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Photos © Kim Hosen Top - Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, Nokesville, VA: August 2010 Lower left - Merrimac Farm WMA; August 2009 Lower center - Whooping Crane Conservancy, Hilton Head Island, SC; December 2007 Lower right © Mark D Swartz, Bull Run Mountain, Haymarket, VA; July 2014 Bottom left - Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area; July 2016 |
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Red Admiral The Red Admiral is a medium-sized butterfly that is easily distinguished from all other species in our region by the bright, red-orange bands across all four upper wings. The wing tips are dotted with white. Look for Red Admirals in open moist meadows near woodlands, fields and suburban gardens. This swift-flier, which cannot survive harsh winters, migrates in spring and summer, some years in great numbsers. Red Admirals nectar on flowers when their preferred food sources - fermenting fruit, sap and bird droppings - are not available. Red Admiral caterpillars feed on nettles (Urtica gracilis and U. dioica). |