Butterflies: Red Admiral

A few photos of the red admiral (Vanessa atalanta), atalanta in Dutch, one of the last butterflies to be seen in The Netherlands before winter, often feeding on the flowers of ivy before they set off to the south.

Yes, these butterflies migrate, often flying at very high altitudes. Butterflies may seem to just flap about a bit, but some are actually very strong flyers.

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO100, f5.6, 1/500s}

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO100, f5.6, 1/500s}

They look different from the side when closed, with a very intricate pattern on the underside of their wings:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f4, 1/250s}

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/160s}

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO100, f5.6, 1/500s}

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/500s}

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