Red admiral

Red Admiral 
Vanessa atalanta

Wing span: 
1 3/4 to 3  inches 

Caterpillar hosts plants: 
foliage of  elm, and members of the nettle family (Urticaceae) including hop, Humulus

Adult food:  
bird droppings, fermenting fruit, rotting fruit, tree sap

Habitat: 
marshes, moist fields, moist woods, parks, seeps, yards  

Notes:  
females lay eggs singly on tops of host leaves, hibernates as adult, males perch (especially on ridgetops) to locate females, puddles.