Attributes of Vanessa atalanta
Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is black with white spots near the apex; forewing with red median band, hindwing with red marginal band. The winter form is smaller and duller, summer form larger and brighter with an interrupted forewing band.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 3 inches (4.5 - 7.6 cm).
Life History: The Red Admiral has a very erratic, rapid flight. Males perch, on ridgetops if available, in the afternoon to wait for females, who lay eggs singly on the tops of host plant leaves. Young caterpillars eat and live within a shelter of folded leaves; older caterpillars make a nest of leaves tied together with silk. Adults hibernate.
Flight: Two broods from March-October in the north, winters from October-March in South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants of the nettle family (Urticaceae) including stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), tall wild nettle (U. gracilis), wood nettle (Laportea canadensis), false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica), pellitory (Parietoria pennsylvanica), mamaki (Pipturus albidus), and possibly hops (Humulus).
Adult Food: Red Admirals prefer sap flows on trees, fermenting fruit, and bird droppings; visiting flowers only when these are not available. Then they will nectar at common milkweed, red clover, aster, and alfalfa, among others.
Habitat: Moist woods, yards, parks, marshes, seeps, moist fields. During migrations, the Red Admiral is found in almost any habitat from tundra to subtropics.
Range: Guatemala north through Mexico and the United States to northern Canada; Hawaii, some Caribbean Islands, New Zealand, Europe, Northern Africa, Asia. Cannot survive coldest winters; most of North America must be recolonized each spring by southern migrants.
Conservation: Not 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 Vanessa atalanta
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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 400 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.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
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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May 18, 2013 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | May 19, 2013 | Details |
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February 28, 2013 | fitzclarke@bellsouth.net | Chatham County, Georgia, United States | May 13, 2013 | Details |
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April 20, 2013 | mojoedevine | Stanislaus County, California, United States | May 11, 2013 | Details |
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May 22, 2012 | TiggersMomma | Monroe County, Indiana, United States | May 04, 2013 | Details |
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August 15, 2012 | PDunwiddie | Tillamook County, Oregon, United States | April 30, 2013 | Details |
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April 20, 2013 | mudgrub12 | Placer County, California, United States | April 21, 2013 | Details |
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April 21, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States | April 21, 2013 | Details |
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April 09, 2013 | loralenaashlie | Texas, Travis County, United States | April 19, 2013 | Details |
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April 16, 2013 | Doug Bruce | Houston County, Tennessee, United States | April 17, 2013 | Details |
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June 23, 2012 | Nymphalis antiopa | Cumberland County, Virginia, United States | April 13, 2013 | Details |
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April 07, 2013 | VintageGardens | Los Angeles County, California, United States | April 08, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | judielaine | Alameda County, California, United States | April 06, 2013 | Details |
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April 14, 2012 | LovelyDreamer | Shawnee County, Kansas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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April 30, 2012 | lkjhfdsa | Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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May 01, 2012 | Timeflies | Reno County, Kansas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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April 14, 2012 | AR Montgomery | Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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May 27, 2012 | LLJohnson | Dominican Republic | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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August 22, 2012 | Jim Klingler | Nemaha County, Kansas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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September 19, 2011 | samhan | Ontario, Canada | April 01, 2013 | Details |
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March 15, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | March 27, 2013 | Details |
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February 27, 2013 | jomarlin | Hillsborough County, Florida, United States | March 16, 2013 | Details |
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March 10, 2013 | lucyj | Los Angeles County, California, United States | March 12, 2013 | Details |
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July 07, 2012 | Alcon | Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States | March 11, 2013 | Details |
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February 27, 2013 | Englishman | Hernando County, Florida, United States | March 09, 2013 | Details |
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February 17, 2013 | JimConrad | Texas, United States, Uvalde County | February 21, 2013 | Details |
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July 09, 2012 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | February 08, 2013 | Details |
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April 21, 2012 | birdlover53 | Calhoun County, Michigan, United States | January 30, 2013 | Details |
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November 01, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 28, 2013 | Details |
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October 15, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
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October 27, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
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July 08, 2012 | K Stilwell | Buchanan County, Virginia, United States | January 12, 2013 | Details |
| October 20, 2012 | richardhsmith (Jim Brighton, Dan Small, and Tom_Feild) | Somerset County, Maryland, United States | January 08, 2013 | Details | |
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October 06, 2011 | dpgbfly1 | Carver County, Minnesota, United States | January 06, 2013 | Details |
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July 07, 2010 | dpgbfly1 | Anoka County, Minnesota, United States | January 06, 2013 | Details |
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October 27, 2012 | MMM777 | Texas, Travis County, United States | January 01, 2013 | Details |
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November 24, 2012 | Maxintaft | Texas, San Patricio County, United States | December 27, 2012 | Details |
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November 28, 2012 | TeddyKuma | Texas, Lampasas County, United States | December 27, 2012 | Details |
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December 17, 2012 | TeddyKuma | Texas, Lampasas County, United States | December 22, 2012 | Details |
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September 02, 2012 | Ansley Browning | Pulaski County, Virginia, United States | December 17, 2012 | Details |
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November 20, 2012 | scvirginia | Charleston County, South Carolina, United States | December 10, 2012 | Details |
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November 30, 2012 | Kimberly Mrozinski | Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details |
| October 03, 1991 | Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) | Mohave County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 25, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Cleburne County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| March 31, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 01, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Cleburne County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 07, 2012 | legacy.reporter (Kazuo Inagaki) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 08, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 11, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Mobile County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 13, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Shelby County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 13, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details |
