The Red Admiral and the Snowdrop

The sight of a Red Admiral butterfly fluttering among the snowdrops is a sign of the impact of climate change on British wildlife.

The snowdrop flowers in January and February. The Red Admiral has, in the past, flown between May and September. Before the 1990s, seeing the two together would have been nearly impossible.

Since the 1990’s the butterfly has been recorded overwintering in ever-increasing numbers. They are now seen in every month of the year – real proof of climate change.

Dr Martin Warren, Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation took this remarkable photograph of a Red Admiral among the snowdrops in a churchyard in Turner’s Puddle, Dorset. “I was quite amazed to see the Red Admiral flitting from flower to flower. Red Admirals were once just a summer visitor, but seeing this one on a snowdrop in February is a real sign that the climate is changing.”

Red Admiral and Snowdrops