Red Admiral - Favourite Photo of 2024

[Wurzel]

Red Admiral - Favourite Photo of 2024

Week 14

Hopefully the New Year is treating everyone well but am I the only one wishing that the start of the season would hurry up?

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Bertl]

Red Admiral were abundant in my Aberdeen garden during the whole of August. I just love sitting in my garden watching these beauties glide from one buddleia bush to the next.

Bert.

[David Lazarus]

I found Red Admiral a lot more difficult to photograph during 2024 for some reason. With less subjects to snap at, I did not have a large collection to select from but this one taken at Hawkesbury Bush was my favourite. A good-looking butterfly in a nice pose nectaring on some over-ripe blackberries in September:

Red Admiral
Hawkesbury Bush 13/09/2024

[bugboy]

A couple of late season shots from Essex make the grade this year

[David M]

Mine was an easy choice. Not because the butterfly was particularly special, but the date it was seen was - 5th January:

[Vince Massimo]

Two very different favourites from me. The first is a first-instar larva that had just emerged from a rescued egg on 14th January.

Red Admiral larva - Crawley, Sussex 14-Jan-2024

I also managed to get 10 adults in one shot at a local hot spot in Tilgate Park. There were around 15 around me at the time, which is a record number in one spot for me in February.

Ten Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 16-Feb-2024

Vince

[Neil Freeman]

I also managed to get 10 adults in one shot at a local hot spot in Tilgate Park. There were around 15 around me at the time, which is a record number in one spot for me in February.

That is more than I saw all year around my local patch here in Solihull.

Although Red Admiral had a poor year for me locally, I did see a few more whilst travelling a bit further afield around the midlands with one or two showing up at most places I went to, especially woodland sites.
They also appeared to do much better further south with numbers no doubt bolstered by further migrants later in the year. The higest numbers that I saw were on The Lizard in early August where they could be seen all along the lanes around our B&B, especially on the numerous buddeias growing out of the hedgerows and in gardens, including at our B&B where we would see them on most days.

Red Admiral - The Lizard 05.08.2024

Red admirals on the buddleia in the garden of our B&B.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Red Admiral

I left it until quite late to select my Favourite Red Admiral despite it being the first species that I saw in 2024 and also despite it being one of the most frequently seen; not total number wise but with at least one form a lot of trips. This one actually came on a trip to Waitrose on the return leg and so was the reward for lugging my camera the whole way there and most of the way back. But I chose it primarily as it as I liked the more angular appearance it had from the slightly different angle at which it was taken.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Last year was good year for the Red Admiral around here, I saw my first in Castle park on the 13th of April and many more after that
in the woods in my garden and at Reculver Goldie

[Allan.W.]

Always try to rear one or two Red Admiral most seasons. They done pretty well locally in 24, ......last seen on November 17th.