Stats

Lifespan: A few weeks
Size: Medium
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate woodland
Range: Northern Hemisphere
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

A bold, wide-ranging butterfly found across Europe, Asia, and North America, instantly recognized by its jet-black wings crossed by vivid red-orange bands and tipped with small white spots. Red Admirals are migratory, moving northward each spring, and are famous for perching with wings spread flat to bask in the last warm days of autumn.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
chrysalis
A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
butterfly
A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Vanessa
Species: Vanessa atalanta