Red Admiral

Four lovely Red Admirals flitting through and on the Sand Cherry blooms.
What a lovely sight.
Too bad they're on their way north and just transient visitors every spring in Niagara.

"Red Admiral caterpillars feed on nettles (see, they are good for something!). At this time of year, the adults will nectar on any flower they can find such as fruit tree blossoms, dandelions and coltsfoot flowers. They are already busy laying eggs on the nettle; these will hatch and mature for a ‘born in Ontario’ generation of adults later this spring. In Ontario, there may be two or three generations per year. A few Red Admirals have been reported to overwinter in Ontario but the majority of the ones born in August and later migrate south. Unlike Monarch butterflies, there is no single overwintering location known. Every spring, a new population of Red Admirals migrates from the US."
"The Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) have arrived! One of our more common migrant butterflies, they were spotted in the thousands from Ottawa to Point Pelee and Muskoka. The strong winds blew them everywhere, but the determined little migrants held their ground."

by Antonia Guidotti, Entomology Technician ROM BLOG
Toronto
http://blog.rom.on.ca








.