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Meadow and hedgerow · Butterflies and moths
Red admiral
Vanessa atalanta
A black butterfly with a bright red band across each wing and white spots near the tips.
- Size
- Wingspan about 7cm
- Look for it
- April to October
- Where
- Gardens, orchards, parks and woodland edges
My spotter's list
Glides after you in strong, fast swoops. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the red admiral
TravelA summer visitor
Most of our red admirals fly here from southern Europe and North Africa each spring.
NameOnce the red admirable
The old name was red admirable, which wore down over the years to admiral.
FruitA taste for rotten fruit
In autumn it sucks the juice from fallen apples and plums, and can seem a little drunk.
SouthSome fly back
In autumn many head south again, and radar has picked them up flying high over the Channel.
YoungA tent of nettle leaf
Each caterpillar lives alone, in a nettle leaf it has folded over and tied shut with silk.
LateStill flying in November
It is often the last butterfly of the year, feeding on ivy flowers on sunny days.
The real thing
Photos of the red admiral
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot one
Look on ivy flowers and windfall fruit in September and October. It often lands on a sunny wall or path with its wings spread.
Lend a handHow to help
Leave a few windfall apples on the ground in autumn. Red admirals, and blackbirds, will thank you.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
The garden
Meadow and hedgerow
Pond and stream bugs live on their own page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond and stream
The log pile
After dark
Bugs from other parts of the world live on their own pages: choose another.
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