(Linnaeus, 1758)
Poplar Admiral
Description:
An encounter with the Poplar Admiral is one of those things that one never forgets. It is an impressive butterfly, and the woods it inhabits are areas of natural beauty. They are found in mixed woodlands with damp clearings, where its food plants Aspen (Populus tremula) and Black Poplar (Populus nigra) grow.
The female deposits her eggs one by one on leaves that are preferably situated in the sun, with more branches above them. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves, damaging them in a characteristic way. Starting at the point, they eat the softer tissue, leaving the middle nerve free. This nerve is supplied with a spun thread, which catches the caterpillar's frass. When about two-thirds of the leaf is left, the caterpillar uses it to build a hibernaculum, which is fastened tightly onto a twig with spun thread. It hibernates in the second larval instar, and in the spring eats large numbers of leaves before finally pupating, suspended from a leaf.
The Poplar Admiral has one generation a year.
Habitat:
Mixed woodland
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Limenitis camilla
Limenitis reducta