Red Admiral
The red admiral is one of the most striking of all British butterflies and, though it isn’t immediately obvious, its beauty is reflected in its name; the name 'red admiral' being a corruption of the original 18th-century name 'red admirable'. The combination of its black velvety wings, contrasting with stunning orange lines and white spots makes it one of our most easily identified species. You can often find this lovely butterfly on the sea holly near the greenhouse.
To call red admirals British is probably a slight misinterpretation since most individuals will have come from the continent. This is a strong migrant species which, every year, returns to us from the Mediterranean region.
The first to reach us arrive in March and they seek out nettles on which to lay eggs. During the summer the eggs hatch and the caterpillars develop so that by August we should have our own crop of adult red admirals.