Many counters commented on Red Admirals in 2001, and no wonder. The highest percentage of counts north of Mexico recorded this species (78%) since records like this started being kept in 1982. But it was the Red Admiral's abundance that really impressed. The count with the highest total individuals (1767 Red Admirals on Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, NJ) blew past the previous record (377 in 1990 on Lavaca Co., TX), again for records kept from 1982 to present

     This map shows the relative abundance of Red Admirals on 2001 counts, which were held from March 21 to September 8, as individuals per party-hour per count. (Party-hours = total hours of observation summed for all parties, or groups, of counters on a count.) These "observation rates" of Red Admirals per hour of counting make it possible to compare relative abundance among counts. For example, two counts might report 100 Red Admirals. But if one count had 5 party-hours and the other had 50 party-hours, then Red Admirals were relatively more abundant in the places counted in the first count circle (20 per party-hour) than in the second (2 per party-hour).

     2001 was also significant for how far north Red Admirals appeared in Canada and south into Mexico. This will become more apparent when you see the next column's map of Red Admirals in the 1996 counts. That year had the lowest rate of presence on counts (40%) since 1982. And to put that in perspective, the following issue will show a "typical" year-1998 (61% presence on counts). The only way to know what's a boom and what's a bust, and what's typical, is to have lots of counts in lots of years, and lots of data compilation.

     The experience on a given count could be quite different from prevailing regional and continental patterns, because of habitat, timing of count date relative to timing of the Red Admiral life cycle, and local variation in butterfly abundance. The only way to know how your area fits into the continental picture of the count program is to count butterflies in your area!

Copyright © 2002 by the North American Butterfly Association, Inc. All rights reserved.