Red-spotted Admiral: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Butterflies of the Americas · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. One species, two looks. Northern ones, called white admirals, wear a bold white band. Southern ones, red-spotted purples, have none.
2. The southern form is safe for birds to eat, but its dark wings with shiny blue copy a bad-tasting butterfly, the pipevine swallowtail.
3. A female lays her egg at the very tip of a leaf, right where the leaf gets as narrow as the egg itself.
4. Many caterpillars stop growing when half-grown. They build a little winter shelter and sleep there until spring.
5. When two males clash over a patch, they fly round in circles. Then the winner chases the loser away.

The quiz

1. What do northern white admirals have that southern red-spotted purples lack?

• Long tails on the wings
• A bold white band (correct)
• Bright yellow eyes
• Green wing tips

The white band marks the northern form; the southern form has none.

2. Which butterfly does the red-spotted purple imitate?

• The monarch
• The mourning cloak
• The pipevine swallowtail (correct)
• The zebra longwing

It copies the dark wings and shiny blue of the bad-tasting pipevine swallowtail.

3. Where on a leaf does the female lay her egg?

• At the very tip (correct)
• Under the leaf stalk
• In the middle of the leaf
• On the ground below the leaf

Eggs go at the very tip, where leaf and egg are the same width.

4. How do many of these caterpillars get through the winter?

• They fly south to Mexico
• They burrow deep underground
• They live inside ant nests
• They sleep half-grown in a little shelter (correct)

Half-grown caterpillars build a winter shelter and hibernate until spring.

5. How do two rival males settle a dispute?

• They sing at each other
• They fly in circles, then one chases the other off (correct)
• They share the patch peacefully
• They wrestle on the ground

The contest is a circling flight, then the loser is chased away.

More about the Red-spotted Admiral

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries