Observation date: June 13, 2024
Date notes: Most clear sunny sky several hours after a shower of rain.
Submitted by: relpeK
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: I had seen a mostly black butterfly yesterday with blue or purple on it's wings on this very same Oriole feeder about 1:30 p.m. and was unable to get close enough for a photograph with my cellphone as birds continued to scare it away. Today after lunch I sat in the same place surfing the web looking up periodically in hopes of catching a glimpse of a Black/Blue butterfly. Today's butterfly flitted about for about 20 minutes being acrobatic as a Swallow or Purple Martin catching mosquitoes. Finally it sat on the edge of the grape jelly jar on the Oriole feeder. I turned the camera on so the cellphone was ready, went down the steps and snapped eleven photographs in about 90 seconds or so before I got the one I wanted. All three photographs below are the same butterfly on the same feeder during those 90 seconds. Interestingly the Black/Blue butterfly yesterday was about the same size as this one but had a solid blue patch of color on the upper wing segments that covered about 30% 0f the upper part of the wing.
Status: Resident
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: June 15, 2024
Coordinator notes: The individual you saw the day before was also likely the same species, as the coloration of Limenitis arthemis, or the Red-spotted Admiral, can vary greatly. Both versions you saw were likely the “subspecies” astyanax, or the Red-spotted Purple. The other extreme variation of the same species is dubbed the other “subspecies” arthemis, or the White Admiral, which is found more commonly north of your area and has wide white bands on its wings. They’re actually not true subspecies, but just wide color variations within the same species, and are so different they were still given separate “subspecies” names. The variation you have is a mimic of the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail. -jmgesell
