White-spotted Red Admirals

[peterc]

I have seen one or two Red Admirals lately which have a white spot on the red bands on the forewings. Is this a common aberrant?

Peter

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Peter,

That particular aberration is ab. bialbata, which is the most common one encountered in this species.

Red Admiral (ab. bialbata) - Caterham, Surrey 20-July-2011

However, it's all relative and you can only expect to see two or three a year if you're lucky .

Vince

[peterc]

Thank you Vince.

Yes that's the aberration. Red Admirals more common this year around Stevenage - where usually I might see just the odd one or two on a single visit I have seen 5+.

Peter