Red Admiral Migrations?

[DTDerekson]

Hi all! I experienced something here in Allegheny Country PA this weekend that
I never have before. I've seen large gatherings of Red Admirals once before,
hundreds nectaring on Dame's Rocket some number of years ago. But this weekend
they were everywhere, flying furiously and not stopping to nectar.  I drove
about 50 miles and back (for other reasons) and these little goomers were
everywhere along the highway, zipping furiously along. It felt like a reverse
Monarch migration....

When I saw the huge batch of Red Admirals before when the population exploded,
they seemed to be resident. They hung around and squabbled, fought, etc. I
found it odd that this should be the first year I actually noticed a migration
of sorts.

Do these critters actually migrate and is it just that this year there are
sufficient numbers for me to notice or...???

I don't know if it might be connected or not, but also this year I have an
amazing explosion in my American Painted Lady colony on my Pearly Everlasting.
Most years I get a few dozen caterpillars that the wasps and hornets ultimately
eat. This year I have literally hundreds on a 3 foot by 4 foot patch, all
instars and even some chrysalises, and the females are still flitting about,
laying eggs. Amazing and fun to watch (hopefully my patch of plants is sturdy
enough to hold up under their onslaught!)

Fun!

DT

 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl