June, 1922. T}w- Irish Nattiralist, 61 



SOME HABITS OF THE RED ADMIRAL AND 

 PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLIES. 



[Read to the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, March 9th, 1922.] 

 BY C. B. MOFFAT, B.A. 



The autumn of last year was remarkable in most parts of 

 Ireland (as noticed by the Rev. W. F. Johnson in the Irish 

 Naturalist for December, p. 146) for the surprisingly large 

 numbers of Red Admiral Butterflies (Pyrameis atalanta) 

 that made their appearance. Along with them — about 

 Dublin, at any rate — there were rather more than the usual 

 number of Painted Ladies (P. cardiii). 



In late June and early July I had also seen in the lanes 

 round Dublin a sprinkling of both these species. Obviously 

 these would be the insects that laid the eggs from which 

 the September and October swarms resulted. 



The Painted Lady is well known to be to some extent 

 a migratory insect, and it is admittedly an open question 

 whether, but for its nomadic habits, we should ever have 

 the pleasure of seeing it in this country. There is no proof 

 that it lives through the winter with us, as the Peacock 

 [Vanessa to) and Tortoiseshell (V. urticae) do ; yet it is 

 only after hibernation that the eggs are laid, so that a 

 yearly spring immigration of hibernated examples from 

 abroad may be necessary for the maintenance of the species 

 in the Britannic area. 



The Red Admiral has been more generally regarded as 

 a resident ; but there is a growing suspicion that it, too — 

 though sometimes seen on the wing here so late as November 

 — fails to live through our winters, and depends on a 

 spring immigration for the renewal of its numbers. There 

 appears to be no trustworthy evidence of a Red Admiral 

 having ever been found in its winter retreat in any part of 

 the British Islands. Far different is the case with both the 

 Tortoiseshell and the Peacock, which can often be seen 

 in their hibernatory sleep in dark crevices and corners. 



