My Pet Red Admiral Has Left Me After Four Months

[bluenosem]

I had a red admiral living in the corner of my bedroom wall for four months, it didn't move unless I shook my duvet to flutter it's wings. Two days ago it disappeared and I cannot find it anywhere in my apartment, has it flown out of the window, assuming it can remember the route or sense the air current or has it hidden itself in a pocket somewhere. So the question is where has it gone, what happens to it after all this time living in my bedroom and is it going to lay loads of lava somewhere in my apartment?

[Martin]

Where do you live, and what has the weather been like there?

[eccles]

Somewhere volcanic?

[Pete Eeles]

Plenty of ash trees

Cheers,

- Pete

[eccles]

We'd better put the poster out of his/her misery.
Red admiral larvae feed mainly on nettle so that is usually where an adult female will lay her eggs. So unless you have nettle, or other plants (woooh man...), in your apartment it won't have laid lots of eggs there.
I don't know how long red admirals live but four months without nectar seems a very long time, so be prepared for the worst...
If you get another, I would wait for a sunny day then gently eject it as they need nectar to survive and also other butterflies to mate with.

[Pete Eeles]

If you had a window open, I suspect the critter has warmed up inside the house sufficiently, so that it is now able to fly and has "done a runner". In general, though, Red Admirals don't successfully overwinter (although climate change is having an effect) - but your critter might be lucky.

Anyway - should it reappear - I'd suggest that the kindest thing you could do is to release it outside on the next sunny day and let nature take its course.

Cheers,

- Pete

[bluenosem]

Thank you all for the replies, I will miss my little friend. Great site by the way