Download Brush-footed Butterflies (family Nymphalidae)

Brush-footed Butterflies (family Nymphalidae)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
dorsal view
ventral view
PERC
Shull
Identifying features: Wingspan 1.75-2.25 inches. Dark brown to black above. Forewing
with white spots near the tip and a large red or reddish-orange diagonal strip near the
middle. Top of hindwing edged with orange; underside with complex, mottled pattern.
Similar species: The red diagonal band through the forewing is distinctive.
Habitat: May be found almost everywhere, in fields, gardens, forest margins, hilly areas, trails, roadsides, and open woods. It is one of the few species that fly at twilight.
Adults feed primarily on nectar but will also visit overripe fruit, sap flows, carrion, and
animal feces.
Larval food plants: The leaves of Nettle, Hops, False Nettle, and Pellitories.
Season: March through September. It has two or more broods and can over-winter as
pupa or adult, depending on severity of weather.