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The White Admiral, Limenitis arthemis arthemis, is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 75 to 101 mm (about 3 to 4 inches). The dorsal wings are black to blackish-blue with a broad white band across both the forewing and hindwing. The hindwing has a row of blue dashes along the edge and often a row of small red-orange spots just inside it, although this subspecies usually shows less red on the dorsal hindwing than the northern forms. The ventral wings are reddish-brown and repeat the white bands, with red-orange spots near the base and a row of bold, rounded red-orange spots near the edge. Our photo shows the dorsal view of a spread specimen. The White Admiral and the Red-spotted Purple are the same species, Limenitis arthemis. They were once treated as two species, and BugGuide now treats them as forms of one. The Red-spotted Purple lacks the white band and has iridescent blue hindwings. Where the two meet, they interbreed, and intermediate forms are common.
The White Admiral lives mostly in northern deciduous or mixed forests, especially where aspen or birch grow, and it is also found along forest edges and shady roads. This subspecies ranges roughly from eastern North Dakota to Connecticut, and a few hundred miles north and south of that line. Moving south it blends into the Red-spotted Purple, and moving north it blends into the Western White Admiral, subspecies rubrofasciata, and similar northern populations. The White Admiral form usually occurs north of a line running through north-central New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota, and the Red-spotted Purple form usually occurs south of it. The two forms hybridize where they overlap.
Males perch on trees and tall bushes about a meter or more above the ground and watch for females, and they chase off rival males that enter their territory. Adults feed on sap flows, rotting fruit, carrion, dung, aphid honeydew, and moisture from mud puddles. They only occasionally take nectar, from small white flowers such as spiraea, privet, and viburnum. Unlike the Red-spotted Purple, the White Admiral is not a mimic of the Pipevine Swallowtail.
Complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult). The female lays single eggs on the tips of host plant leaves. The caterpillars eat the leaves of many trees and shrubs, including birch, aspen, poplar, willow, wild cherry, oak, hawthorn, basswood, and shadbush. In the north they feed heavily on birch and aspen. Third-stage caterpillars spend the winter in a small shelter called a hibernaculum, made from a rolled leaf, and finish growing in spring. The chrysalis stage lasts about 10 to 14 days. Across the species there are usually two broods a year, with adults flying from April to October.
Not known as a pest. The caterpillars eat the leaves of wild trees such as birch, aspen, and cherry, but we found no record of crop damage.
Some of our specimens were collected by Don Barnhart in Douglas County, Wisconsin.
These are damaged specimens, sold at a reduced price. They are a low-cost way to study the white-banded dorsal wings and reddish-brown ventral wings of a northern admiral, suitable for displays, practice mounting, or art projects. Check it out on BugGuide! https://bugguide.net/node/view/38192/bgimage
Photo: Louis Imbeau (iNaturalist user imbeaul), CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Cropped, background removed.
The White Admiral, Limenitis arthemis arthemis, is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 75 to 101 mm (about 3 to 4 inches). The dorsal wings are black to blackish-blue with a broad white band across both the forewing and hindwing. The hindwing has a row of blue dashes along the edge and often a row of small red-orange spots just inside it, although this subspecies usually shows less red on the dorsal hindwing than the northern forms. The ventral wings are reddish-brown and repeat the white bands, with red-orange spots near the base and a row of bold, rounded red-orange spots near the edge. Our photo shows the dorsal view of a spread specimen. The White Admiral and the Red-spotted Purple are the same species, Limenitis arthemis. They were once treated as two species, and BugGuide now treats them as forms of one. The Red-spotted Purple lacks the white band and has iridescent blue hindwings. Where the two meet, they interbreed, and intermediate forms are common.
The White Admiral lives mostly in northern deciduous or mixed forests, especially where aspen or birch grow, and it is also found along forest edges and shady roads. This subspecies ranges roughly from eastern North Dakota to Connecticut, and a few hundred miles north and south of that line. Moving south it blends into the Red-spotted Purple, and moving north it blends into the Western White Admiral, subspecies rubrofasciata, and similar northern populations. The White Admiral form usually occurs north of a line running through north-central New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota, and the Red-spotted Purple form usually occurs south of it. The two forms hybridize where they overlap.
Males perch on trees and tall bushes about a meter or more above the ground and watch for females, and they chase off rival males that enter their territory. Adults feed on sap flows, rotting fruit, carrion, dung, aphid honeydew, and moisture from mud puddles. They only occasionally take nectar, from small white flowers such as spiraea, privet, and viburnum. Unlike the Red-spotted Purple, the White Admiral is not a mimic of the Pipevine Swallowtail.
Complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult). The female lays single eggs on the tips of host plant leaves. The caterpillars eat the leaves of many trees and shrubs, including birch, aspen, poplar, willow, wild cherry, oak, hawthorn, basswood, and shadbush. In the north they feed heavily on birch and aspen. Third-stage caterpillars spend the winter in a small shelter called a hibernaculum, made from a rolled leaf, and finish growing in spring. The chrysalis stage lasts about 10 to 14 days. Across the species there are usually two broods a year, with adults flying from April to October.
Not known as a pest. The caterpillars eat the leaves of wild trees such as birch, aspen, and cherry, but we found no record of crop damage.
Some of our specimens were collected by Don Barnhart in Douglas County, Wisconsin.
These are damaged specimens, sold at a reduced price. They are a low-cost way to study the white-banded dorsal wings and reddish-brown ventral wings of a northern admiral, suitable for displays, practice mounting, or art projects. Check it out on BugGuide! https://bugguide.net/node/view/38192/bgimage
Photo: Louis Imbeau (iNaturalist user imbeaul), CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Cropped, background removed.
