Butterflies in Mind -- Zinnia
Susan C. Dunlap
A collection of 50 images as if seen from a butterfly’s point of view. Includes the names of native Zinnia species and the most complete list of US butterflies that will feed on Zinnia blossoms.
Butterflies in Mind -- Asclepias
Susan C. Dunlap
“Milkweed is the single most important plant for Monarch butterflies. This lavishly illustrated book contains details about the structure and cultivation of native Milkweeds, information about the 139 nectar-feeding butterflies they...
Butterflies in Mind -- Monarch
Susan C. Dunlap
This abundantly illustrated volume enables you to select from a complete list of well described perennial nectar plants that are known to attract & feed Monarch butterflies. Over 40 genera are described that are suitable to be grown...
Butterflies in Mind -- Perennials
Susan C. Dunlap
Butterflies in Mind - Perennials. This book is a definitive guide to perennial nectar plants preferred by US butterflies. It empowers you to feed, attract, support (and help identify) nectar-feeding butterflies that reside in the US....

Vanessa atalanta

Common name: Red Admiral

Feeds on these plants:

Achillea ageratifolia

Achillea ageratum
(sold as Moonshine)

Achillea alpina

Achillea clavennae

Achillea filipendulina

Achillea millefolium

Achillea millefolium ‘Lavender Beauty’

Achillea millefolium ‘Paprika’

Achillea millefolium
(sold as Apple Blossom)

Achillea ptarmica

Achillea tomentosa

Achillea x kellereri

Achillea ‘Anblo’
(sold as Anthea)

Asclepias asperula

Asclepias curassavica
(sold as Silky Deep Red)

Asclepias curassavica
(sold as Silky Gold)

Asclepias fascicularis

Asclepias hallii

Asclepias incarnata

Asclepias perennis

Asclepias purpurascens

Asclepias quadrifolia

Asclepias speciosa

Asclepias subulata

Asclepias syriaca

Asclepias tuberosa

Asclepias viridiflora

Aster alpinus

Aster amellus

Aster divaricatus

Aster foliaceus

Aster novi-belgii ‘Winston S. Churchill’

Aster novi-belgii
(sold as Tiny Tot)

Aster pilosus

Aster praealtus

Aster subspicatus

Aster x frikartii

Aster x frikartii ‘Moench’

Aster
(sold as Pot 'n Patio Mix)

Buddleja davidii

Buddleja davidii ‘Harlequin’

Buddleja davidii ‘Pink Delight’

Buddleja davidii
(sold as dwarf)

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Coreopsis lanceolata
(sold as Tequila Sunrise)

Cynara cardunculus

Dipsacus fullonum

Dipsacus imermis

Dipsacus species

Dipsacus sylvestris

Duranta erecta ‘Sapphire’

Duranta erecta
(sold as Variegata)

Duranta stenostachya

Echinacea angustifolia

Echinacea paradoxa

Echinacea purpurea

Echinacea sanguinea

Echinacea tennesseensis

Echinacea
(sold as Big Sky Harvest Moon)

Echinacea
(sold as Big Sky Yellow)

Echinops bannaticus

Echinops ritro
(sold as Taplow Blue)

Echinops sphaerocephalus

Echium vulgare

Eupatorium wrightii

Gomphrena globosa

Lantana camara
(sold as Carlos)

Lantana camara
(sold as Landmark Peach Sunrise)

Lantana camara
(sold as Landmark Pink Dawn)

Lantana hirta

Lantana hybrid
(sold as New Gold)

Lantana involucrata

Lantana montevidensis

Lantana montevidensis
(sold as Confetti)

Lantana montevidensis
(sold as Lavender Trailing)

Lantana montevidensis
(sold as New Gold)

Lantana montevidensis
(sold as orange)

Lantana montevidensis
(sold as white)

Lantana montevidensis
(sold as yellow)

Lantana ‘Silver Mound’

Lavandula angustifolia ssp. angustifolia

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Twickel Purple’

