Vanessa atalanta
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Vanessa atalanta, the red admiral or, previously, the red admirable, is a well-characterized, medium-sized butterfly with black wings, red bands, and white spots. It has a wingspan of about 2 inches (5 cm). It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The red admiral is widely distributed across temperate regions of North Africa, North America, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. It resides in warmer areas, but migrates north in spring and sometimes again in autumn. Typically found in moist woodlands, the red admiral caterpillar's primary host plant is the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica); it can also be found on the false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica). The adult butterfly drinks from flowering plants like Buddleja and overripe fruit. Red admirals are territorial; females will only mate with males that hold territory. Males with superior flight abilities are more likely to successfully court females. It is known as an unusually calm butterfly, often allowing observation at a very close distance before flying away, also landing on and using humans as perches.
Vanessa atalanta has 2 subspecies, which differ in geographical distribution... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athens | 🇬🇷 Greece | |
| 2 | Fez | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Casablanca | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 6 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 8 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 9 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 10 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Turkey |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Admiral sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 538 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 54th most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red Admiral in Washington on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Admiral sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
66th of 91
Of the 91 cities where we can rate Red Admiral sightings, Washington ranks 66th at about 10%. The best odds are in Athens (Greece, about 40%), Fez (Morocco, about 40%) and London (United Kingdom, about 40%).
Same genus: Vanessa
The closest relatives of the Red Admiral that you can see in Washington (genus Vanessa, Ladies and Related Admirals) are Painted Lady (about 10%) and American Lady (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Admiral is recorded against all the insects logged in Washington (538 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
