Old Admirals

It's the time of year when the last of the flyers make the most of the sunshine and late nectories. Battered and worn.

It was once thought that Red Admirals hibernated, people found them in sheds and garages and thought they were asleep. No, they had blundered into the space and got stuck and died. In reality Vanessa lives on getting more and more ragged, sleeping in shelter in inclement weather until Spring, unless they die, obviously.

Fox, F. & Dennis, L. H. (2010) ” Winter survival of Vanessa atalanta: a new resident butterfly for Britain and Ireland?  Entomologist’s Gazette 61: 94-103