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| Caterpillar |
Pupa |
Butterfly |
There are several forms of this species, two so distinct that they were treated as separate species for many years. Subspecies arthemis and rubrofasciata, the White Admiral, have a deep purplish-black ground colour on the upperside, with a broad white band crossing both wings. There is a row of spots, blue with often a small amount of red in arthemis and completely red in rubrofasciata, adjacent to the outer margin of the white band on the hindwing. The underside of both subspecies is pale reddish brown with bright brick-red spots along the outer margin and the near the base; the white bands are repeated on the underside. Subspecies astyanax, the Red-spotted Purple, has the same ground colour on the upperside, but entirely lacks the white bands except in some hybrids where the ranges overlap. The outer part of the hindwing upperside has a greenish iridescence. The underside lacks the white band and is blackish in colour except for the same brick-red spots. The wingspan (47 to 78 mm) is highly variable; smaller specimens occur in the north.
Abundance: This is usually a common and sometimes abundant species in most of its range. The Red-spotted Purple is common only in southwestern Ontario, infrequent farther north and east.
Flight Season: The adults fly from June to August, with a partial second generation into September.
Habits: Roads and clearings in wooded areas are where this butterfly is most often seen. They like to sun themselves on leaves or on gravel roads, where they periodically open and close their wings. They are rarely seen on flowers, but congregate on rotting fruit and animal dung.