Red Admiral
(Vanessa atalanta)

Red Admirals appear early in the spring and are common along the forest edge and in the butterfly garden until the fall. The peak for this species is in the middle of the summer where individuals can often seen visiting purple coneflower or buddleia. The primary host plant for this species is nettles and for this reason we keep a patch of stinging nettles along the edge of the garden. When the wings are folded this species resembles both species of Painted Lady, but can be distinguished by the lack of prominent eyespots. When seen with the wings open the striking orange stripe on the forewing makes identification easy.