looduskalender.ee

Red amiral

 

 

In Southern Europe and North Africa the admirals, belonging to the Nymphalidae or Brushfooted butterflies are in flight throughout the year. Usually the migrants reach Estonia at the end of May or in June and we can see them in open areas and forest verges as well as meadows or gardens. In August the second generation of migrants arrive or the first generation of imagos of our young admirals hatch, having developed on nettle leaves.

 

The migrants that have arrived here lay up to a hundred eggs: the development of the eggs lasts about a week, after that they develop into spiny, up to three and a half centimetres long caterpillars. Most birds will not bother with the spiny caterpillars. Developing into a butterfly takes 2-3 weeks.

 

In August the butterflies mostly feed on flower nectar but a little later we meet them sucking the juices of fruits spilled in gardens: plums, pears, apples... Nectar from fruits that have cracked and are a little fermented, is a particular delicacy.

 

A part of the butterflies evidently lack the migrating instinct; we see them in flight here until late autumn. Our winter is generally disastrous for migrant butterflies; only some single ”chosen” ones can survive it either in deep cracks in trees or other suitable hibernation places protected against frost.

 

In some years we have more migrant painted ladies, in others more admirals.

 

Underside of red admirals wing

 

Admiral’s caterpillars

 

James K. Lindsey – James Lindsey's Ecology of Commanster Site