A male Red Admiral enjoys the sunshine on the grounds at Berkeley Castle…
Although Berkeley Castle has a butterfly house, this butterfly, like other Red Admirals, flew freely around the grounds.
The Red Admiral can be found throughout the British Isles, but is primarily a migrant. The resident population is likely to be only a small fraction of the population seen in the British Isles, because most individuals are unable to survive the winters, especially in the cooler regions. Every year, the resident population is topped up with migrants arriving from central Europe in May and June. The number of adult Red Admirals seen in any one year depends on the number of migrants reaching the British Isles. As a result, in some years Red Admirals can be widespread and common, in others rather local and scarce.
Information about the Red Admiral is from UK Butterflies.