The White Admiral is a stunning butterfly with broad white bands across its dark wings and rows of red and blue spots along the wing margins. The southern subspecies, the Red-spotted Purple, has traded the white banding for iridescent blue and mimics the Pipevine Swallowtail. It glides gracefully through forest clearings and is an expert at soaring on thermals.
Best time to see a White Admiral
The best time to see a White Admiral is June–August, when about 70% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 85,519 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a White Admiral? What bug is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
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