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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Colorado

Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)
JPG -- species photo

Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini [Boisduval])

Wing span: 2 - 2 5/8 inches (5.1 - 6.7 cm).

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.

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

Management needs: None reported.

References:


Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, 

     Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.



Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co., 

     Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.

Author: Jane M. Struttmann

State and Regional References:


Brown, F.M., Eff, J.D., and B. Rotger. 1957. Colorado Butterflies. Denver 

     Museum of Natural History, Denver.



Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. 

     University of Oklahoma Press. Norman.



Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998.  The Butterflies of 

     Canada.  University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON.  280 pp. 



Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised 

     edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.



Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. 

     Privately published, Denver, Colo.



Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. 

     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.

Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)
distribution map
map legend

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