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Perched on Gambel Oak
I was walking to the Grand Canyon NP visitor center and noticed this little beauty. Weidemeyer’s Admiral Butterfly, Limenitis weidemeyerii,has a wingspan of 2 1/4 - 3 3/4 inches (5.7 - 9.5 cm). It’s found in deciduous forests, streamsides (which we don’t have), aspen groves, small towns, and suburbs. They range from Southern Alberta south to Nebraska and east-central California, southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico. Males perch on trees and shrubs to watch for receptive females, rarely patrolling. Females lay eggs singly on the tips of host plant leaves; caterpillars eat leaves. Adults feed on tree sap, carrion, flower nectar.
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Sorry it’s fuzzy & that I didn’t get the other side of the wings.
The several species of American admirals neatly divide up the continent. Only the Viceroy occupies nearly the whole. The White Admiral is basically northeastern, the Red-spotted Purple southeastern, and each extends westerly to the north and south respectively. Lorquin's Admiral occupies the West Coast, and Weidemeyer's Admiral the Rocky Mountains and their adjacent lowlands. Where the species do meet, a measure of hybridism often takes place. Throughout most of the Rockies, Weidemeyer's is the only banded admiral encountered. Territorial battles often take place between Weidemeyer's Admirals and other waterside denizens, such as Mourning Cloaks, Tiger Swallowtails, small skippers, and crescent spots, as well as dragonflies.
For more glimpses of life around the world or to share your own go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.
I was walking to the Grand Canyon NP visitor center and noticed this little beauty. Weidemeyer’s Admiral Butterfly, Limenitis weidemeyerii,has a wingspan of 2 1/4 - 3 3/4 inches (5.7 - 9.5 cm). It’s found in deciduous forests, streamsides (which we don’t have), aspen groves, small towns, and suburbs. They range from Southern Alberta south to Nebraska and east-central California, southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico. Males perch on trees and shrubs to watch for receptive females, rarely patrolling. Females lay eggs singly on the tips of host plant leaves; caterpillars eat leaves. Adults feed on tree sap, carrion, flower nectar.
.jpg)
Sorry it’s fuzzy & that I didn’t get the other side of the wings.
The several species of American admirals neatly divide up the continent. Only the Viceroy occupies nearly the whole. The White Admiral is basically northeastern, the Red-spotted Purple southeastern, and each extends westerly to the north and south respectively. Lorquin's Admiral occupies the West Coast, and Weidemeyer's Admiral the Rocky Mountains and their adjacent lowlands. Where the species do meet, a measure of hybridism often takes place. Throughout most of the Rockies, Weidemeyer's is the only banded admiral encountered. Territorial battles often take place between Weidemeyer's Admirals and other waterside denizens, such as Mourning Cloaks, Tiger Swallowtails, small skippers, and crescent spots, as well as dragonflies.
For more glimpses of life around the world or to share your own go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.
25 comments:
WOW what great info on this wonderful butterfly Gaelyn. It sure is a beauty!!
beautiful butterfly...love the colors :)
have a wonderful day.
What a great picture.
Beautiful photos of the butterfly. Thanks for the info, too. I'll have to keep a lookout for these around here.
What a beautiful butterfly, and how wonderful that first photo is. Most butterflies elude me. I for 6 years have been trying to capture on a camera a Western Tiger Swallowtail, but I have yet to see one land on ANYTHING. The Admiral you have is so regal with its whiteness.
Beautiful and wonderful !! Butterfly is so nice..Great..Unseen Rajasthan
It looks stunning on the oak leaves! I haven't noticed Weidemeyer's Admiral around here, but I'll keep my eyes open, especially by the stream.
what a beautiful butterfly.
It's so easy to forget that many butterflies will feed on carrion! Blake (or maybe Eliot) should have written a poem about it--beauty from rotting flesh born, or something like 'at.
Great information, Gaelyn! And that first shot of the butterfly is absolutely stunning!
Very interesting. You are just so knowledgeable about things like this. I am enjoying the "lessons". :-)
Very nice shot. I'll bet it's impressive in flight.
www.wildlifearoundus.blogspot.com
Well, how about that winged beauty? Wow.
Great shots of the butterfly and a very informative post.
Great pictures and natural history lesson. I may have seen such beautiful butterflies and not known what they are.
Very cool Gaelyn, thats a gorgeous butterfly.
Have a great week
Guy
Regina In Pictures
Wow, you really know your butterflies. The first photo is just wonderful. I had no idea they have all this greenery around the Grand Canyon.
A wonderful butterfly, and you got some great shots of it.
That is a very elegant looking butterfly. Thanks for the information. I need to study butterflies more this summer.
Gaelyn: Thanks for sharing this neatly colored butterfly.
How beautiful! I can never get the butterflies to be still long enough to get a good shot. This is just gorgeous.
These really are beautiful butterflies which we just don't get here.
Beautiful Gaelyn..and thanks for all the info on it as well!
What a perfect butterfly photo! Beautiful! Thanks for sharing all of that information - I've seen several of these little guys (probably while living in Arizona), but I hadn't realized that they don't live up here in Washington.
Love that gorgeous butterfly! We have Red-Spotted Purples here in Minnesota too.
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