Attributes of Limenitis arthemis
Red-spotted Purple or White Admiral
Limenitis arthemis (Drury, 1773)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Limenitidinae
Identification: These two very different forms had once been considered separate species. WHITE ADMIRAL: Upperside is black with broad white median bands on both wings; hindwing has a marginal row of blue dashes and a submarginal row of red dots. Underside is reddish-brown with white median bands as on the upperside. RED-SPOTTED PURPLE: Upperside is blue to blue-green with much iridescence on the outer part of the hindwing. Underside is dark brown. Forewing has 2 red-orange bars near the base of the leading edge; hindwing has 3 red-orange spots near the base and a submarginal row of red-orange spots. The two forms hybridize where their ranges overlap, creating various intermediate forms which may be found in or near the overlap zone.
Wing Span: 2 1/4 - 4 inches (5.7 - 10.1 cm).
Life History: Males perch 3 feet or more above the ground on trees and tall bushes and rarely patrol for females. Eggs are laid singly on tips of host plant leaves; caterpillars eat leaves. Third-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Two broods from April-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of many species of trees and shrubs including wild cherry (Prunus), aspen, poplar, cottonwood (Populus), oaks (Quercus), hawthorn (Crataegus), deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), birch (Betula), willows (Salix), basswood (Tilia), and shadbush (Amelanchier).
Adult Food: Sap flows, rotting fruit, carrion, dung, and occasionally nectar from small white flowers including spiraea, privet, and viburnum. White Admirals also sip aphid honeydew.
Habitat: The White Admiral form is usually found in the north in deciduous broad-leaf or mixed evergreen forests dominated by aspen or birch. The Red-Spotted Purple form is usually found further south than the White Admiral, in deciduous or mixed forests, moist uplands, valley bottoms, and coastal plains.
Range: Alaska and subarctic Canada southeast of the Rocky Mountains to central Texas; east to New England and central Florida. Isolated populations in Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas south into Mexico. The White Admiral form usually occurs north of a line through north central New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota. The Red-spotted Purple form is usually found south of this line. Much hybridization occurs where these forms meet. Comments: The Red-spotted Purple is a mimic of the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor).
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Limenitis arthemis
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 200 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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April 21, 2012 | raven10322 | Howard County, Maryland, United States | April 27, 2012 | Details |
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April 05, 2012 | angelofbodom | Dade County, Georgia, United States | April 24, 2012 | Details |
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September 24, 2011 | nzteach1 | Hartford County, Connecticut, United States | December 10, 2011 | Details |
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August 17, 2011 | rosh94 | New York, United States | October 26, 2011 | Details |
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April 04, 2006 | rseidler | Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States | September 20, 2011 | Details |
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June 04, 2011 | damselflies | Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States | September 10, 2011 | Details |
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July 27, 2009 | Alan Harvey | Bulloch County, Georgia, United States | August 30, 2011 | Details |
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August 27, 2011 | jim8435wisc | Clark County, Wisconsin, United States | August 29, 2011 | Details |
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August 18, 2011 | Kenneth Koehler | Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States | August 28, 2011 | Details |
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June 16, 2011 | David L Mathews | Washington County, Minnesota, United States | August 22, 2011 | Details |
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August 08, 2011 | Glennie | Ontario, Canada | August 22, 2011 | Details |
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August 19, 2011 | AnyaOnion | Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States | August 19, 2011 | Details |
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July 27, 2011 | Chris Hayes | Rice County, Minnesota, United States | August 14, 2011 | Details |
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June 12, 2011 | mharlow | Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States | August 10, 2011 | Details |
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June 16, 2011 | mharlow | Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States | August 10, 2011 | Details |
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June 11, 2011 | kaliqn | Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States | August 10, 2011 | Details |
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August 18, 2010 | aarongunnar | Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States | August 10, 2011 | Details |
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July 02, 2011 | pinpals81 | Iron County, Wisconsin, United States | August 10, 2011 | Details |
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July 31, 2011 | aarongunnar | Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States | August 10, 2011 | Details |
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August 06, 2011 | jenoco1 | Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States | August 10, 2011 | Details |
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July 31, 2011 | Lisa J. Cihlar | Green County, Wisconsin, United States | August 10, 2011 | Details |
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June 02, 2011 | mafrajsm | Elkhart County, Indiana, United States | August 02, 2011 | Details |
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June 12, 2011 | Howell Curtis | Madison County, Indiana, United States | August 02, 2011 | Details |
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June 18, 2011 | Headmj | Cattaraugus County, New York, United States | July 19, 2011 | Details |
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July 02, 2011 | Lois Stacey | Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States | July 03, 2011 | Details |
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June 26, 2011 | wstolpa | Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States | June 28, 2011 | Details |
| April 09, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Shelby County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| April 17, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| April 24, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| April 30, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Shelby County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| May 01, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| May 06, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Dallas County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| May 07, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| May 08, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| May 13, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | DeKalb County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| May 28, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
| May 29, 2011 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Shelby County, Alabama, United States | May 31, 2011 | Details | |
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May 09, 2011 | Jalzoon | Paulding County, Georgia, United States | May 23, 2011 | Details |
| June 27, 2004 | legacy.reporter (VBS staff) | Rutland County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| August 16, 2003 | legacy.reporter (Adams, Frances) | Windsor County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| August 16, 2005 | legacy.reporter (Alexander, Toby) | Essex County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 21, 2004 | legacy.reporter (Armata, Terri) | Bennington County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 21, 2004 | legacy.reporter (Armata, Terri) | Bennington County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 13, 2005 | legacy.reporter (Armata, Terri) | Bennington County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 11, 2007 | legacy.reporter (Armata, Terri) | Bennington County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 11, 2007 | legacy.reporter (Armata, Terri) | Bennington County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 20, 2007 | legacy.reporter (Armata, Terri) | Rutland County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 21, 2007 | legacy.reporter (Armata, Terri) | Caledonia County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| June 19, 2002 | legacy.reporter (Atwood, Jon) | Windham County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| July 07, 2002 | legacy.reporter (Aversa, Anne) | Orange County, Vermont, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details |
