Female Red Admiral

Chocky · Post by **Chocky** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:46 pm

I wonder if any one can tell me what this red Admiral is doing with her front leg. This happened in a split second and I have caught it on camera. The frame before has the same time and the leg is perfectly still and resting slightly back on the flower

David M · Post by **David M** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:06 pm

Don't know for sure, but I read somewhere that butterflies smell with their feet, so it may have an olfactory twist to it.

Chocky · Post by **Chocky** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:55 pm

Thanks for looking.
I do have a video of one of these twisting and turning it's antennae like as if it is cleaning them . Most strange

Wildmoreway · Post by **Wildmoreway** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:37 am

Interesting, I have seen flies and other insects doing the same thing.

Chocky · Post by **Chocky** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:57 pm

Thanks for looking.
Like I said I have seen these butterflies twiddling their antenna in one of my videos but that twirling is as you say interesting and as David M says they do smell & taste sugar with their feet . Perhaps she thought this tasted bad

Wildmoreway · Post by **Wildmoreway** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:17 pm

This was the fly doing a similar trick

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13372714@N ... otostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13372714@N ... otostream/

Chocky · Post by **Chocky** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:22 pm

Lol. Insect have a funny side to them . I had to chuckle at those two. TFS.

Wildmoreway · Post by **Wildmoreway** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:31 pm

It was doing it about five minutes if I remember correctly. It almost reminds me of one of the conductors of the local brass band

Susie · Post by **Susie** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:41 pm

Chocky wrote:I wonder if any one can tell me what this red Admiral is doing with her front leg. This happened in a split second and I have caught it on camera. The frame before has the same time and the leg is perfectly still and resting slightly back on the flower

The hokey cokey.

Chocky · Post by **Chocky** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:42 pm

Not so sure about that but here is a video of a Red Admiral doing the most peculiar things with his antennae as if he is cleaning them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In3lPMg4njI[/video]

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:25 pm

I've seen something similar when a bit of spider silk has got caught on a leg and the butterfly has tried to shake it off.

Dave

Chocky · Post by **Chocky** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 6:02 pm

Yes, You could be right Dave. I did wonder as there are some spider like web strands floating about.

Philzoid · Post by **Philzoid** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:49 pm

Chocky wrote:Not so sure about that but here is a video of a Red Admiral doing the most peculiar things with his antennae as if he is cleaning them

I had a look with the clip on full size and I think he might be cleaning his mouthparts or eyes rather than antennae?

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