Common name: Red Admiral Latin Name:
Vanessa atalanta (Fruhstorfer, 1909)
(R.
Bercha, det.)
Wingspan:
45 - 55 mm
Range:
Throughout Alberta
Habitat:
Various
Preferred Flowers/Food: Thistles
and Alfalfa
Time of year seen:
May to October (Additional
Sightings)
Caterpillar's Diet: Nettles
Other: The Red Admiral is a distinctive
butterfly with bright orange bands on the dorsal (top) side of it wings.
There are two generations of this butterfly in Alberta every year. The
first is either over wintering adults and adults that have migrated from the
south while the second generation is locally grown. The Red
Admiral is a widely distributed species ranging from the tree line in the
North to Central America at the South end of its range. The butterfly
is uncommon, except in the years when mass migrations from the south occur.
(Acorn, 1993 and Bird, 1995) |