence.

At least some over-winter here as adults in hibernation, I have seen a very tidy one in January.

Have to say, I got the first recording for Kent this year....1st January in pristine condition!

[Meta menardi]

Do they over-winter as pupae? (I am sure some do, I cut my fingernails with a knife, but it is not general).

"Fingers" menardi.

[Blackbrook Eye]

Most years I have a few overwinter in my loft space, but have not noticed any this year, could be to do with the changeable weather.

Keith

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Think they must have stayed there this year. There's been a distinct lack of them around.

I have not seen one yet and they were the most common species around here once, there seems to be an overall lack of Butterflies in general across the country, although I did see lots of Peacocks earlier in the year but even they have all but disappeared.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

Do they over-winter as pupae? (I am sure some do, I cut my fingernails with a knife, but it is not general).

"Fingers" menardi.

I haven't heard of them overwintering as pupae, but certainly as adults + there have been recent records of them feeding as larvae through mild winters, so it's feasible they may occur as pupae too?

[Kayleigh]

I heard on the news a while back, that the bad weather last year wiped alot of butterflies out. I don't know if it affected Red Admiral's though.

[Meta menardi]

It has been quite warm and intermittently sunny here today, and I have been for a good butterfly hunt in a sunken lane that is a good site for Orange-tips, Red Admirals and othe common species. Not a Dicky-bird, well. no butterflies. One Moff fluttered about, but very few flies, loads of Bumble-bees on Brambles and the like but so little stuff around. The recent gales have flattened loads of very lush vegetation, it all looks quite sad.

[Bwrack]

Last August I remember sitting in the garden near a plum tree under which was a great deal of rotting fruit, this was visited by wave after wave of Red Admirals who not only settled on the fruit but settled on me and my chair, needless to say I didn't move a muscle ! Sadly there was noone around to photograph this. I guess they were enroute to their over- wintering places.(This was in Northern France) This was to me a near magical experience.

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by Bwrack

Last August I remember sitting in the garden near a plum tree under which was a great deal of rotting fruit, this was visited by wave after wave of Red Admirals who not only settled on the fruit but settled on me and my chair, needless to say I didn't move a muscle ! Sadly there was noone around to photograph this. I guess they were enroute to their over- wintering places.(This was in Northern France) This was to me a near magical experience.

I had a similar experience whilst on a beach in Northern France, but with Painted Ladies. They travelled over-head in hundreds due north towards Britain. This was 2006...I think. A good year for them. Don't think anybody else noticed except me. They probably thought I was a bit odd just gazing up into the blue for hours!

[mrs fish]

How a Butterfly can manage to fly across the North Sea or any sea amazes me