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The Red Admiral butterfly


The Red Admiral butterfly
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Paassen (Gert-Paassen) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1172 W: 2 N: 4398] (13360)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-09-14
Categories: Insects
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/400 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-05-20 10:53
Viewed: 943
Points: 36
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Dutch]
Latin name = Vanessa atalanta

Geographic Range
The range of Red Admirals extends from northern Canada, throughout the United States, through Mexico, and as far south as Guatemala. This butterfly is also found in Hawaii, Europe, Northern Africa, New Zealand, and in Asia as far east as Iran.
Habitat
Red Admirals tend to be found in moist environments such as marshes, woods, fields, and yards. These butterflies cannot stand extreme winter cold and are forced to migrate southward during the winter months to warmer climates. During this migration they can be found in habitats ranging from subtropics to tundras. The caterpillar lives upon willows, poplars, and elms. Immature caterpillars tend to live amongst the leaves of these trees, while more mature caterpillars will construct a nest of leaves and silk.

Physical Description
The characteristic coloration of the Red Admiral Butterfly is a black hindwing with a red-orange marginal band; the dorsal forewing is also black with white markings near the apex. The wing span of the Red Admiral ranges between 1.75 and 3 inches. These butterflies tend to have a brighter coloration and a larger body mass during the summer months than during the winter. The legs and eyes of the Red Admiral tend to be hairy and the head is moderately large.

A mature caterpillar of the larvae stage is cyndrical in shape and has branching spines arranged in rows lengthwise.

Reproduction
Male Red Admirals are territorial butterflies that patrol their areas in order to find female mates. The males typically perch upon sunlit spots, in the mid-afternoon, to wait for females to fly by. Once fertilized, female Red Admirals will lay their eggs on the upper surface of host plant leaves. The majority of Red Admiral butterflies are double-brooded (two generations grow a year); however, in Canada and the northern part of the United States they are single-brooded (one generation a year), and in the southern United States they are triple-brooded (three generations a year).
The general life cycle of the Red Admiral butterfly goes from an egg, to a caterpillar (pupate in a chrysalis), that emerges as an adult. The adult then mates, oviposits, and starts the cycle again.

Behavior
Red Admirals are considered to be people-friendly butterflies that will approach and perch on human beings. In regard to other butterflies of their species, however, the male butterflies are known to be territorial in order to find a mate. Male Red Admirals generally claim an elliptically shaped area ranging between 4-13 m wide and 8-24 m long. To protect this area, the males will patrol their territorial boundaries up to thirty times an hour. If an intruder enters their area, they attempt to drive them away by out-flying and out-maneuvering the intruding butterfly.
Red Admirals tend to be fidgety and swift insects that rapidly change direction throughout the course of their flight. The species appears to be most active throughout the spring and fall months, its flight time lasts from March until November. Adult Red Admirals will hibernate throughout the winter months.

Food Habits
Mature Red Admirals tend to feed on fermenting fruits, bird droppings, and sap from trees. Adult Red Admirals are fond of nectaring at composite flowers, such as milkweed, aster, and alfalfa. The food sources for the larva include nettles from the genus Urtica, pellitory from the genus Parietoria, and hops from the genus Humulus.
gracious, ellis49, boreocypriensis, viv, nglen, Juyona, pekkavalo1, CeltickRanger, crs, smitha, mariki, Jamesp, JPlumb has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To pvs: bedankt,Gert-Paassen 1 05-20 11:18
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • pvs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1168 W: 261 N: 3035] (13835)
  • [2008-05-20 11:02]
  • [+]

Ha Gert,

Een fraaie opname van deze gekleurde admiraal,goede detail enn focus,ik had misschien zelf eerder gekozen voor een ietwat diagonaler crop,maar verders ziet het er pico bello uit,groetjes

Paul

Hello Gert,
Very nice to see your beautiful posting of Butterfly!
excellent captured on this Red Admiral with a top view and the image is sharp with good colour and very details in it
well done indeed
cheers
Tony

Hi Gert, (Great Name)
I'm waiting for this beautiful butterfly, sometimes they
can be very early up here, like last year.
This is a lovley picture with nice colours, good sharp details
and fine DOF.
Well done.

  • Great 
  • Amadeo Gold Star Critiquer [C: 211 W: 0 N: 755] (3323)
  • [2008-05-20 12:01]

Hola Gert, buena fotografia, con buena definición, luz y un color natural. Un saludo

  • Great 
  • viv Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 3 N: 653] (3307)
  • [2008-05-20 12:46]

HaLlo Gert,

Een prachtig plaatje van een prachtige vlinder,
Mooie kleuren en heel vee+ details.

Groetjes
Vivian

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2860 W: 34 N: 8481] (31692)
  • [2008-05-20 12:58]

Hi Gert. This is an impressive close up of the colourful butterfly. You have captured good detail and natural colours. a nice POV/DOF. well done TFS. with very good notes too.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2252 W: 10 N: 2594] (15451)
  • [2008-05-20 15:11]

Hola Gert,
excelente macro,
detalles y buen pov,
colores y hermosos tonos.
saludos

Hi Gert,

Great capture of this Red Admiral. Nice pose and composition, sharp details and great colours.

TFS

Pekka

hello Gert

excellent shot of this butterfly with the POV the subject from above
showing the beautiful textures of the subject,
excellent luminosity of the image, with great sharpness and details, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 524 W: 0 N: 920] (3543)
  • [2008-05-20 20:45]

Hi Gert,

I think your photo brings a new element in this tipe of photos. Most of the photographers are tempted to enhace the colors of this beautifull butterfly. I find very interesting your way of using a soft light and underline more the fine details of insects body then wings colors. In this way you made visible even the fin hair on insects body as well as the flower beneth.

Congratulations,
Cristian

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16520)
  • [2008-05-20 23:23]

Hi Gert

An excellent composition - the Red Admiral is well palced in the frame and you have captured it perfectly.

James

  • Great 
  • JPlumb Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 637 W: 166 N: 889] (2882)
  • [2008-05-20 23:44]

Hello Gert, incredible macro of this Red Admiral. The detail is very sharp, and very accurate, with excellent colour. The depth of field you selected really shows him off well. I might have cropped off about half an inch on the right and cloned out the small green branch by his left wing, but that is very minor. This is really excellent work.

Thanks, John

Hi Gert, splendid vanessa with fantastic colors, great details and splendid sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

Hi Gert, wonderful macro capture of this beauty my friend! TFS.
Cheers,
Bayram

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2399 W: 63 N: 4206] (13770)
  • [2008-05-21 0:37]

Hi Gert,
Patterns and details on the wings, focus, sharpness, background and POV are very nice. TFS
Best wishes,
Selen

Hi Gert

Great shot of this beauty

I lik ethe POV.
Good sharpness and DOF.
Good composition.

Chris

Hello Gert,

Superb picture of this red admiral. Excellent composition and sharpness. Good exposure and natural colours.
Cheers,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-05-22 19:46]

Hello Gert
A very good pov for this beautiful open wing red admiral.
The details are sharp with lovely textures.
Excellent focus.
Well composed in the frame.
TFS
Rob

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