BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS

Red-spotted Purple, Limenitis arthemis

Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Size: Wingspan 2 1⁄2–3 3⁄4"

Habitat: Deciduous woodlands

Range: Throughout eastern United States

The Red-spotted Purple is the same species as the White Admiral, which has a very different color pattern and ranges farther north, although the two may hybridize to create intermediate forms where their ranges overlap. The Red-spotted Purple superficially resembles the Pipevine Swallowtail, but lacks the tails. The upperside wings are dark blue to black, fading to iridescent blue or blue-green near the margins and most of the hindwing. There are reddish spots along the apex of the forewing. The underside is bluish to brown, with several black-bordered orange spots. The body is a dark blue-gray marked with white underneath. The caterpillar, like that of the Viceroy, is often said to resemble a bird dropping: It is cream colored, mottled with dull brown or gray, and lumpy, and has two thick tentacles. The caterpillar eats the leaves of a variety of trees including wild cherry, willow, poplar, oak, and hawthorn. Adults feed on rotting fruit, dung, and moist soils.