Bradford Urban Wildlife Group
Bradford Urban Wildlife Group
recording, observing and protecting Bradford wildlife & habitats
The year 2017 started badly for butterflies, but one species - the Red Admiral -Vanessa atalanta appeared in good numbers through the autumn months.
On September 12th 20 – 30 Red Admirals were seen on the ground in Trench Meadows looking as if freshly emerged. Some appeared smaller than normal.
On 19th September a Comma butterfly was seen feeding on a blackberry - part of a bramble hedge in Shipley station.
On the 20 September 10 Red Admirals along with several Peacocks, Commas & 3 Small Coppers were recorded in Trench Meadows.
On the 6 October up to 12 Red Admirals were seen on an ivy hedge at St Paul’s Church, Shipley.
Locally such numbers are rare so late in the year.
Most butterflies spend winters as:
eggs - Hairstreaks
caterpillars - Small Coppers, most Nymphalidae
chrysalis - Whites
migrants - Painted Lady, Clouded Yellow
Very few butterflies spend the winter as adults
Some that do include:
Peacock
- Inachis io
Brimstone
- Gonepteryx rahmni
Comma
- Polygonia c-album
Small Tortoiseshell
- Aglais urticae
Weather permitting the Red Admiral population peaks in autumn, most then migrating to southern Europe, but many individuals survive through mild winters.
They are noted by the National Recording Scheme mating and egg-laying throughout the winter.
Whether the Red Admiral is a resident species, able to maintain a population without “topping up” by migrants is still subject to debate.
References
The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland: J Thomas & R Lewington, British Wildlife Publishing , 2010
Winter survival of Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): a new resident butterfly for Britain and Ireland? :R Fox & R H L Dennis 2010 Entomologist’s Gazette 61: 94–103