Red Admiral - Favourite Photo 2019

[Wurzel]

Red Admiral - Favourite Photo 2019

Week 14

The end of the Faves is now in sight so it might pay to start thinking about your overall Fave shot from 2019 (if you haven’t already done so). Not long now – possibly only 5/6 weeks until the hibernators start flying in earnest? Saying that I saw my first butterfly today – a Red Admiral!

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

[bugboy]

They started off slowly last year and didn't really get going until late summer. Here's an underwing shot from October because, well, you'd be hard pushed to find a better looking butterfly anywhere than a fresh Red Admiral underside!

[Goldie M]

I took my photos in the front / and back Garden on the 13th /19th Sept, the Admiral was around until the end of October and liked to land on the Roses quite a lot Goldie

[Vince Massimo]

I spent a few days in September moving over 50 Red Admiral larval tents from a nettle bed that I knew was going to be cut. One of the larvae was particularly colourful and became my favourite of the year.

Red Admiral larva 5th instar - Lancing, Sussex 6-Sept-2019

The following weekend all the nettles had been cut.

Vince

[David M]

It's a strange old year when Painted Ladies outnumber Red Admirals, but that was the way of things round my way in 2019.

Red Admirals picked up in numbers towards the end of summer and into early autumn. This one was taken in Pembrokeshire on 8th September:

[Neil Freeman]

Never a spring species for me...at least not yet but maybe someday soon as I have seen a few early examples reported from around the midlands in the past couple of years.
My first ones in 2019 were seen down in the Heddon Valley in late June when I saw a dozen or so during the couple of days we spent there. Thereafter they showed up fairly regularly during the rest of the summer and into Autumn with the last one being seen in my garden in early October which turned out to be one of my last two butterflies of 2019, along with a faded male Speckled Wood.

One from the Lizard in early August which reminds me of a cracking few days down there.

Red Admiral - The Lizard 06.08.2019.

And a couple of shots of the last one of the year.

Red Admiral - Coverdale 06.10.2019

Red Admiral - Coverdale 06.10.2019

Cheers,

Neil

[Wurzel]

Red Admiral

I had numerous encounters with this species this year and so choosing my Fave was a bit tricky although it meant a happy hour trawling through my posts on my hard drive. In the end I went for this one which came in the tail end of the season. It’s my favourite because for a few days I’d seen a few butterflies outside in the Quad at work but they were always flying while I was working and never at the start or end of the day or when I was on a break. This shot was achieved therefore by using almost ninja speed stealth skills – in short I nipped out once it had settled, got my shots and was back at work before anyone noticed…

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Very tricky to pick a favourite here, particularly as they did pretty well in 2019 locally, certainly better than 2018. They come into their own on my local patch in October, dominating the ivy and outnumbering every other species around. They are also more approachable and allow for the odd close-up shot.

Dave

[David M]

Love the detail, Dave.