Towards the end of my transect I saw a Peacock butterfly flying towards a small group of trees. It was too far away to count on my transect, but I noticed another large, dark butterfly flying out of the trees. I thought it was worth investigating, so I took a slight detour to have a look.
I was surprised to see a Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta, sitting on a branch of an Oak tree.
I don't know if they were able to reach in to find sap, or if there was moisture from the dead wood at that point, but they all seemed very possessive of their own little spot.
Quite often they were buzzed by a wasp causing them to fly off, but they would always return to the same spot.
There were a couple of other Oak trees in the group of trees, but they didn't appear to be attractive to the Red Admirals.
I am sure I have read somewhere about Red Admirals being seen on the trunks of Oak trees. I will have to do a little research and see if I can find out more.
Two of our volunteers also reported low numbers on their butterfly transects this week. Certainly when I was out and about I didn't see very many butterflies, although there were good numbers of Wall Browns along the coastal path. I have also received reports of a lot of Speckled Woods in some woodland sites, so it seems that some species are doing better than others.
Hello Nick!:) Mature butterflies do feed on tree sap, I have seen them in an old Oak tree on the farm, but never so many at one time, it's difficult to see them anyway as they are way too high up to photograph. You did well
ReplyDeleteto photograph these. I don't know why they chose a particular Oak to feed off but it appears from what we have both witnessed, that they have a preference for old Oak Trees or old branches. Thank you for your visit Nick. I also noticed the large head, and the two white spots on the rear of the moth, and did wonder if it could be a Hummingbird Hawk moth, but never having seen a stationary moth I wasn't sure, but think you are right in your ID. Thank you!:) Have a great Weekend.:)
Thanks Sonjia. There always seems to be more to learn about butterflies each year!
DeleteHi Nick
DeleteI was really interested to find your blog when I asked Mr Google about Red Admirals and oak trees. I live on the coast in Sussex and have a very large old oak tree in my garden. Yesterday morning I counted 20 Red Admirals on the trunk! I can only think that it is something to do with the heat but I am going to explore more.
16 September 2016 at 10:06
Hi Masha,
DeleteI imagine that a tree trunk would soak up the heat and be a nice place to roost. It would be interesting to know if they were feeding or just sitting there absorbing the heat. I was watching Red Admirals feeding furiously on a Buddliea earlier this week. I suspect they are taking every opportunity to feed up in preparation for migration or hybernation.
I would be interested to hear if you find out more.
They seem to do a fine job of blending into their environment.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle,
DeleteI probably only spotted them because the wasps kept disturbing them causing them to fly.
Bello reportaje de esta mariposa migradora. Saludos desde Asturias.
ReplyDeleteGracias Belen. Hay una gran cantidad de numeradas aquí en este momento. Es probable que volarán a España para el invierno !!
DeleteAmazing Nick, this is another great example of camouflage in nature, I love the images!
ReplyDeleteThey are fantastically well camouflaged when their wings are closed. It was really only when they opened their wings that they became apparent.
DeleteThe climate changes must affect certainly the normal behaviour and abundance of butterflies, and guess you will be disappointed by some observations although you will probably have surprises at observing more southerly species in the UK.
ReplyDeleteVery nice shots of Red admiral, a very beautiful butterfly.
Kind regards Nick!
Thanks Noushka. The Red Admirals weren't being very helpful, but at least the pictures give an idea of what they were doing.
DeleteClimate change certainly seems to be impacting on butterflies. I think that I am currently in one of the best places to witness this just now. We are doing well in as much as we have six or seven new species that have moved up here and so far haven't lost any species. But it is a worry that things are changing so quickly. It is a subject that really interests me.
That was a very strong camouflage! I also wonder what sweet chemicals they get from the junction, certainly a good thing for research. I am so always impressed with your very clear detailed shots. May i know the secret, or the technique, hehe! Is it the lens, the settings or the editing. Thanks Nick.
ReplyDeleteBy the ways i always think about you when i was at home these weekends, with a lot of butterflies around the porch. They all seem to love the duranta flowers. But there are a few which prefer other nectar plants around, wonder why one of them Pareronia boebera boebera doesn't like durata. Instead it wants the Impatiens balsamina. I am sad as i cannot get the actual drama there, as i am not familiar yet in phone video. haha!
