Appearance
Among the variety of butterflies that exist around, admirals stand out for their amazing colors. Their wings have a dark brown or almost black general background, over which runs a slightly curved stripe of bright red or white. Depending on this, butterflies are called - red or white admiral. This diurnal butterfly, with a wingspan of 5 to 6 centimeters, lives in the temperate climatic zone of Europe, Asia and North America.
In a butterfly with the name Red Admiral, 9 spots stand out on the front wing, of which 3 merge so much that they turn into a solid strip.
The outer edge of the hind wing is bordered by a reddish stripe with a row of black dots. The posterior angle is marked with a blue spot. The female of this butterfly can be identified by the presence of a small white speck on the red stripe of the forewing.
The admiral butterfly, like all other representatives of this family, has good eyesight. But the antennae located on the head are considered more powerful sense organs. With their help, the butterfly can catch smells at a very long distance.
Description and features
The insect is a bit like common urticaria, but they cannot be confused, so what does a butterfly look like the admiral is more effective. The daytime beauty of the Vanessa family is distinguished by the wavy edge of the wings.
This characteristic is combined with small projections in front of the outer edge. The wings span 5-6.5 cm. On the tops, you can see elongated white spots, which were formed from three merged into a single whole. Surrounded by a chain of small specks of a bright white shade and various shapes.
The edges and insides of the upper wings are dark brown. Blue rings and stripes are scattered on the main background. Admiral butterfly in the photo always recognizable by the orange-red sling running across the middle of the front wings obliquely.
A bright line of the same color seems to continue on the hind wings with a rim along the outer edge. There are 3-5 black dots on a strip in a row on each side. The anal corners of the hind wings are decorated with blue oval spots in a black rim. If you look at the back of the wings, you can see a mosaic pattern of many blotches of gray, white, red, brown colors.
The body of the insect is dark brown, almost black. On the sides of the head are huge compound eyes. They distinguish well the fluctuations of light surrounding objects. The organ of vision in the form of paired hemispheres allows you to see the surrounding space without turning your eyes or head.
Admiral butterflies have good color perception - they distinguish blue, yellow, green colors. An exception is the red color; insects do not notice it. Small bristles are located around the eyes, and on the frontal part there are segmented antennae with an expanded club. In comparison with good eyesight, this is the most powerful organ of a butterfly.
With his antennae, the admiral catches smells at a decent distance. The head is inactive. In the lower part there is a proboscis-shaped mouthpiece. With its help, the admiral butterfly sucks in the nectar. If the proboscis is not busy with work, it coils.
The pectoral part of the butterfly consists of three segments, each of which is associated with walking legs.The forelimbs of the insect are covered with a layer of thick hairs that serve as the organ of touch.
A bright butterfly with an unusual color flies beautifully, overcomes great distances in search of a comfortable environment. They are especially often observed in gardening and berry plantings.
origin of name
There are two versions of the appearance of such an unusual name for a butterfly. According to one of them, the word is translated from Turkish as the ruler of the seas. Despite the fact that the habitat of the butterfly is rather far from the sea, the butterfly is directly related to it, since it periodically migrates, making long flights from Europe to Africa. Another variant of the name is associated with the red stripes located on the wings, which distinguish the admiral butterfly. The description of the uniform of admirals of the Russian tsarist fleet necessarily includes red stripes on the trousers. In addition, they quite often also wore bright red ribbons thrown over their shoulders.
Lifestyle and habitat
The range of distribution of the species is quite wide and covers territories from Canada to Guatemala and Scandinavia. The insect lives in the European part of Russia, as well as in the eastern regions of China. In addition, you can see Vanessa Atlanta on the islands: Canary, Azov, Bermuda, Hawaii. The butterfly was artificially brought to New Zealand, where it successfully took root.
Representatives of the species cannot survive the cold, therefore, they migrate to impressive distances, fleeing frost. Prefers to settle in swampy areas, in humid forests, flooded meadows. However, despite their love for warmth, it is the Admirals who are the last of the butterflies to leave their native lands. In northern Europe, they are found until the onset of winter.
The Admiral butterfly feeds on various products:
- Adult insects prefer fruits, including fermented and fallen ones.
- They also eat the sugary secretions of trees.
- Bird droppings.
- If there is no other food, they can enjoy the nectar of flowers (clover, asters, milkweed are preferred).
- The caterpillar of the Admiral butterfly eats the leaves of nettles, thistles, and hops.
An adult individual absorbs nectar with the help of its unique oral apparatus - a proboscis, which is able to twist and open. On the front legs of the Admiral there are sensitive villi equipped with taste repeaters - they help the butterfly "taste" the delicacy.
Admiral butterfly migrations
Some of the representatives of the admirals make huge flights. Having flown from Europe to Africa, they lay eggs on this continent, after which they die. The emerging offspring makes a return flight the next year. It's just amazing how these fragile insects are able to make such journeys, when even birds and not all of them can fly to winter. Of course, a fair number of butterflies die along the way.
Some individuals remain to winter, hiding in cracks and under the bark of trees, and already with the onset of the first warm spring days, the admiral butterfly, having left the shelter, pleases with its beautiful appearance.
