Red Admiral ButterfliesIdentify It > Butterflies Section > Red Admiral Butterflies >
Latin name: Vanessa atalanta
Size: Wingspan approximately 64mm
Distribution: Found throughout the UK
Months seen: May to October
Habitat: Gardens, Hedgerows and meadows.
Food: Nectar, loves buddleia and will also feed on windfall fruit such as apples and plums
Special features: The name admiral is a corruption of the word admirable which refers to its admirable bright colours.
Most red admirals seen in the UK arrive here in the spring after flying north from Southern Europe. Although some successfully hibernate here throughout the winter, many do not survive the cold weather.
The May arrivals lay their eggs singly, on the upper surface of stinging nettle leaves. By the middle of summer a whole new generation of red admirals will be on the wing. From the middle of summer they begin moving south, and in autumn many cross the channel to Europe.
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