Red Admiral - Favourite Photo of 2014

[Wurzel]

Week 14

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2014 (or the last time you saw one)!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year 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

[bugboy]

Got this one on Box Hill 13th August. There were a couple of fresh emergents feeding up on this huge patch of Hemp Agrimony who were only too willing to pose for me. Love the intensity of the colours in this pic.

[downland boy]

I didn't photograph this species in 2014 and so my favourite snap is from 2013 when I found this one resting in near perfect natural light conditions.

[MikeOxon]

I always enjoy visiting the National Garden of Wales, not just for the wonderful planting but also for the butterflies making the most of the resources.

National Garden of Wales - 6th September 2014
Lumix FZ200 (fl=108mm) - 1/1600s@f/4.5 ISO160

Mike

[Vince Massimo]

This photo, taken on Christmas day, was one of two December sightings of this species.

Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 25-Dec-2014

Not only was it my latest ever sighting of an active butterfly, but completed a sequence of recording Red Admirals in every month of the year. (This is not over the course of a single year. It has taken me 10 years to get to this stage)

Vince

[Goldie M]

My photo's were taken in my back garden 22nd and 24th Sept, although in the 1st photo the Red Admiral is not quite complete I like the flower and how the Butterfly just flew down in front of me on to the flower when I was hanging out my washing silly I know, but with the weather we've had lately it brings back thoughts of late Summer, Goldie

[David M]

I think my favourite of 2014 was this bizarre juxtaposition in mid-September at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, near Cross Hands:

[William]

Superb photo David! Red Admirals were rather scarce in my parts this year, so a few from a while ago...

Red Admiral

These next ones are all from the same wonderful October day in the garden, I put some rotting apples on a convenient log, safe to say they went down a treat!

Red Admiral

This one was a rather nice pathological aberrant, perhaps one day I'll find the full monty!

Red Admiral

This last one is a real favourite, after a whole day spent enjoying the rotten apples, at about 4 O' clock, all the Red Admirals and Commas gathered on the fence, wings tightly shut. They remained there for some time, with their wings pointed towards the sun (rather like a Green Hairstreak on a hot day), I presume this was the butterfly equivalent of 'sleeping off the booze' or similar, fascinating stuff!

Red Admirals and Comma

[David M]

That last one's a great image, William. You managed to catch them all in a window when they were all enjoying a bit of 'me time'!!

[millerd]

Spoiled for choice here, as I've seen and photographed so many this year - particularly from September until the end of November. These are my favourites... Firstly a couple of sparkling undersides in June (new individuals were emerging constantly from May to November)

Next, another brand new individual enjoying the ripe blackberries on 16th August

To follow, one of October's finest, taken on the 3rd.

Finally, the last one I saw this year (30th November) enjoying the Mahonia and the unexpected strong sunshine.

Dave

[Chris Jackson]

My Red Admiral photo was taken early in the year in Marseilles, France. This individual was the first I saw in 2014 and given the length of its shadow, it will come as no surprise that it was taken on January 3rd.

Chris

[PhilBJohnson]

I love that one David M, it looks like a Red Admiral play area to me ! (I have private messaged you, I hope you don't mind).
I managed to walk some of "the family trail" this last weekend. I had a pair of trainers but the kids need wellies. Unsurfaced bridleways can get very muddy and I don't blame the horses!
Although the incoming migrating Red Admirals can be seen "anywhere" in the woodland, I* think they can be more easily found near to the top of the hill. These pictures were taken on the post under the so called "master tree" for PE's at the Hill Farm Territory. The Red Admirals also use this high area for sparring but in a clearing next to a fallen tree at a lower level to the PE's until they spiral upwards. The best time to see them is in the late afternoon or evening catching the last rays of sunshine after a hot day. Sometimes they have been most active when I wanted to leave the commons.
I have 3 photos (taken earlier in the day), I don't think any are superb or standard but I don't know, which is the best?

1

2

3

In 2014, I had two good selfie opportunities when Red Admirals landed on my T-Shirt. I missed them both. The problem comes when one moves to get the mobile phone in position

[Wurzel]

Red Admiral – Llanachaeron 04-08

Taken back in August it feels like another lifetime ago and yet it is only a few months, I think I’m suffering from SLBD (serious lack of butterflies disorder)!
This was my favourite Red Admiral as I really liked the pose; not your standard ‘pinned/ID guide’ view but something that shows the alert nature of the butterfly.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

I love the group shots by David and William...great stuff

I certainly saw more Red Admirals in 2014 than the previous year with numbers increasing steadily throughout the season. I had a fair few visiting the garden and tried to photograph each one I saw in an attempt to identify individuals. This showed that sometimes, over a given time period, what I initially thought would be one individual hanging around, actually turned out to be two or three different RAs taking turns to visit, almost like a tag team. After a week or so this pattern would be repeated with different individuals again. I find this aspect of taking photos to identify individual butterflies quite fascinating and is something that I have also done for the past few years to identify the resident Speckled Woods in my garden throughout the season.

A couple of shots from my garden,

Red Admiral - Coverdale 26.06.2014

Red Admiral - Coverdale 26.06.2014

Whilst in Dorset in early September I saw Red Admirals in good numbers with many seen coming in off the sea. In 2012 I had seen loads, possibly hundreds, on the heather at Studland, not far from the Knoll Beach car park. I had another look last year and saw good numbers there again, nothing like the numbers that were there in 2012 but still a good few dozen.

Whilst probably a bit to 'busy' for some, I rather like the heather in the background on this shot,

Red Admiral - Studland 04.09.2014

and this one basking on the fence at the car park at Knoll beach,

Red Admiral - Studland 04.09.2014

Cheers,

Neil

[PhilBJohnson]

Don't laugh, this photo isn't "pin sharp" but it was as close as I got to taking a picture of a UK butterfly on the deck with a purple sheen in 2014 so is one of my favourites (I did photograph some Purple Hairstreaks on the ground but didn't really catch the light at the right angle or with their wings open):

Red Admiral with "sheen"

A better quality (sharper) image

22nd June 2014 around lunchtime (taking minerals, avoiding dogs and cyclists).