Red Admiral on honeysuckle
Vanessa atalanta
Red Admiral · Brooklyn Botanic Garden · 26 July 2025
A Red Admiral on a honeysuckle vine in the July border, proboscis threaded deep into one tubular flower while five or six others crowd round it. Red Admirals are on both sides of the Atlantic and look the same on each; in Brooklyn they arrive from the south each spring and breed on nettles, the same as they do in Kent.
Honeysuckle is built for moths, which is why it smells strongest at dusk, but the tubes are short enough for a butterfly by day. The admiral is a migrant that cannot survive a northern winter, so every one in a New York garden has come up from the Carolinas or further.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
Every photograph comes with notes on what it is.
Selected
Favourite shots. Filter by subject, or .
Places
Everything, by where it was taken.
Species
Larger catalogue of photos organized by species of animal or plant.
Catalogue
Every photograph, newest first. Narrow it by period, place or species; the three work together.
Updates
Coming soon. Sign up at the bottom of the page for updates.