Red Spotted Purple
Lemenitis arthemis
Photo by Paul Crook
Summary
The red-spotted purple is a skilled mimic. Like the viceroy butterfly, both the caterpillar and chrysalis resemble bird droppings, and the adult butterfly looks quite similar to the distasteful pipevine swallowtail. Larvae feed on a the foliage of a wide variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, including willows, wild cherry, and crab apple. Partially grown caterpillars spend the winter in diapause, sheltered in a rolled leaf that is spun into a tube and secured to the twig with silk. Seen flying from May-October, this woodland species will visit flowers such as clethra and viburnum, but they prefer to absorb moisture and nutrients from puddles, damp ground, decaying fruit, and even animal droppings.
More Details
FAMILY
Nymphalidae (Brushfoots)
IDENTIFICATION
Wingspan 3.5 inches. Dorsal side with iridescent blue on hindwing. Ventral side with brick-red spots.
HABITAT
Woodlands, woodland edges
LIFE CYCLE
Eggs are greyish-green, with a unique hexagon cell structure with spikes arising from the corners of the hexagon. Overwinters as partially grown larva. Adults fond of sap, rotting fruit, and dung.
HOST PLANTS
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) and Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Ecosystem Connections
The red-spotted purple is palatable to predators, but has a color pattern that mimics the pipevine swallowtail– a toxic species. Predators avoid both of them on sight. The larvae also use coloration to avoid being eaten — they resemble unappetizing bird droppings!