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Red Admiral - Favourite Photo of 2022

Week 14
Sorry for the late posting again this week...the joys of a new TV; it's a SMART TV and so smart it's taken 2 hours to set up Anyway...

Another week passes and we get one step closer to the start of the season proper! To be honest I can’t wait this year as recently it has been very dreary and miserable for what feels like an age now!

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

Never seen any Red Admirals till end of July into August. The buddleia in my Aberdeen garden was their favourite spot. All photos taken in my garden apart from one taken at Logie Steading end of September.

I saw most of the Red Admirals last year in Castle park Tankerton , the first two shots were taken there on the 19th June, they enjoyed the shade of the tree's and and bush's there because of the heat, I also took a shot in May in my Daughter's garden on the Boules Mauve again Goldie

One individual definitely comes straight to mind from 2022 - the only butterfly I've ever seen in January, which appeared on 29th of the month.It did mean that this species' season lasted near enough ten months, with the last one flying on 25th November.The latter individual was seen on more than one day in November, busily laying eggs along a strip of sheltered low-growing nettles. I am still following the slow progress of the resulting caterpillars even now...

It was perhaps noteworthy that on 18th of the month I managed to photograph three out of four life stages of this species - I have still yet to find a wild Red Admiral chrysalis. Dave

This freshly minted one in the middle of November helped to extend my season

Lots to choose from this year but I particularly like this Red Admiral underside shot feeding on cotoneaster in our butterfly garden in May.

Red Admirals seemed to have a reasonable summer, turning up at most places that I visited, but were notably absent around my patch later in the year.
Cheers,

Neil.

This time last year I monitored Red Admiral early stages at my local hot-spot in Ifield Meadows, Crawley. For some reason there is usually one leaf which is favoured above all others and has numerous eggs.
There are 6 eggs here, 5 of which gradually hatched over the next 4 weeks.

Vince

Red Admiral

The Carter Clan went on a family holiday to North Wales in mid-August in 2022. I took my camera and delighted myself in enjoying the more common butterflies and seeing what dropped in unexpectedly. I’d often take my camera and have a quick look around the fields and grounds and fields of the property we were staying in and the trip actually through up quite a few of my Faves for the year and this one was one of them. The girls (my wife included) would often play Pool in the games shack after breakfast and before we headed out for the day. On this particular morning the sun was shining and as I started my rounds a Red Admiral dropped down to feed on the sparse Buddleia that grew on the corner of the Games Shack. Whilst the chuckles and laughs rang out from within the shack the sun warmed my back without and refracted pleasingly off the chocolate black of the butterfly giving it a glistening inky appearance gloriously. I remember giving a hugely contented sigh and I took a few shots capturing the moment forever both on the memory card and also in my memory. Hence its selection as my fave for this species.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Always impossible to resist photographing a Red Admiral, and I did so many times in 2022, with this one from the National Botanic Garden of Wales on 17th September being my favourite:

Trent Bridge, Nottingham August 17th 2022
A visit to Nottingham to watch cricket, with a walk along by the river, Trent Bridge, Nottingham before the cricket started.
The riverbank roughly opposite the Nottingham Forest Football Club, some species such as Birds-foot trefoil and Purple Loosestrife, useful for butterfly life cycles & nectar source.
A small patch of Nettles was growing out of a small space, near a concrete abutment, next to the Trent Bridge.