Red-Spotted Admiral

Fascinating facts about the Red-Spotted Admiral

• The gene WntA drives the mimicry that lets the red-spotted purple resemble the poisonous pipevine swallowtail. This gene was identified as the cause of wing-pattern similarity between the two species that split from a common ancestor more than 65 million years ago.
• Females lay each egg at the very tip of a leaf, matching the egg's width to the leaf's edge so the egg fits precisely. The host plants they use are typically only two to three feet above the ground, keeping the eggs low in the canopy. A female spends several weeks in this labour, depositing only a few eggs per day, a pattern that leads to many worn-out females later in the season.
• When they fly, red-spotted admirals stay just a few feet above the forest floor, with short, low-altitude flights that hover only about 2 to 3 feet off the ground. Outside of flight they are constantly walking over leaves and folding their wings, a behaviour that keeps them close to their host plants. They also love the sun, often resting at the highest points on trees where they can bask.
• An adult red-spotted admiral lives only a brief spell after it emerges, typically surviving just six to fourteen days. Those that belong to the first brood are already on the wing by mid-June, taking advantage of the early summer warmth. As a diurnal species, it remains active from sunrise until shortly after dusk, spending most of that time fluttering low over the forest floor.
• Male red-spotted admirals fiercely guard small territories, engaging in brief aerial bouts when rivals intrude. These confrontations typically last between one and five minutes before the intruder is driven off. The defending male perches in sunny spots, often under the sun, and will resume patrolling the area once the clash ends, maintaining a high-fidelity hold on the site.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Red-Spotted Admiral

As the Red-Spotted Admiral dances through the warm, sun-dappled air, its delicate wings beat with a hypnotic rhythm, drawing the eye to the flash of crimson spots that give this butterfly its name. With each gentle flutter, it navigates the intricate tapestry of its forest habitat, sipping nectar from flowers and leaving a trail of subtle beauty in its wake. In its effortless, ethereal motion, the Red-Spotted Admiral embodies the very essence of summer's fleeting magic.

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