Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)

Identification: Upperside is black with white median bands on both wings; tip of forewing is orange-brown. Underside is reddish-brown with white markings.

Life history: Males perch in valley bottoms all day to watch for females. Eggs are laid on the upperside of host plant leaf tips. Caterpillars feed on leaves and partially-grown caterpillars overwinter in rolled leaf shelters.

Flight: April-October. Several flights in California, probably one flight in the northern part of its range.

Caterpillar hosts: Wild cherry (Prunus), willows (Salix), poplar and cottonwood (Populus), and orchard trees.

Adult food: Flower nectar from plants including California buckeye, yerba santa, and privet; bird droppings; and dung.

Habitat: Forest edges, mountain canyons, orchards, parks, streamsides, fencerows and groves of cottonwood and poplar.

Range: British Columbia south to southern California and Baja California, east to western Montana and Idaho.

Conservation: Not usually required.

Management needs: None reported.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Photographs and text copyright by and adapted from US Geological Survey's Butterflies of North America.