RM
High-speed photo; red admiral butterfly in flight
Red Admiral. High-speed photo of a red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) in flight. Red admirals have vivid contrasting colouration on their upper parts. The mainly black colouration is broken up with red and orange bands and white spots. The underparts are inconspicuous by comparison, with complex brown patterns that probably have a protective function. The red admiral inhabits moist woodland which contains suitable plants to host their larvae, such as stinging nettles (Urtica dioica). It is a migratory butterfly but can also hibernate in extremely cold climates. Red admirals are found in Europe, North America, North Africa and Asia.
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