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I've had between 1 and 4 red admirals every day this month until today when I drew a blank.

One red admiral today. As with the last few I've seen, it was not far from late flowering ivy.

Saw three at the weekend, including - wait for the drum roll - one with white spots on the red bands. That's my first and only, since I've started looking. If the statistics of smallish numbers can be relied upon, this variation seems to be well below 10% of the population locally (1 in 34 to be exact).

Simon C

On my regular commute from Shrewsbury to Leeds at luchtime today, in beautiful crisp autumn weather I saw a Red Admiral fly past my windscreen.

I then stopped at Prees Heath to check out the conservation work of the West Midland Branch this year. Wow! What a transformation!! I've visited the site once or twice to see the Silver-studded blues in previous years and it is now unrecognisable. It was once scattered with rubbish, the result of fly-tipping, but is now almost immaculate.Well done guys.... oh yeah, and I saw a Brimstone while I was there.

This one kept me company whilst tidying the garden on Saturday. I've got an awful feeling it could be the last butterfly photo of the year.

Incidentally, I have found this shrub (Choysia Ternata Sundance) attracts several butterfly species: red admiral, tortoiseshell, small and large white, brimstone, comma, gatekeeper, meadow brown and small copper all seem to enjoy sitting on it and basking, but they don't appear to feed at the flowers. It is regularly used early and late in the season - the yellow leaves are quite the brightest thing in the garden then. The shrub has a peculiar smell also - not quite sure if I like it, actually - which might attract the butterflies.

Simon C

My father found a holly blue in Woodbridge, Suffolk, yesterday, 16th November. I presume this is a third brood, since the second brood already looks a little weary when I visit Suffolk at the end of August.

Guy

I spotted a red admiral flying over a garden towards the sun just after midday today, east of Bristol.

Also a red admiral heading west out of Bath, around 11ish.

Unlikely to be the same one seen by eccles, unless it really got a move on.

Simon C

We emailed this Sussex sighting for Sunday 19 November 2006: A very washed out Painted Lady sunning itself on a grave in Church Norton Churchyard. Also 3 Red Admirals in the location. (Chris and Juliet Moore)

Whilst Red Admirals have been seen since, has anyone seen a later Painted Lady?

Hey Chris and Juliet! Since you're in Horsham, you might know me! I'm the bloke who sits and sings in the town every other Saturday (I kid you not).

No Painted Ladies, but I did see a red admiral in Newhaven allotments on Sunday 26th November along with a Harlequin Ladybird. Actually my daughter found the ladybird (she's 5) and offered it some aphids which were feeding on weed roots. The ladybird ignored them.

Danny

I'm intrigued.

Is this before or after closing time?

Simon C

Had a flying Red Admiral in the garden yesterday, looked in quite good nick as well.

I saw a Red Admiral two days ago, in good condition also.

I was unduly pessimistic in my previous posting on 14th Nov. On Dec 2nd this peacock was sunbathing on the front wall and feeding from a hebe that still has many purple flowers on it. The sun was strong enough to cast shadows, but it was surprisingly cold for a butterfly to be in flight.

Simon C

Still a few Red Admirals about - two near Camerton, Somerset, on Sunday 3rd (also a queen bumblebee!)

Not sure if it's a late autumn or an early spring, but it doesn't have much of a wintery feel yet.

Red Admiral, in good condition, at the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust reserve today.

My mother claims that a Painted Lady added a bit of interest to an otherwise boring concert at St Chads in Shrewsbury last Saturday. It drifted down from the cloisters apparently and fluttered around the windows for a while before ascending back up to the roof.

She's also removed a peacock and a small tortoiseshell from the house this week.

I've been following these late sightings with interest and although it's not strictly UK I thought you might be interested too in what's happening here in Switzerland, as confirmation that this is an exceptional (= psycho) year. This wall brown was flying happily on 15th December near Martigny (at c.550m altitude) and there were two clouded yellows at the same site.
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I didn't chase it for a better picture because I figured it only had a few hours to enjoy its day - the shadow of the mountains reached its bit of hot rock by 3.25pm. To the best of my knowledge, walls don't emerge in winter in Switzerland at all - though Lafranchis (2000 - the French guide) mentions they emerge exceptionally in the Midi region of France in mid-winter.

Red Admiral seen on Sunday around midday, as we went to collect a Christmas tree from the local farmer in Weston, west Bath.

Simon C