Beautiful butterfly Admiral: active and common
With the advent of warm weather, parks and squares are filled with many insects. Among them there are not only annoying midges, but also beautiful butterflies. One of the most beautiful species that lives in temperate climates is the Admiral butterfly.
Content
Butterfly Admiral: photo
Description of the insect
Name: admiral
Latin: vanessa atalantaClass: Insects - Insecta
Squad: Lepidoptera - Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae - Nymphalidae
 | Habitat: | ubiquitous, actively migrates, widespread numerous species |
 | Harm: | is not a pest |
 | Means of struggle: | not required |
Admiral is a member of the Nymphalidae family. It can be found on the territory of different continents. For the first time, a representative of this species was mentioned in 1758. The description of the insect was given by the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus.
Appearance
The body of the butterfly is painted dark brown or black, and its length is 2-3 cm. The wingspan of the Admiral can reach 5-6,5 cm.
Both pairs of butterfly wings have small notches along the edges. The front wings are distinguished by the presence of one protruding tooth against the background of the rest.
The color of the main color of the front side of the wings is dark brown, close to black. In the center of the forewings, a bright orange stripe crosses, and the outer corner is decorated with a large white spot and 5-6 smaller spots of the same color.
On the hindwings, an orange stripe is located along the edge. Above this stripe there are also 4-5 rounded black spots. At the outer corner of the hind wings, you can see an oval-shaped blue spot enclosed in a dark-colored rim.
The underside of the wings is slightly different from the top. On a pair of front wings, the pattern is duplicated, but blue rings are added to it, located in the center. In the color of the reverse side of the rear pair, light brown predominates, decorated with strokes and wavy lines of darker shades.
Life
Butterfly Admiral.
Active flight of butterflies in countries with a temperate climate occurs from June to September. In regions where the climate is slightly warmer, for example, in the south of Ukraine, butterflies actively flutter until the end of October.
Admiral butterflies are also known for their ability to migrate long distances. At the end of summer, numerous flocks of moths travel several thousand kilometers to the south, and from April to May they return back.
The Admiral's summer diet consists of nectar and tree sap. Butterflies prefer the nectar of the Asteraceae and Labiaceae family. In late summer - early autumn, insects feed on fallen fruits and berries.
Caterpillars of this species do not cause any harm to crops, since their diet consists mainly of nettle leaves and thistles.
Features of reproduction
Female Admiral butterflies lay only one egg at a time. They place them on the leaves and shoots of fodder plant species. In very rare cases, 2 or 3 eggs can be found on one leaf. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why surges and falls in the population of this species are observed in different years.
Butterfly life cycle.
In a year, from 2 to 4 generations of butterflies may appear. Full development cycle of an insect consists of stages:
- egg;
- caterpillar (larva);
- pupa;
- butterfly (imago).
Butterfly habitat
The habitat of butterflies of this species includes most of the countries of the northern hemisphere. The Admiral can be found in the following regions:
- North America;
- Western and Central Europe;
- Caucasus;
- Middle Asia;
- North Africa;
- Azores and Canary Islands;
- the island of Haiti;
- the island of Cuba;
- northern part of India.
Insects have also been artificially introduced to as far afield as the Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand.
Butterflies of this species most often choose parks, gardens, forest glades, the coast of rivers and streams, fields and meadows for life. Sometimes the Admiral can be found in the swamps.
Interesting Facts
Butterflies Admirals have been known to mankind for several hundred years. But, many people are not even aware of the existence of several interesting facts related to these cute insects:
- In the second edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, there was no article about butterflies of this species. The reason for this was Colonel General A.P. Pokrovsky, who ordered the removal of the publication, as it followed the article about the military rank of the same name. Pokrovsky considered that it was inappropriate to place such a serious publication and a note about butterflies next to him.
- The very name of the butterfly - "Admiral", in fact, has nothing to do with the military rank. The insect received this name from the distorted English word "admirable", which translates as "wonderful".
- The Admiral butterfly overcomes a path of 3000 km in about 35-40 days. At the same time, the average flight speed of an insect can reach up to 15-16 km / h.
Conclusion
The bright butterfly Admiral adorns parks, squares, forests and at the same time does absolutely no harm to human lands. Over the past few years, their numbers in Europe have increased significantly, but no one knows for sure when the next drop in the population will occur. Therefore, for now, people have a great opportunity to observe these beautiful creatures.
Previous