Family: Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies view all from this family

Description 3-3 3/8" (76-86 mm). Large. FW long, HW very squared, sometimes quite scalloped. Above, coal-black with brilliant blue to blue-green iridescence, especially over HW. Below, brick-red spots line borders and cluster around wing bases. Eastern populations have some red in FW tips above.

Similar Species Female Diana Fritillary has much rounder wings, lacks red spotting. Pipevine Swallowtail is tailed.

Life Cycle Caterpillar humped, dark-saddled and mottled; basically cream-colored with 2 prominent brushlike bristles behind head. Host plants include willows (Salix), poplars and aspens (Populus), cherries (Prunus), hawthorns (Crataegus), apples (Malus), hornbeams (Carpinus), and others.

Flight Up to 3 broods in South; mid-spring through summer.

Habitat Open woodlands, forest edges, nearby meadows, watercourses, shorelines, and roads and paths; arroyos and canyons in Southwest.

Range E. Dakotas and NE. Colorado east to S. New England, south to central Florida, and west to Arizona and Mexico.

Discussion Along the northern edge of its range, the Red-spotted Purple hybridizes with the White Admiral to produce partially banded offspring. Some lepidopterists consider them one species, but genetic evidence suggests that they have come together relatively recently. The Red-spotted Purple mimics the toxic, bright blue Pipevine Swallowtail, thus gaining protection from birds.