Admirable autumn activity

The red admiral can be even be seen in winter

I know the BBC Naturewatch team enthuse over autumn and what a wonderful time of year it is and I can understand their point but I find autumn very sad! I suppose it is because my main nature loves are insects and the flowers they feed on and as autumn draws on so both of these are lost until the following spring.


One of the last highly visible insects to be seen are the red admiral butterflies. They are such admirable little creatures that can fly in temperatures far below that required by other butterflies as well as bees and flies. Even on colder, dismal days a red admiral can often be seen searching for ivy flowers, or perhaps a fallen apple to feed on before they find somewhere to hibernate for the winter. They bring a vibrant display of colour when everything else seems to be turning brown!

As soon as Christmas is over I start looking for signs of spring but for now I am left to look for the last signs of summer!

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