Vanessa itea (Yellow Admiral)

Other Common names

Australian Admiral

Notes

Much of the time this is a butterfly that you’ll miss seeing if you blink, as they just go by in a colourful flash; they do fly at sub-light speeds, but only just. I frequently see them on hilltops in the Blue Mountains, where they regularly dash through the site at high speed, though they mysteriously appear out of nowhere to chase off butterflies I’m more interested in photographing, such as Ogyris genoveva or Hypochrysops delicia. That’s a very annoying habit they have…

They do land from time to time, often settling head-downward on tree trunks, where they are extremely well camouflaged. The best way to get photos of them can be to hang around a decent-sized buddleia bush, as they have they typical Vanessid love of the famous Butterfly Bush.

At Lawson on 6th October 2008 I observed what I assume to have been a mass emergence of Yellow Admirals. There were thousands of them – they were all over the place. They were difficult to approach, as usual, but I was able to get a few photos. I went back the following weekend, but they had dispersed and I only saw one or two.

Sightings

Georges River National Park – March 2004
Mount Annan Botanic Garden – April 2004
North Sydney – April, September 2004
Ingleburn Reserve – April, September 2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney – May 2004.

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