Red Admiral Butterfly
Vanessa atalanta
This record describes Vanessa atalanta (species). Recorded family: Nymphalidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
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Terms from the source record, grouped for readability. Broad terms such as size or location are not measurements or a confirmed range.
Wikipedia reference for Vanessa atalanta: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa atalanta.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Papilionoidea
- Family
- Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
- Subfamily
- Nymphalinae
- Tribe
- Nymphalini
- Genus
- Vanessa (Ladies and Related Admirals)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Habitat
This butterfly can be found almost anywhere, from the seashore and town gardens, to the tops of the highest mountains.
Seasonal Activity
Adults may be seen throughout the year but there is build up in May and June as migrants arrive from the Continent to boost UK numbers.
Diet and Behavior
Life History
Migrant visitors breed and give rise to the next generation of adults with a peak of emergence between mid-August and early October. There is a single brood each year. The main larval foodplant is Common Nettle (
Additional species information
Recorded status
This is a widespread species and can be found anywhere in the British Isles, including The Orkneys and Shetland.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Vanessa atalanta. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Red Admiral Butterfly (10)
Photo credits: (c) Petr Harant, some rights reserved (CC BY). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/404502259. Original downloaded bytes; proportional display only
Frequently Asked Questions About Red Admiral Butterfly
How big is Red Admiral Butterfly?
40mm to 75mm (1.57" to 2.95")
Where is Red Admiral Butterfly found?
Habitat: This butterfly can be found almost anywhere, from the seashore and town gardens, to the tops of the highest mountains.
When is Red Admiral Butterfly active?
Red Admiral Butterfly: seasonal activity - Adults may be seen throughout the year but there is build up in May and June as migrants arrive from the Continent to boost UK numbers..
What is the life cycle of a Red Admiral Butterfly?
Migrant visitors breed and give rise to the next generation of adults with a peak of emergence between mid-August and early October. There is a single brood each year. The main larval foodplant is Common Nettle (