Hi Andrea. You are very kind, but the credit should all go to my camera. A Panasonic Lumix FZ150. I leave it on auto-focus and only play around with the exposure. I have considered a DSLR with various lenses, but I would rather spend my time observing than changing lenses and trying to take perfect pictures. Also the Lumix is a lot lighter to carry around.
DeleteI would love to experience your tropical butterflies some day. We have such changeable weather that trying to fit in work, looking after our new property in the Scottish Borders and running our home leaves little spare time, which rarely coincides with decent weather!! It must be amazing to have more consistent weather and regular butterflies!!
It is interesting that particular butterflies like particular plants. I suppose it is similar to the way caterpillars tend to only survive on one or two food plants. We have so much still to learn about why this is the case.
Hey , Nick: In Asturias flying 144 species of butterflies. If you send me your email I will send a very interesting pdf. Fortunately in Asturias they are discovering new species. I have the same compact Panasonic, for me, is the best for photos of butterflies.¡Best regards and sorry for my English.
ReplyDeleteHi Belen,
DeleteHopefully my e-mail has arrived with you. Gracias!
Nick, my mail is: bmsolar@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteSaludos desde Asturias.
Thank you, Belen for the information on the butterflies of Asturias.
DeleteI am so glad I found this post! I realize your post is from 2016... now it's 2023. like the butterflies, time flies. Ok, sorry...
ReplyDeleteAbout a week ago I noticed a butterfly in an oak in our yard as I watered my garden. Suddenly the butterfly started flying with another butterfly, spinning in the air. As they landed a bit higher, I noticed that there were butterflies all over the tree from the trunk to every branch, reminding me of a Christmas tree, almost. Every so often, several of the butterflies would peel off, start swirling around one another seeming to dance together in the sky! Then they'd land onto another part of the tree higher or lower...it was such a lovely sight! The butterflies were Red Admirals. Some wound feed for long periods without moving while most fed them swirled. My dogs were as fascinated as I. I have returned every day since and I have continued to find the Red Admirals feeding. I noticed sap had dropped from the oak onto the nearby cast iron plants. I had never thought that butterflies fed on oaks. I wonder why only Red Admirals seem to be the only butterflies feeding on that oak. I see many other kinds of butterflies around my yard. I live in Austin, Texas, USA. It's fascinating to me that these lovely little butterflies are swarming here on our oaks as well as on yours way across the ocean and probably everywhere the world over. Such beautiful creatures!
Hello Colette,
DeleteThank you for getting in touch. It is really interesting to hear that Red Admirals are also attracted to Oak trees in Texas. I have since read several theories why this is so, but no one seems to know. Those I saw did appear to be feeding from the areas where dead branches were attached to living branches. I can only assume that they were gaining minerals or sustenance. Interesting, though, that it appears to have only been observed on Oaks, and not other species of trees.
I built an Oak bench a couple of years ago from a tree that had been felled. Later that summer I counted about 20 Red Admirals on it. In the years since, I have only seen one or two on there on sunny days. I wonder the Red Admirals are after the tannin in the wood.
Males of many species of butterflies will drink from mud to acquire minerals that they require before they mate. I wonder if there is something similar with Red Admirals and those you saw spiraling together were displaying courtship behaviour.
Hi Nick! I’m a student based in Penryn, Cornwall and I’ve been spending a lot of time making observations on an old oak tree for a project, the other day it was a lovely sunny morning and I spotted many large black and red butterflies (I can’t be 100% certain but I’m pretty sure they were red admirals) flying around the higher sunny branches, one even settled with its wings open on one of the large branches for quite a few minutes, although I couldn’t get a decent photograph. I’d never seen them there in the weeks I’ve been making observations and I was really interested to find out more, I was excited when I found your blog and saw that others have seen this behaviour too!
DeleteHello Ella. Thank you for your comment. From your description and given the time of year I think it is almost certain that they were Red Admirals that you saw. Since I wrote the post I have heard from others who have seen similar behaviour. I noticed that they were apparently feeding at the base of dead branches on the Oak tree after wet weather. I have since seen them on an Oak bench I made out of an old tree trunk in the garden. I can only assume they are taking minerals, or something like the tannin in the old wood.
Delete