Red admiral butterfly

The only butterflies I have seen so far this year are the ubiquitous cabbage whites and the red admiral butterflies. Many of us who have grown members of the broccoli family, especially broccoli and cabbage, are quite familiar with the life cycle of cabbage whites. But what about red admirals?

The red admiral butterfly (a.k.a. Vanessa atalanta) has a wide habitat over much of North and South America. Europe, and Asia, with individual variations that improve their adaptation to local climes. While they feed on nectar, their host plants are all the members of the nettle family (Urticaceae). Nettles grow worldwide, with over 50 species, which gives red admirals a leg up on butterflies such as monarchs that rely on only milkweed plants.

Red admirals have two broods in North America, between March and October. The males are quite terratorial, so if you see a pair fluttering together, they are not mating but chasing each other away. The females will mate only with males who hold terratory. Yet these brightly colored butterlies are rather friendly to humans, sometimes even landing on us two-leggeds.

The green to cream eggs blend in well with the undersides of nettles, the black spiny larva feed on the nettles, and the crysallis resembles a dried leaf. Camoflage is important because red admirals do not have a chemical defense like monarchs do. As the weather cools in fall, those in northern areas migrate south.

I no longer have any nettles in my yard. However, red admirals also use members of the Asteraceae family (asters, daisies, sunflowers) and the Cannabaceae family (hemp, hops, hackberry) as hosts. Indian hemp tries to grow in my yard, but it is actually a member of the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family. I think I've seen the red admiral larva around, though, so I will have to keep an eye out for it. Painted lady butterflies are cousins of red admirals.

(This information on red admirals comes from Wikipedia and the U.S. Forest Service.)

On the home front, the redbud trees are simply gorgeous this year, along with the flowering crabs. The cool weather is lengthening bloom time for both. Personally, I think everyone with a yard should be required to plant a redbud. And all the ornamental pears should be whacked before they take over every inch of undeveloped land there is.

The blue star and wild geranium are blooming out front, but they are hidden behind the ragwort, a design flaw that bugs me. If I were more energetic, I might try to replace some of the ragwort with something shorter. Later in the season, once the ragwort is done blooming and I cut the stems back, zinnia will go into those beds.

I haven't given up hope yet on the tulip tree, as there are other trees like locust that are also not leafing out yet. We'll have to wait and see.