This spring the first butterfly I saw was the Mourning Cloak, but normally I see the Red Admiral first. One was enjoying the sunshine after some cold cloudy days, but the Red Admiral today looked more orange than red after a long winter. I’ll have to look for other ones to see if they are red like during the summer or pale orange.
Red Admiral Not Red
I still saw a butterfly yesterday enjoying the warm fall day but it must not have heard about the cold weather coming otherwise it would have been flying south in a hurry.
Red Admiral Hanging Around
The first butterflies returned two weeks ago, but they haven’t been able to bask in the sun with the recent rainy days. Red admirals are very territorial and the females will only mate with males with superior flight abilities who can hold territory. Females select males with those traits that will increase the mating success of their offspring.
Return of the Red Admirals
New butterflies are emerging but this Red Admiral has seen some days with damaged wings and looks a bit faded out as it suns itself in the last light of the day.
Old Butterfly
It seemed like the butterflies and bees heard the prediction of a rainy week and they were busy enjoying the warm sunshine on this last day of September. Although the smaller wingspan, of about 2 inches, makes it small compared to the swallowtail butterflies, the bright reddish orange color against the black makes the Red Admiral stand out on the flower blossoms.
Red Admiral in September
The rain which is melting the snow is creating some dense fog so no sunshine to be found. And even if it is above freezing, there are no flowers or butterflies to be found in January around here unless inside.
Red Admiral on Wild Bergamot
The butterflies return in the spring like the wildflowers and the summer birds. The several Red Admiral have returned and some of them have rested on my pant legs. I’m not if they think they will be safe from the cats or if it is the extra body heat from me as the sun goes down.
Return of the Red Admiral
Like some of the birds, this Red Admiral butterfly heads south for the winter, something that I think a lot of people in the north would like to do after another day with wind chill advisories. The Red Admiral spends the winter in southern Texas instead of the frozen states like Wisconsin. And while butterflies are often thought to be simple and carefree, some butterflies like the Red Admiral are very territorial and defend their area with patrolling flights and complex interactions in flight with intruders of their own species. Too bad the butterfly can’t chase winter away!
Not So Carefree Butterfly
The fall blooming flowers are attracting various insects including this Red Admiral butterfly. And although friendly to humans and may perch on your shoulder, the males Red Admirals are very aggressive defending his territory and his mate and will scout out his ‘turf’ up to thirty times per hour to get rid of other males.
When the Red Admiral folds its wings up, the underside almost looks like a moldy leaf and provides excellent camouflage. Its habitat preferences vary widely, from clearings in woods to vacant lots in downtown areas. An avid flower visitor, it is regularly seen in gardens.
Red Admiral
