white admiral

White admiral is a large brush-footed butterfly with a 3″ to 3½″ wingspan. The male and female are identical in appearance but the female is slightly larger than the male.

The upperside of both wings is dark bluish-black with a broad, white, postmedial band. The forewing is rounded at the tip. It has a few white spots near the apex and a row of light blue, crescent-shaped, marginal spots. The hindwing has a row of reddish-orange submarginal spots and two rows of light blue, crescent-shaped, marginal spots.

The underside of both wings is dark brown with the white band, submarginal spots, and subapical spots carried through from the upperside. Both wings also have orangish-red and blue spots near the leading edge and two rows of light blue, crescent-shaped, marginal spots.

The caterpillar is up to 2″ long. It is a bird dropping mimic. The thorax and abdomen are mottled medium and dark olive green. A pair of long, black, spiny, branched projections (scoli) extend over the head from a hump on the second thoracic segment. There is a pair of large, greenish-yellow humps on the on the upper (dorsal) side of the second abdominal segment. Each hump is tipped with a small cluster of short white spines. There are similar, smaller humps on the seventh and eighth abdominal segments. A white subspiracular stripe extends from the second to the last abdominal segment. A white “saddle” on the dorsal surface from the fourth through sixth abdominal segments extends down the sides near the middle and merges with the subspiracular stripe. The head is brown and has a pair of short, brown scoli. The prolegs are brown.

Mature caterpillars are found from late May onward.

3″ to 3½″ wingspan

Forest edges and openings of deciduous broad-leaf forests and or mixed evergreen forests dominated by aspen or birch; roadsides, trails.

Two broods: Late May to August; and a partial generation August to early September

Adult butterflies are often seen sunning themselves on gravel roads.

In the fall the third stage caterpillar of the second brood forms a shelter (hibernaculum) by rolling a leaf and tying it with silk. It overwinters in the hibernaculum.

The range of this subspecies overlaps that of the red-spotted purple in the lower third of the state. Where the ranges overlap the subspecies interbreed and produce offspring with intergrading characteristics.

Usually leaves of birch, willow, quaking aspen, and chokecherry, but also American basswood, plains cottonwood, hawthorn, oak, serviceberry, and other trees.

Sap flows, rotting fruit, aphid honeydew, carrion, dung; rarely flower nectar.

Sources

7, 21, 24, 29, 30, 82.

This map includes sightings of the hybrid white admiral × red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis arthemis × astyanax) in southeastern Minnesota from iNaturalist.org.

Common

Came across this little beauty on what should have been my sons 30th birthday! So special.

White Admiral
DianesDigitals

White Admiral Butterfly
Andree Reno Sanborn

White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)
TheChannelOfAnimals

White Admiral Butterfly (Nymphalidae: Limenitis arthemis) on Walkway
Carl Barrentine

White Admiral (Nymphalidae: Limenitis arthemis) on Leaf
Carl Barrentine

Jon Jasinski
6/25/2024

Location: Paradise, Michigan

This is the first time in many years that we have seen these.   There is a lot of them too.

Location: Voyageurs National Park

Plentiful

Location: Melrose Hill, Hays River Road, Cape Breton Island NS

Came across this little beauty on what should have been my sons 30th birthday! So special.

Location: Crystal MN

Landed on my bench on my deck.

Location: Tamarac

I grew up in  lower Michigan, where we don’t have white admirals, but knew Weidemeyer's admiral from working in New Mexico -- so at first glance I thought it was Weidemeyer's admiral, and thought “how big is their range?!?!” But I’m better now, lol...