Subject: Black and blue butterfly
Geographic location of the bug: Northern Lower Michigan
Date: 08/12/2018
Time: 10:24 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: This is a very friendly butterfly. We are camping mid August northern lower Michigan, in a small clearing in the middle of 100 acres of mixed forest. Poplar, birch, maple, pine and cedar among other underbrush species.
How you want your letter signed: Prettpuddles
Dear Prettpuddles,
This gorgeous butterfly is a Red Spotted Purple. Thanks for providing a list of plants in the area. Poplar and birch are both caterpillar food plants for the Red Spotted Purple, a list that includes “A variety of deciduous trees: willows and poplars (Willow family), cherries, apples and pears (Rose family), birches (Birch family), oaks and beeches (Beech family), Basswood (Linden family) and others. Also recorded from currant and blueberry bushes” according to BugGuide.
