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Admiral

 

Admiral; Red admiral

Admiral

Vanessa atalanta

 

The first generation of the migrating admirals has reached the North Estonian coast. The summer heat suits the migrants well. A day’s journey may be up to fifteen kilometres.

 

In southern Europe and North America the admiral can be seen during the whole year. Here the second generation of migrants arrives in August, or the first native generation is hatched having fed and grown on our nettle leaves.

 

The butterflies lay up to a hundred eggs; the development of the eggs lasts about a week, after that come the spiny, up to three and a half cm long caterpillars. Most birds don’t care for the spiny caterpillars. The caterpillars develop into butterflies in two or three weeks. 

In August the butterflies mostly feed on flower nectar, somewhat later we see them on fruits that have dropped to the ground, sucking fruit juice. The juice of split and slightly fermenting fruits is a particular delicacy: apples, plums, pears. A part of the butterflies obviously lack the migrating instinct; we see them flying here until late autumn.