This butterfly may still appear on sunny days long into a mild winter, although it probably won’t survive to spring. It belongs to the Nymphalidae – the largest butterfly family in terms of species and often in wing size too. Nymphalids are known as ‘brush-footed’ butterflies, because some have brush-like hairs on two small forelegs, which they curl up while standing on the other four legs. The tortoiseshell and fritillary butterflies belong to this group, along with the emperors, and the Monarch and the Painted Lady, both famous for spectacular migrations.

The Red Admiral is a migrant too. The first flush arrive in spring, having flown over from the Mediterranean or even North Africa to breed here, the females laying single eggs on the tips of nettles and the caterpillars making individual silky tents that fasten down the stinging leaves. Other foodplants are Small Nettle (Urtica urens) and Pellitory-of-the Wall (Parietaria judaica), another nettle family member which can be found growing out of cracks in walls and banks, including old churches and ruined buildings.

The caterpillar is more inconspicuous – grey or grey-brown to black, with little pale markings a bit like chevrons or a pale zigzag stripe low down along each side, and spiky tufts.

The life cycle is quite short (compared to a dragonfly, for instance), with adults emerging around August, when they are joined by a fresh batch of migrants flying in from the south. It is interesting to guess which butterflies have freshly pupated. This summer I noticed a striking difference between the gorgeous rich colours of some and the rather battered appearance of others that had damaged their wings with time, weather conditions and the effort and turbulence of transit.

Make your garden a butterfly hotspot

Although the Red Admiral is a species of low conservation concern, we should never be complacent and take wildlife for granted. We have seen a dramatic decline in general insect populations in recent decades and it is up to us to turn the situation around.

To encourage red admirals to visit your garden, ensure that there is a long flowering season by growing nectar-rich flowers all year round (this should be possible in Cornwall). I photographed a Red Admiral on snowdrops in February last year. Include buddleia to attract large numbers of butterflies at the peak of the summer season. For September onwards, allow ivy to grow tall enough to flower, and for the borders, grow late summer flowers such as Verbena bonariensis and Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower). Remember that the larval foodplant is the nettle, along with Pellitory-of-the-Wall (Parietaria judaica) and if you have a place for a patch of these, they will benefit a host of other insects too.

Red Admirals may attempt to overwinter in places such as sheds and log piles, so leave a quiet corner for them and other invertebrates. Perhaps you will spot the first overwintering survivor, or the first brave migrant to have flown across the sea, early in 2021.

Visit our Red Admiral page to learn more about this fascinating butterfly, as well as how to identify them and protect this species.

David Chapman is known and celebrated at Cornwall Wildlife Trust for his involvement in the Trust’s Photographic Group, as a former Trustee, a Wild Cornwall calendar originator, a speaker and much more. He is an award-winning photographer, author of many wildlife books and regular magazine articles. Visit David Chapman's website to find out more about him and his career.