Lavandula buchii

Lavandula canariensis

Lavandula dentata

Lavandula lanata

Lavandula pinnata

Lavandula species

Lavandula stoechas ssp. pedunculata
(sold as Avonview)

Lavandula stoechas

Lavandula stoechas
(sold as Lavandula 'Winter Lace')

Lavandula stoechas
(sold as Otto Quast)

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’

Lavandula x intermedia
(sold as Dutch Mil)

Lavandula
(sold as Goodwin Creek)

Liatris ligulistylis

Liatris mucronata

Liatris punctata

Liatris pycnostachya

Liatris spicata

Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’

Lilium formosanum

Limonium perezii

Lonicera confusa

Lonicera etrusca

Lonicera hildebrandiana

Lonicera japonica ‘Purpurea’

Lonicera japonica ‘Variegata’

Lonicera maackii

Lonicera periclymenum

Lonicera pileata

Lonicera sempervirens

Lonicera tatarica

Lonicera tatarica ‘Arnold Red’

Lonicera tragophylla

Lonicera x americana

Lonicera x brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’

Lonicera x heckrottii

Lonicera xylosteum

Medicago sativa

Monarda didyma

Monarda fistulosa

Monarda punctata

Nepeta cataria ‘Citriodora’

Nepeta racemosa ssp. racemosa ‘Blue Wonder’

Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker's Low’

Nepeta subsessilis

Nepeta x faassenii

Nepeta x faassenii
(sold as Blue Ice)

Nepeta x faassenii
(sold as Dropmore)

Passiflora caerulea

Passiflora edulis
(sold as Frederick)

Passiflora incarnata

Passiflora manicata

Passiflora sanguinolenta

Passiflora vitifolia

Passiflora x alato-caerulea

Passiflora x belotii

Passiflora ‘Coral Seas’

Passiflora ‘Purple Haze’

Passiflora
(sold as Lavender Lady)

Pittosporum tobira

Plumbago auriculata

Plumbago auriculata ‘Alba’

Prunus americana

Prunus armeniaca
(sold as Blenheim apricot)

Prunus armeniaca
(sold as apricot)

Prunus avium
(sold as Bing Cherry)

Prunus avium
(sold as Black Tartarian Cherry)

Prunus avium
(sold as Craig's Crimson Cherry)

Prunus avium
(sold as Royal Ann Cherry)

Prunus cerasifera

Prunus cerasifera ‘Purple Pony’

Prunus dulcis

Prunus laurocerasus

Prunus laurocerasus ‘Marbled White’

Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’

Prunus mexicana

Prunus padus

Prunus persica
(sold as Canadian Harmony)

Prunus persica
(sold as Elberta)

Prunus persica
(sold as Heavenly White)

Prunus salicina

Prunus serotina

Prunus spinosa

Prunus tenella

Prunus umbellata

Prunus virginiana demissa

Prunus virginiana melampcarpa

Prunus virginiana melanopcarpa

Prunus virginiana

Prunus yedoensis

Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides

Rudbeckia fulgida

Rudbeckia hirta

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Autumn Colors’

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Indian Summer’

Rudbeckia hirta
(sold as Becky Series)

Rudbeckia hirta
(sold as Cordoba)

Rudbeckia laciniata

Rudbeckia maxima

Rudbeckia occidentalis

Scabiosa caucasica

Scabiosa caucasica ‘Fama’

Scabiosa columbaria

Scabiosa ochroleuca

Scabiosa ‘Pink Mist’

Sedum acre

Sedum aizoon

Sedum album

Sedum anglicum
(sold as gray)

Sedum anglicum
(sold as green)

Sedum caeruleum

Sedum dasphyllum

Sedum dendroideum

Sedum kamtschaticum var. floriferum ‘Weinhenstephaner Gold’

Sedum kamtschaticum

Sedum kamtschaticum
(sold as Akebono)

Sedum lineare ‘Variegatum’

Sedum lucidum

Sedum morganianum

Sedum niveum

Sedum pachyphyllum

Sedum rubrotinctum

Sedum rupestre

Sedum rupestre
(sold as Blue Spruce)