Reproduction
The female lays only one egg on the leaves of forage plants, which are thistles, nettles, hops, etc. Caterpillars have a reddish, yellow-green or black color and yellow stripes and spines of the same color located on the sides.
Unlike hives or peacock's eye larvae, the admiral's caterpillars are solitary. From May to August, they live in leaves rolled into a tube, where they pupate. They spend the whole winter in this stage. Pupa color is gray or brown (with silvery spots).
Natural enemies
The parasites of the admiral's caterpillars are tahini flies Sturmia bella, Compsilura cocinnata, Voria ruralis, ichneumon wasps Ctenichneumon castigator and Diadegma majale, and the braconid Cotesia vanessae.Pteromalids Pteromalus briani are parasites in pupae.
Of the predators, the admiral is attacked by large dragonflies, for example, the emperor's patrol. Singing grasshopper and insectivorous birds feed on caterpillars.
Photo Credit: Andrew C, CC BY 2.0
White admiral butterfly
Found in forests in Europe and Asia. Adults are distinguished by a white stripe stretched over the black background of the wing. Such a contrasting color helps to camouflage itself well from predators. The flight of this butterfly is peculiar, which consists of several short flaps of its wings and subsequent long soaring in the air.
This admiral butterfly feeds mainly on flowers of blackberries, nutmeg and lays eggs on bunches of honeysuckle growing in the thickets of the forest. Caterpillars are very similar in color to the leaf, as if adjusting to it. They are firmly attached to the plant thanks to their secretions and silk thread.
Before wintering, the caterpillar carefully prepares a place for hibernation, forming something like a tent from the leaves. In the spring, she begins a feeding period, after which the skin is shed, and then a pupa of a golden-greenish color is formed. After two weeks, she turns into an adult.
Butterflies play a significant role in pollination of plants and are quite harmless creatures that need to be protected. In no case should they be allowed to disappear. Today reserves are being created, plants are grown that serve as food for them. It is very important to know what an admiral butterfly looks like, since it requires special care and is listed in the Red Book.
How to care for butterflies at home?
If you decide to have an Admiral butterfly at home, it is important to understand that this beauty lives for about ten months.
For this purpose, you can look after and take a caterpillar or chrysalis of this species directly from the street. In order not to damage the insect and know what plants it feeds on, it is better to take the caterpillar right with the leaf. It is better not to take it with your hands, so as not to harm and not infect an infection. It is worth looking among her favorite food (for example, among nettles). Remember that caterpillars of this species love to wrap themselves in the leaf of the plant.
Important! In no case should you kill a butterfly that has flown into your house. In ancient times, it was believed that the soul of a deceased person was in it. You need to carefully catch her and release her.
First of all, you need to prepare a transparent plastic or glass container. You can use a glass aquarium. It should contain plants as food, earth and twigs from trees, along which caterpillars will crawl, and then turn into pupae. For the nutrition of future butterflies, the Admiral is perfect for nettles, ordinary hops, types of thistle.
Such a container is covered on top with a fine mesh or gauze for air intake. Leaves for nutrition need to be changed every day. They can be washed and sprayed with water to provide another source of water for the caterpillar.
Leaves can be placed in tubes of water for flowers, but vases and jars are not suitable for this purpose - caterpillars can drown in them if they accidentally fall. Also, to maintain humidity, such a container must be moistened by spraying it with a spray bottle. For comfort, the bottom of such a container is covered with a paper towel or napkins.
After a certain period, the caterpillar turns into a pupa. At this time, the caterpillar becomes less active and changes its color, eats poorly. The pupation process takes about two to three days.
It is desirable to set the temperature regime at the level of + 26… +29 ° C, humidity - about 90%. It is necessary to constantly spray the container during this period for better development. The pupa should be positioned so that it can unfold its wings without hindrance in the future.To do this, if necessary, you can move the twig or leaf to a more convenient place in the container.
You can also have in your home: a fish, a guinea pig, a hamster, a parrot, a pygmy pig, a cat or a dog.
After the chrysalis becomes a butterfly, the question becomes relevant - what do the butterflies eat at home, including in winter? Admirals, like all other species, eat nectar from flowers. To make it at home, you need to mix sugar or honey with water in a ratio of 1:10. You can also add juicy fruits (pears, plums, oranges). Better to take the middle of the fruit, because the peel can be treated with chemicals. For convenience, nectar and fruit are placed in a saucer. They are fed once or twice a day.
The temperature regime should be in the range from +24 to +30 ° C. If the room is dry, then you need to spray on the butterfly from a spray bottle, keeping a distance of about 30 cm. During sleep, this winged creature is moved into a box with a moistened cloth or foam rubber, you can use a special entomological envelope.
It is necessary to observe certain safety rules in order to properly care for a butterfly at home, as this is a very fragile creature. Namely:
- do not take her wings with your hands, so as not to damage them;
- make sure that windows and doors to the street are closed if it is outside the container;
- better to keep away from light and heat source;
- these creatures should be out of the reach of small children and pets (especially if there is a cat or dog in the house);
- you cannot catch them with your hands, it is better to wait until she sits down, and then gently take her by the body with your fingers;
- make sure that butterflies do not fly in the container (aquarium), as due to the small size of the container, they can hit the walls and lose their attractiveness.
