Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta
Summary 4
The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a well-known colourful butterfly, found in temperate Europe, Asia and North America. The Red Admiral has a 45–50 mm (1.8–2.0 in) wing span. The species is resident only in warmer areas, but migrates north in spring, and sometimes again in autumn.
Description 5
The red admiral is a familiar butterfly, and is easy to identify thanks to its striking patterning; the black forewings feature prominent red bars and white spots. The undersides of the hindwings are delicately patterned with brown and black (1), which provides excellent camouflage when this butterfly is roosting on tree trunks (2). The caterpillar grows to 3.5 cm in length, and occurs in a number of forms of varying colour. Dark forms are greyish-black, and have black spines and yellow patches along each side. Various pale forms also occur; they are either green or yellowish with pale spines and black markings (3).
Habitat 6
Red Admirals tend to be found in moist environments such as marshes, woods, fields, and well-watered gardens. These butterflies cannot stand extreme winter cold and are forced to migrate southward during the winter months to warmer climates. During this migration they can be found in habitats ranging from subtropics to tundras. The caterpillars of this species live on the plants they feed on (see Food Habits below).
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest
Wetlands: marsh
Other Habitat Features: suburban
Sources and Credits
- (c) Drriss & Marrionn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/drriss/7683157626/
- (c) Javier Díaz Barrera, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/javierdiazb/9317155725/
- (c) Dean Morley, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/33465428@N02/4978043856/
- Adapted by kmarie333 from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_atalanta
- (c) Wildscreen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/2617048
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31429251
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Animal Diversity Web
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- BugGuide
- Butterflies and Moths of North America
- CalPhotos
- CUIC Insect Images
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- Lepiforum
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- Maryland Moths
- Mass Moths
- Moth Photographers Group
- Moths of North Carolina
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- NBN Atlas
- Pacific Northwest Moths
- Red Admiral and Painted Lady Research Site
- UK Moths
