Red Admiral Butterfly
Facts about the red admiral. Habitat: Typically in and around forested areas, especially those that support host plant populations, but often ranges widely into fields, gardens, and other open landscapes. Host plants: Stinging nettle, wood nettle, and pellitory.
Points of interest: The red admiral is a common Ohio butterfly, but can have “boom and bust” years. In 2007 this butterfly was seemingly everywhere a once in a century event. Red admirals can be common in urban settings and gardens. It frequents many species of flowers and often visits mud puddles and animal scat. When purched with wings outspread, red admirals are rather gaudy and conspicuous. At rest on tree trunks with head downward and wings closed, admirals greatly resembles bark or dead leaves. Making rotten fruit bait stations is a great way to lure this species and other brushfooted butterflies to your yard. the red admiral is a fast erratic flyer and can be hard to approach for photographing. Red admirals were once thought to be migrants to Ohio, but recent evidence suggests that they can survive milder Ohio winters. Source Ohio DNR Wildlife Guide