Red-Spotted Admiral

Red-Spotted Admiral

Limenitis arthemis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Jasper National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

55 Verified sightings at Jasper National Park From 2019 to 2026
722 In all 21 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red-Spotted Admiral

Limenitis arthemis, the red-spotted purple or white admiral, is a North American butterfly species in the cosmopolitan genus Limenitis. It has been studied for its evolution of mimicry, and for the several stable hybrid wing patterns within this nominal species; it is one of the most dramatic examples of hybridization between non-mimetic and mimetic populations.

L. arthemis can be split into two major groups, mainly based on one physical characteristic: the presence of a white band along the wings. Individuals of the northern group, called white admirals, have a conspicuous white band that traverses both the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the wing, while those of the southern group, called red-spotted purples, lack that trait as they have evolved to mimic the poisonous pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor). Due to overlap in distribution among the two major groups, intermediates are numerous as hybridization occurs frequently.

Limenitis (Neo-Latin "of harbours", from Ancient Greek Λιμενιτις (from λιμήν, a harbour, haven) – an epithet of Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the wild) – arthemis, from Artemis. Limenitis arthemis is a butterfly... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~60%
2 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
3 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
4 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
5 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
6 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
7 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
8 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
9 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
10 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
11 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
12 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
13 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
14 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
15 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
16 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
17 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
18 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
19 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
20 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
21 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 San Luis Potosí 🇲🇽 México
~10%
4 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Anchorage 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-Spotted Admiral in Jasper National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Spotted Admiral sighting in Jasper National Park on a given day, based on 55 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 88 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-Spotted Admiral in Jasper National Park?

July

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Spotted Admiral in Jasper National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months. That is one of Jasper National Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 55 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a Red-Spotted Admiral?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Spotted Admiral sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Red-Spotted Admiral live in Jasper National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Red-Spotted Admiral that you can see in Jasper National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Pearl Crescent (about 30%), Mourning Cloak (about 20%) and Milbert's Tortoiseshell (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Red-Spotted Admiral sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-Spotted Admiral is recorded against all the insects logged in Jasper National Park (55 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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