That's great, Jeff - everybody is seeing a lot of red admirals this year.
We're looking forward to the pictures!
Sherry

That's super, Jeff. What a way to spend a day! 16 species--that's a lot. Red Admirals are all over down here in OK also. Can't wait to see your photos. I've yet to see a Crossline-Skipper.

Sandy

According to Pyle, all 4 Vanessa species have population explosions in certain years. The Red Admiral explosions may not be as intense as some of the Ladies, and they don't clog California highways, so they are not publicized.

An old English name for this butterfly is "Nettle Fly".

Explosion,invasion,migration! Whatever word you use it's an amazing phenomenon.I've never seen so many admirals!
Supposedly,they cannot overwinter in the north,and must recolonize every year from the Gulf states and Mexico.

As others have noted,there were few if any last year so this is a welcome change.

We have a ton of Red Admirals as well. I posted the monarch sightings on the Ohio Leps list serve and this was a response I got.

"This spring with its gradual warm up after early heat is good for a lot of migrating species. The last time there were scares from Mexico we saw more Monarchs than we had for years. Keep us posted. Last year really cold and bad weather south of Ohio in early spring killed off some of the early migratory species like the Monarch which usually are unbelievably hardy"

I hadn't realized that RAs are migratory. Makes sense, given that they are related to the Painted Lady.

Here are the pics. I took a page out of Bob's book and used the tripod (as a monopod) for these shots. The improved clarity is really gratifying.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
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American Lady Vanessa virginiensis

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Horace's(?) Duskywing Erynnis horatius
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Tawny-Edged OR Crossline Skipper Polites themistocles vel origenes
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Distinguishing between P. themistocles and P. origenes is quite difficult. If pushed, I would go with Tawny-Edged themistocles based on habitat. There is a creek just outside the left edge of the picture.

Jeff

Those pictures are clear and gorgeous, Jeff!
Thanks for posting!
Sherry

Very, very nice images, Jeff! I am seeing a lot of RAs and PLs, too. Before the hail storm today, I had both as well as QMs....lots of them around, too! Saw another Clouded Sulphur laying eggs on the Clover today.

Susan

Wonderful shots, Jeff! You are right on the Crossline/Tawny. I need to look at some of my photos. I remember a friend coming over last year and getting a shot he IDed as a Crossline.

Tripod/monopod really makes a difference. Wish I wasn't so lazy about carrying it out to the garden.

Sandy

I've seen several RAs so far this year, and the American Ladies showed up too a couple of weeks ago. Seems a little early, but I haven't kept records. Maybe we'll have a good butterfly year.

So, with the tripod, you set it up and wait, or do you carry it around with you?

Those are wonderful pics!

I'm just figuring technique out.

Currently, the plan is to carry it around, attached to the camera. When it's time for a shot, I plant the foot so that I can slowly rotate the camera in an arc, getting closer to the butterfly. Frankly, it's a bit awkward, but I'm liking the results. As soon as we get more sun, I'll try for some more shots.

Jeff

The pics are awesome! Worth the awkwardness...

I was up in Keene, NH today, and the RAs were all over the place! I love their flight pattern--they look like such strong fliers!

The Iowa State University has been following and mapping the Red Admiral, Painted Lady, American Lady, West Coast Lady, Kamehameha Butterfly, and Australian Painted Lady migrations.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Admiral and Painted Lady Research Site

Looks like the local "explosion" is imploding. Almost all the cats I brought in had parasites. Went through a zillion folded nettle leaves two days ago, finding zero 4 or 5th instar cats. Almost all the leaves were empty or had a parasite pupa next to the dead cat. I brought in 6 little guys I found. Still finding eggs when I get leaves for my inside cats. Had my first adult eclosion today.

KC

KC,

That's terrible! I have only found 1 cat on my FN leaves. I'm now raising it and 2 QM cats. All the butterflies and there won't be another generation . . .

Sandy

I've found a lot of parasitized cats, too, KC, but I've also found cats that I've brought in that are growing, unparasitized. I even found a last instar cat outside its nest today, so I brought it in before some wasp or something found it - it's made a leaf roll in the cage.
It's sickening when you think of how many RAs we would have if not for those #*$%@! parasites!
Sherry

Saw a RA laying eggs today. Figured I had enough on my plate so I wasn't going to bring them in. Went out this evening to get some nettle leaves for my QMs and saw an unfamiliar fly. Looked like a small robber fly. It had a RA egg on its proboscis. The fly gave me two chances to grab it but I failed so no ID opportunity. I ended up looking for eggs and found six to protect from the fly. Also found two cats which had been nailed by the usual parasite.

KC

I was raising some Red Admirals this year, and had the same experience, with heavy parasitization. Some of the cats died early; others pupated, and the parasitic larvae dropped out of the side of the chrysalis and fell to the floor of the container, where they crawled around for a while - and then underwent their own pupation.

So... I kept the pupae of the parasite. And about a week later I was totally gobsmacked to see what emerged -- a common housefly (Musca domestica). I had been hoping for an exotic wasp like an Ichneumon, but it was a plain old ordinary housefly. After I get better organized I'll write up some of this for a separate post with some photos.

I'm amazed that an ordinary housefly came out Minnesotastan - that means that RAs get parasitized by more than one critter! :(
I found two RA eggs only recently, I brought them in to raise myself, and it's amazing how big the cats already are.
At least I can feel reasonably sure that the eggs don't get parasitized, it's the very early instar, probably hatchling, cats that do so.
Sherry