White Admiral - A true woodland butterfly

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve seen these wonderful butterflies on every visit to the wood, mostly in the more open areas along the tracks and within the wood where there are gaps in the canopy. They’ve often been seen basking in the sun on the woodland floor or on the bed of our dried up seasonal pond.

The White Admiral - Limenitis camilla - is a true woodland butterfly often associated with neglected or mature woods where large patches of Bramble are left to grow. It has a distinctive and delicate flight pattern consisting of short periods of wing beats, followed by long glides often very near the ground, a fairly large butterfly with a wingspan of approximately 60mm. During its flight period from June to September, they are found nectaring on Bramble flowers, their favourite food.

The females lay their eggs in late summer on honeysuckle leaves (Lonicera periclymenum), the caterpillar’s food plant. The eggs hatch soon after and the small brown spiny larvae feed on the tips of Honeysuckle leaves before sheltering in a dried, rolled up leaf known as a hibernaculum for the winter. As new fresh leaves appear on Honeysuckle plants during the following spring, the larvae feed further and grow on. The larvae pupate on the plant in late May, emerging as an adult in June/July. Both the larvae and pupa are highly camouflaged and difficult to find.

The butterfly is not very common and is a UK BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) priority species. It is mostly confined to the south of England but its range is extending north.