Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini) lives in mountain meadows across Western North America. It feeds on willow and poplar.
Fascinating facts about the Lorquin's Admiral
- A Lorquin's admiral, with a span ranging from 47 to 71 mm, and the females tip the scale larger than the males. Their brown-black wings are marked by a neat row of white spots, while the forewings flash orange tips that catch the eye in dappled sunlight. This size and colour pattern lets the butterfly appear both bold and camouflaged, helping it claim territory.
- From the sun-baked canyons of the Upper Sonoran zone to the cool forests of the Canadian Zone, Lorquin's admirals span a huge north-south stretch, reaching as far east as western Montana and Idaho. Their range even brushes southern British Columbia, including Vancouver Island north of Emerald Lake, and dips into the Cypress Hills of southwestern Saskatchewan and Alberta.
- Lorquin's admirals make their homes along forest edges, mountain canyons, parks, streamsides, fencerows, orchards, and groves of cottonwood and poplar, preferring the thin line where trees meet open space. They are extremely territorial and will attack any intruders into their habitat, including large birds.
- Adult Lorquin's admirals take to the wing from April through October, but the exact timing shifts with latitude. In northern parts they usually manage a single brood between June and August, while southern populations, especially in California, can produce multiple broods in a single season.
- Caterpillars of Lorquin's admiral are yellow with a white patch on their backs, and they lay their eggs on the tips of leaves. Their menu includes willow, poplar, cherry, cottonwood, and a variety of orchard trees such as apple and plum.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeWestern North America
HabitatMountain meadows
DietWillow and poplar
About the Lorquin's Admiral
In the warm, sun-dappled glades of western North America, the Lorquin's Admiral dances through the air, its delicate wings beating in a hypnotic rhythm as it flits from flower to flower in search of sweet nectar. With its striking black and white stripes, this butterfly is a master of subtle elegance, its movements a testament to the effortless beauty of the natural world. As it alights upon a leaf or petals, its wings fold delicately, revealing the intricate patterns that have evolved to guide it through its whirlwind life cycle.
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