The Red Spotted Purple butterfly is black with shimmering blue or blue-green scaling. Its wings have an iridescent blue sheen, while the undersides feature vivid orange spots. At first glance, it mimics the Pipevine Swallowtail, but unlike the swallowtail, it has no tails!

 

“Red-Spotted Purple” by Tommy P World, licensed under (CC BY-NC 2.0)

 

Red-Spotted Purple Facts

Butterfly Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Nymphalinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 2 1/4 – 4 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Deciduous or mixed forests, moist uplands, valley bottoms, and coastal plains

 

🪴Host Plants

These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

• Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

• Common Deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum)

• Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

• Oaks (Quercus spp.)

• Willows (Salix spp.)

 

🌸 feeding behavior

Adult Red-Spotted Purple butterflies primarily feed on:

• Carrion

• Dung

• Rotting fruit

• Sap flows

Their preference for sap, rotting fruit, and dung is due to their shaded woodland habitats, where flowers are less abundant.