The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a striking butterfly species commonly found across North America and parts of Europe. Known for its distinct appearance, this medium-sized butterfly features black wings adorned with bold orange to red markings and a row of white spots on the forewing tips US Forest Service.
These captivating insects typically inhabit moist, forested areas and wetlands, where their primary food source, nettle plants, can be found. As they have a migration pattern and reproduction cycle similar to the American lady butterfly, you can expect to see Red Admirals flying around from March to November MDC Teacher Portal. Their larvae play a unique role in their ecosystem, as they create small nests by rolling over leaves of host plants and using silk to bind the edges.
Some interesting characteristics of the Red Admiral include:
- Open wingspan between 1 3/4 – 3 inches (4.5 – 7.6 cm)
- 2 or 3 broods throughout the season
- Females lay eggs singly on host plant leaves
The Red Admiral butterfly is a fascinating creature that combines remarkable beauty with intricate ecological importance. Through understanding and appreciating this species, people can foster a deeper connection with the natural world.
Red Admiral Identification and Physical Features
Color and Patterns
The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a butterfly species known for its distinct coloration and patterns. Adults have:
- A black background color on their wings
- Orange to red colored stripes that form marginal bands on the forewings and hindwings
- White spots on the tips of the forewings1
- A mottled dark pattern on the hindwings when seen from below2
Males and females have similar color patterns, making it difficult to distinguish between the two.
Wingspan and Size
Red Admiral butterflies display a wingspan that ranges from 1 3/4 to 3 inches (4.5 – 7.6 cm)1. Some key features include:
- Relatively small size compared to other butterflies
- Rounded, scalloped wings
- Prominent bands and wing markings
Habitat and Distribution
North America
Red Admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta) can be found in North America, specifically in central Canada through the Mexican highlands to Guatemala. They prefer habitats such as:
- Rich, moist bottomland woods
- Wetlands in forest ecosystems
These environments provide Red Admirals with essential resources like water, minerals, and sugars.
Europe
In Europe, Red Admirals are commonly found in gardens and woodland areas. The butterfly can thrive in various climates and can be found in some Mediterranean regions as well.
Asia
Red Admirals are also present in Asia, where they are known to inhabit a variety of ecosystems. Though they usually prefer moist, forested areas, their adaptability means they can be found in urban settings like gardens too.
North Africa
In North Africa, Red Admirals are more common in cooler, mountainous regions. They are attracted to gardens and woodland areas where their host plants thrive.
Key Features of Red Admirals:
- Open wingspan ranging from 1 3/4 – 3 inches (4.5 – 7.6 cm)
- Black background coloring with orange to red colored stripes
- White spots on the forewing tips
- Dark mottled pattern on the hindwing, seen from below
- Highly adaptable to different climates and habitats
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Eggs
Red Admiral butterflies lay light green eggs with a series of white vertical ridges. Females lay eggs singly on the leaves of host plants.
Caterpillars
Once hatched, the larvae grow up to 1.4 inches in length, with high variability in color. They feed on these host plants:
- Stinging nettle
- False nettle
- Pearly everlasting plants
Caterpillars create their shelters by rolling over leaves and using silk to bind the edges together.
Pupa
As they develop, the caterpillars form a pupa inside their leafy shelters, transitioning towards becoming adult butterflies.
Adult Butterflies
Red Admiral butterflies have an open wingspan ranging from 1 3/4 – 3 inches. Their background color is black, with striking orange to red colored stripes creating marginal bands on their wings.
These butterflies have a migratory life cycle similar to the American lady butterfly; they arrive from the south in March and continue to fly into November. They produce 2 or 3 broods during this time.
Footnotes
26 Comments. Leave new
Hi, I’m the person that posted the butterfly above and the reson why it says n/a is because number 1)i just started this acount yesterday so im still tring to figure this web site out and number 2) i did’nt quite understand what Signature ment when i posted the this, sorry, and thank you.
P.S. my name is Gary
at leest my first post showed up on the front 😀
SHOOT!!! One more thing I live in south CA. if it helps naro it down southwestern CA.
Thanks for the clarification Gary. The Red Admiral is one of our favorite butterflies. They often alight on the garden hose in the front yard of our Los Angeles office, and though they fly off if approached, they quickly return to the area. They truly are beautiful butterflies.
I quite enjoyed watching some Red Admirals in Winnipeg today. We were out painting lines on soccer pitches, and they were apparently attracted to the white latex paint we use. Now they might be members of the White-speckled Admiral subspecies. Hopefully no harm will come to them from it…
Thanks for the update.
Once again, What’s That Bug? saved my sanity. After enjoying the company of these little creatures all day yesterday, I found their identity here…
Glad we could be of assistance. Where was your sighting?
Syracuse, New York. Dozens were sunning themselves on the side of the house and on the deck, as well as clinging to the flowering trees. Then when I was doing errands I saw them in flight everywhere!
Wow, what a wonderful sighting.
This is great. After searching the internet I thought the butterflies swarming my backyard were Milbert’s Tortoiseshells. But I stumbled onto this site and the first image I saw was the exact match. So now I know these swift butterflies are really named Red Admirals.
For the past three days they’ve been hanging out in my neighborhood in the north Bronx, New York City.
Thanks so much for your report on swarming Red Admirals.
I have noticed the population boom here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Last year I saw Tiger Swallowtail dark morph females here for the first time, though I’ve been seeing Tiger Swallowtails for almost 30 years.
Giant Swallowtails are new here too.
I almost never see Monarchs any more. 🙁
Thanks for your report.
Hi Daniel~
I have seen Red Admirals, along with Painted Ladies, in huge numbers here in Naperville, IL, in the past two weeks. They’re extremely gregarious and will alight on us as we sit on our patio – or even as we walk around our property. We’ve got English bluebells and yellow daylilies in bloom, and they seem to love the bluebells most of all and will congregate 5 to 10 on a small stand of them. With our recent rain and chilly temperatures, they haven’t been quite as numerous, but the Monarchs have arrived at last! If you’re not overwhelmed with photos, I can send one or two along.
All the best,
-Dori Eldridge
Hi Dori,
We would love to get more photos, especially of Red Admirals, though we won’t be able to post them until tomorrow at the earliest.
Hi again~
I’ll send a couple. I hope you like them.
Enjoy your day,
-Dori
Hi Daniel, we live in NYC, in Manhattan, the less fashionable part of the Upper East Side, which is not usually a butterfly-rich location, but the last few days I have seen many, many of them! Several on every side of every block on York Avenue. It’s so great! We seem to have more than the usual number of Painted Ladies too.
Thanks Susan,
Your first hand observations are greatly appreciated.
We saw one in Rochester, MN. Sorry, no photo.
Yes. .Red admiral!
Yes. .Red admiral!
I’ll tell my husband, Nabokov is one of his favorite authors. Thanks for the information about puddling, I couldn’t imagine what it was finding on the ground to eat.
We are currently reading the complete published short stories by Nabakov and plan to reread “Bend Sinister”. All Nabokov fans need to read Nabokov’s Blues.
Nabokov was entirely correct in calling this butterfly the ‘Red Admirable’ – the name ‘Red Admiral’ being a corruption of the original 18th-century name.
Thanks for that etymological comment.