Red-spotted Purple

Most of our dark, largish butterflies in this area turn out to be swallowtails (black morph Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail), but here's the most commonly seen exception, the Red-Spotted Purple.

You could quibble about the name. When I look at them I initially notice the black, then with a better look I'll detect some blue, and after that I'll notice some orange spots. (I suppose calling it the Orange-spotted Black-and-blue might suggest an insect with bruises in the aftermath of an injury.)

This is another example of the name being for a subspecies, not a species. The species name is Red-Spotted Admiral, which comprises both the Red-spotted Purple and the White Admiral. (Looking at the 2 subspecies, you'd probably think you were looking at 2 different species since they look fairly different.)

It's possible that the Red-spotted Purple has evolved to look similar to a poisonous swallowtail that I haven't seen but which is potentially in my area, the Pipevine Swallowtail.

I'm pretty sure I've seen several of these guys this season, but getting pictures of them has been a challenge. As butterflies that lean more towards drinking tree sap or the juice from rotting fruit than nectaring on flowers, I'm rarely going to catch them mid-meal and thus stationary.

May 26, 2022 at Washington Valley Park
Photo 205018361, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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