(Linnaeus, 1764)
White Admiral
Description:
The White Admiral is a true woodland butterfly and is found in clearings and woodland rides.
The female lays her eggs on young honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) leaves, preferring those half in the shade. The caterpillars feed on the leaves in a characteristic way. Starting at the tip and working towards the stalk, they leave the main nerve intact, and use it to rest upon. The hibernation is in the second larval instar. To make the hibernaculum the remaining part of the leaf is spun into a little tube, and the leaf stalk is spun tightly onto a twig. After hibernating, the caterpillar feeds on the newly-emerged leaves. It pupates upside down on a twig, and has one brood a year.
Habitat:
Mixed woodland
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Limenitis reducta
Limenitis populi