Fauna - Red Admiral

The Red Admiral is a butterfly from the Nymphalidae family (the brush-footed butterflies). Its wingspan ranges from 4.5 to 6.3 cm. Its forewings are velvety and marked with black, red and white stripes. The back wings bear a red edge and black and dark blue spots. The underside of the wings is very colourful, with complicated patterns. This butterfly prefers humid habitats. It is known to land on calm and patient observers.

The Red Admiral falls into the category of migratory butterflies, and as such is very widely distributed and common. Its flight is fast, with much wandering. It has been seen to fly at night, and even at temperatures below freezing. It feeds on flowers nectar, but will also land on rotting fruit and bird droppings. Its primarily home is northern Africa and southern Europe, but is also distributed throughout America, the Caribbean and Asia. It is known to fly as far north as central Europe, and has even been seen at altitudes over 2000 meters. It winters as a butterfly in the southern regions. Its caterpillar has yellow side stripes and yellow and black spines, and is 4 cm in length. The caterpillar has been found encased in silky threads in the rolled nettle leaves.