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Red Admiral - Favourite Photo of 2021

Week 14

As I post this some people might have already photographed their ‘Favourite Red Admiral 2022’ – and we could be only about 6 weeks away from the proper start to the season!

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 and stay safe

Wurzel

Didn’t see my first red admiral of 2021 till 1st August. They were in fair abundance throughout August and early September. All photos taken in my Aberdeen garden.

I took my photos of the Red Admiral in my Daughters garden in Kent on the 9th Of July, I really like these shots because of the Roses Goldie

A trio in Essex from not so long ago, memories of around 50 flying around and feasting on the Ivy flowers along a short stretch of path.

Red Admirals had an exceptional year locally in 2021 ,particularly in the Orlestone Forest especially the late
summer brood ,on one clump of Hemp Agrimony ,about the size of a saucer were 6 Red Admirals ,2 Peacock and a Small Tortoiseshell .
my picture shows 3 ....................a split second before i clicked the shutter there were 5 . In 2020 ,while working in the in-laws garden ,i potted up a small nettle plant ,and put it in a position ...........out of the way ..............it thrived ,and in 2021 was a very healthy sturdy plant ,one afternoon when we were visiting ,i noticed a female Red Ad; showing interest ..and eventually she laid several eggs .Having never reared Red Admirals before ,i took the plant home and eventually 6 caterpillars emerged ,of which 5 made it all the way to adults ...................Heres a,final instar larvae. Regards Allan.W.

This is an image of ab. bialbata, which has a white spot in the red band of each forewing. By a complete fluke I managed to catch the white spot on the upperside and underside at the same time.
Vince

Red admirals had a rather poor year around here, as they also did around the rest of Warwickshire according to Mike Slaters analysis of reported sightings last year.

I did not see my first one until our trip down to Dorset in June during which they would appear in small numbers on most days.

Later in the year they appeared in larger numbers during our trip to see our daughter Sarah at her new house near Portsmouth when we would see more each day than we had seen altogether up until then.

A few more appeared back home through September but by the end of that month they had all disappeared, presumably heading back south where I continued to see good numbers being reported from some areas.
Cheers,

Neil.

I saw Red Admiral in every month from March to November and they were certainly the most numerous species I encountered in the autumn when the ivy and overripe fruit was very popular. I particularly like the intricate underside patterns are and have selected two photographs that show this.

Love that crisp image of the Red Admiral on the fruit, Wolfson. It clearly shows the cryptic markings on the hindwing underside, as well as that striking flash of blue on the upperwing.

Red Admiral

I took this shot during a lunch break at work back in September. When I was growing up my favourite book was ‘Trouble for the Trumpets’ and the images in the book were stunning but with loads of hidden little details, secret messages little bits of silliness like a tree with a chain saw cutting a neighbouring trees bough or a noughts and crosses game etched into the grass. This was my favourite shot as looking at the intricate patterning and trying and make out shapes or images I was taken back to those days sitting staring at that Peter Cross book. I can see a row of hearts along the hind wing, on the fore wing a little Owl is staring back at me and I know that this is Red Admiral number ‘689’.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

This individual feasting on ivy on the Gower coast on 14th September caught the light beautifully, showing off the metallic blue on the undersides:

Having seen rather a lot of this species locally, more especially during the last part of the season when they comprised the majority of sightings here, it is impossible to single out a real favourite. However, because it was the final sighting of 2021 and in December to boot, this one does stick in the memory, particularly as she is caught here in the process of laying an egg. Cheers,

Dave