Sedum sieboldii

Sedum species

Sedum spurium

Sedum telephium

Sedum telephium ‘Bon Bon’

Sedum treleasei

Sedum ‘Matrona’

Sedum
(sold as Blue spruce)

Solidago californica

Solidago canadensis

Solidago flexicaulis

Solidago multiradiata

Solidago nultiradiata

Solidago rigida

Solidago rugosa

Solidago spectabilis

Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’

Symphyotrichum puniceum

Symphyotrichyum oblongifolium

Syringa pubescens ssp. microphylla

Syringa pubescens ssp. patula ‘Miss Kim’

Syringa vulgaris ‘Charles Joly’

Tagetes lemmonii

Taraxacum officinale

Trifolium pratense

Verbena bonariensis

Verbena hastata

Verbena hybrid
(sold as Quartz scarlet)

Verbena hybrid
(sold as Sparkler Purple & White)

Verbena hybrid
(sold as Sparkler Red & White)

Verbena hybrid
(sold as Sparkler Sky Blue & White)

Verbena hybrid
(sold as Tapien Pink)

Verbena lilacina

Verbena rigida 'polaris'

Verbena rigida polaris

Verbena rigida

Verbena stricta

Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’

Verbena
(sold as Aztec Cherry Red)

Verbena
(sold as Aztec Light Pink)

Verbena
(sold as Aztec Pearl)

Verbena
(sold as Aztec Raspberry)

Verbena
(sold as Aztec White Magic)

Verbena
(sold as Babylon Deep Pink)

Verbena
(sold as Sparkler Purple & White)

Verbena
(sold as Sparkler Sky Blue & White)

Verbena
(sold as Tukana White)

Verbena
(sold as x hybrida Taylortown Red)

Vernonia noveboracensis

Viburnum carlesii

Viburnum cinnamonifolium

Viburnum davidii

Viburnum nudum

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Mariesii’

Viburnum suspensum

Viburnum tinus

Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’

Viburnum tridentatum
(sold as Densa)

Viburnum x bodnantense
(sold as Pink Dawn)

Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Anne Russell’

Viburnum x carlcephalum

Viburnum x juddii

Vanessa atalanta, Red Admiral

This is a truly colorful butterfly, with orange bands and white dots and about a 2” wing span, that will sun itself on a leafy plant in the garden. It is a “strong flyer” and it is migratory as well. It spends winters in Italy and summers in the UK and thousands have been seen flying high in the sky propelled by wind currents.

As far as butterflies go, it is a fast in flyer. The first time it flew in a temperate Zone 9 garden was in late March in between spring rain storms. Chances are this creature had hibernated locally over the winter months as it was too early for it to have emerged from a local pupa. Hibernal diapause refers to a state of suspended development of the insect, not a suspended state of sleep. Besides, Vanessa atalanta is not known to go into diapause. The Red Admiral has been observed in all but five states in the continental US.

Listed below are the 18 specific plant species contained in the master database. Taraxacum officinale is weedy (and beloved by many butterflies). The Red Admiral, while visiting the Zone 9 garden, nectared on Pittosporum tobira - a spring blooming aromatic shrub that is a new entry to the master database. The remainder, all of which are listed on the left panel, are genera with many different species in cultivation. Many of these genera contain native plants that appeal to the Red Admiral. Of these, two contain invasive species*, namely, Lantana camara and Scabiosa atropurpurea.

1. Asclepias syriaca
2. Buddleja davidii
3. Coreopsis lanceolata
4. Cynara cardunculus
5. Echinacea purpurea
6. Echium vulgare
7. Eupatorium wrightii
8. Gomphrena globosa
9. Limonium perezii
10. Medicago sativa
11. Pittosporum tobira
12. Plumbago auriculata
13. Prunus mexicana
14. Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides 
15. Symphyotrichum puniceum
16. Tagetes lemmonii
17. Taraxacum officinale
18. Trifolium pratense

The Public Domain close-up photograph shown here was taken Dr. Thomas G. Barnes of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The other image documents its mid-March presence in a local garden.

*per USDA Plants, Cal IPC, and the state of California.