Sheep Lake at Chinook Pass, 5,700 feet in elevation, was where I saw my first Red Admirable, and I was mesmerized. Both its size and the striking diagonal orange bars on the dorsal forewings and along the marginal edges of the hindwings amazed me. I have since seen it in many locations, the shrub steppe of central WA, at mid-elevations and in my yard in Bellevue, to name a few. In fact, this butterfly can be found throughout North America outside the arctic zone and in Eurasia. In researching this admirable butterfly after my first encounter, I learned that it winters over as an adult, but rarely in our area unless it finds an extremely sheltered place or when we have a mild winter. Typically we see Admirables moving into our area as the season progresses, some years in larger numbers than others. The host plants are mainly in the nettle family, stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) being the favored, but other plants are also used, see James and Nunnallee. A variety of nectar sources are used in the varied habitats they fly, but they also can be found on dung, rotting fruit, and carrion. On a field trip in central WA our group was surprised by an elk carcass with a half a dozen Red Admirables on it.

I was able to rear two found larvae, one from nettles near my home and the other from further away, also taken from nettles. The larva uses silk to close a leaf around itself as it eats and also when it molts. Although providing protection from both the elements and predation, I have peeked into one in the wild and seen a spider instead of a larva.

With the early instars, the larva folds the leaf into what looks like a taco. As it molts and gets larger, the leaf folding and stitching can become more complex. My two were hidden most of the time until ready for the final molt. Then each one chose the ceiling of the cage to suspend itself for its final molt. The pupa is beautiful with shimmering spots of gold. It darkens prior to eclosure. Sometimes a larva may create a leaf enclosure for the final molt, also.

Our experts suggest that we may see more wintering over of this species in the north- west as time goes on. I was surprised two years ago when one of the families I work with professionally saw a Red Admirable in Issaquah when sitting in front of a store after shopping. This was in January of 2017, and it had been a cold winter. They excitedly brought in several photos to show me from their iPhone. It had been a sunny day, sunny enough to warm up the butterfly for flight and a hunt for nectar. It had landed on the mom’s leg, possibly for warmth. There may be only one other record for a Red Admirable in our state at this time of year. Global warming is changing much on our planet.

When this 2017 event occurred, David James shared the following: “Interestingly there is a UK precedent for this Admirable behavior. Last century, even up to the 1990s, Vanessa atalanta rarely if ever was able to survive British winters. But now it is a routine hibernator along with other vanessids! As well as climate warming I feel that the species may have changed its thermal tolerances somewhat. Maybe the two things are linked in some way?”

So keep an eye out for surprises flying around on sunny days in January, 2020. A Red Admirable may land on your leg for a bit of extra warmth…or maybe another species will surprise you!

BAMONA; BugGuide; Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest, Robert Pyle & Caitlin, LaBar; Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies, David James, Dave Nunnallee .

All photos this page by Melanie Weiss.

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