Red Admiral - Vanessa atlanta

The Red Admiral Butterfly comes into the yard sporadically. They have two broods each year one in the Spring and a Second in the Fall. This particular butterfly had just about worn itself out. Portions of the wings are missing and the edges frayed. The latin name for the Red Admiral Butterfly is Vanessa atlanta. The Red Admiral Butterfly eats stinging nettles and other plants in the Urticaceae family. The stinging nettle would not likely be the first choice in ornamental plants in my garden, though it is both edible and a medicinal plant. This adult Red Admiral Butterfly was eating a bit of nectar from the Strawberry Tree flowers here in this picture. The Red Admiral Butterfly is a regular visitor to Monardella lanceolata to nectar.