Red Admiral

Scientific Name - Vanessa atalanta

Flight Period - All year

Overwinters as - Migratory although increasingly overwintering as an adult

Habitat - Gardens, Parks, Grasslands, Woodlands

Larval foodplants - Common Nettle, Hop

Conservation status - Low priority

Northamptonshire distribution - Widespread

Best public sites to see them - Anywhere with suitable habitat

The Red Admiral is a common and widespread butterfly in Northamptonshire. Although they are chiefly a migrant in recent years they have attempted to overwinter, as such it is one of the few butterflies that can be recorded in every month of the year. As with all migrants, their abundance can fluctuate quite dramatically each year but occasionally we can see bumper migrations such as in 2023 when they were recorded in large numbers all over the county. One of the best times of the year to admire these colourful butterflies is in the autumn as they busily feed on fallen fruit and flowering Ivy.

Red Admiral Distribution 2018 - 2022

Red Admiral upperwing

Red Admiral underwing

Red Admiral egg

Autumnal fruits provide an important food source for many of our butterflies including the Red Admiral